Pedro Almodovar to shoot ‘Bitter Christmas' in Madrid, Canary Islands this month

Pedro Almodóvar will start shooting his next film, the Spanish-language Bitter Christmas, in Madrid and the Canary Islands for El Deseo and Movistar Plus+ later this month.

Warner Bros Spain will release the film theatrically in 2026.

Bárbara Lennie, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Victoria Luengo, Patrick Criado, Milena Smit and Quim Gutiérrez will star in the film.

It will be about an advertising director whose mother dies during a long December holiday. She throws herself into work as an escape, avoiding grief until a panic attack forces her to stop. Her partner supports her during the crisis and stays behind in Madrid when she travels to Lanzarote with her friend for a break.

Almodóvar’s most recent feature was the English-language The Room Next Door, starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, which won the Venice Golden Lion in 2024 but failed to engage with major awards voters. Movistar Plus+ also supported The Room Next Door.

This story originally appeared on our sister site Screen