Ibero-American Competition
The Ibero-American Competition assesses outstanding films from Latin America and Spain for the strength of their storytelling and creativity of their cinematography. To be eligible, films must be without US distribution at the time of their selection.
The Ibero-American Competition jury, comprised of filmmakers, journalists, and industry professionals, selects the winning film, which will be announced at the Golden Space Needle Awards May 17 and awarded a cash prize of $5,000.
Balandrau, Where the Fierce Wind Blew
Spain | 2026 | 116 min. | Fernando Trullols
On December 30, 2000, friends climbing Mount Balandrau get caught in a sudden blizzard. Visibility vanishes, winds roar, and survival becomes a fight against the mountain’s deadliest storms.
The Condor Daughter
Bolivia | 2025 | 109 min. | Alvaro Olmos Torrico (Quechua)
Clara, a young Quechua midwife blessed with sacred songs, dreams of becoming a singer. When she leaves her Andean village, the balance of life begins to falter, and Clara must decide between following her dreams or embracing her ancestral duty.
Fifteen
Mexico | 2026 | 99 min. | Jack Zagha, Yossy Zagha
Growing up is terrifying enough, but for two best friends planning the ultimate quinceañera the real horror is what's growing inside one of them.
The Garden We Dreamed
Mexico | 2026 | 100 min. | Joaquín del Paso
A Haitian family migrating through Mexico becomes entangled in illegal logging. Amid fleeting stability and the forest’s quiet beauty, they confront violence, survival, and destruction, testing their hope for a place to call home.
It Would Be Night in Caracas
Mexico | 2025 | 97 min. | Mariana Rondón, Marité Ugás
Set in Caracas during the 2017 protests, this gripping thriller follows a woman trapped in a city consumed by repression and chaos. When loyalists seize her apartment, she goes into hiding and begins a desperate plan to escape.
Iván & Hadoum
Spain | 2026 | 103 min. | Ian de la Rosa
Amid the sprawling greenhouses of Almeria, trans man Ivan and migrant Hadoum share an unexpected, electric connection. But when Ivan rises to become her boss, passion collides with power and prejudice, revealing the fragile boundaries between love, identity, and class.
Jaripeo
Mexico | 2026 | 71 min. | Efraín Mojica, Rebecca Zweig
Set amid Michoacan’s electrifying bull-riding celebrations, Jaripeo uncovers queer desire within a fiercely hypermasculine world—blending music, dance, and intimate stories into a vibrant celebration of sensuality, joy, and living openly.
The Red Hangar
Chile | 2026 | 81 min. | Juan Pablo Sallato
In the aftermath of the 1973 Chilean coup d'etat, an Air Force logistics officer is ordered to convert a hangar into a detention and torture center. As repression tightens, he is forced to confront obedience, loyalty, and the moral cost of a nation descending into dictatorship.