Spanish Actress Aina Clotet Wins First Spanish Award at Cannes 2026 with Her Debut Feature

Spanish actress and director Aina Clotet has received the first award for Spanish cinema at this year's Cannes Film Festival — the Revelation prize at the Critics' Week. Her debut feature film "Viva" was recognised by this parallel section of the festival, which runs independently of the main competition.

The film tells the story of a woman who, having beaten breast cancer, rediscovers her hunger for life. The jury, chaired by Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia, described the lead character as a "radical" and "complex" individual who nonetheless wins the audience's heart. The jury called Clotet's performance "piercing" and "extremely funny."

Clotet herself said that humour is her key instrument for engaging with the world. "Thank you for believing in our film and opening doors for us to the world," she added as she accepted the award.

This was Clotet's first feature film after a long career as an actress in theatre, film, and television, as well as experience as a screenwriter and director of various short films.

The 2026 Cannes Film Festival has been a record-breaking one for Spanish cinema. For the first time, three Spanish films are simultaneously represented in the main competition: "Bitter Christmas" by Pedro Almodóvar, "My Beloved" by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, and "Black Ball" by directing duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi.

The Un Certain Regard section features three further projects with Spanish co-production involvement: "The Thaw" (El Deshielo) by Chilean director Manuela Martelli, "The Sweetest" (La Más Dulce) by Franco-Moroccan director Leila Matrakchi, and "Titanic Ocean" by Greek director Konstantina Kotzamani.

"We have yet to see whether this is a temporary phenomenon, but the truth is that Spanish cinema is showing remarkable diversity and vitality, more than ever before," admitted Thierry Frémaux, the festival's artistic director.