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Cairns Program

Bitter Christmas

Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Spain
2026
101 mins
Unclassified 18+
Pedro Almodóvar’s (All About My Mother, Volver) vibrant film-within-a-film follows a filmmaker whose search for inspiration raises thorny questions about the ethics of storytelling.

Set across two intertwined timelines, Pedro Almodóvar’s latest Cannes Competition selection follows Elsa, a filmmaker battling creative block, and Raúl, the writer struggling to finish her story. When a personal tragedy in the life of someone close to him becomes material for his screenplay, Raúl is forced to confront the uneasy relationship between art and lived experience. Echoing the autobiographical themes of Pain and Glory, this vibrant, playful film-within-a-film is elevated by standout performances from Bárbara Lennie and Leonardo Sbaraglia, and a sumptuous score by longtime collaborator Alberto Iglesias.

““[An] elegant rumination on art and ethics ... It’s intricately structured, beautifully acted bya cast of both regulars and newcomers”
dripping in visual style
““[An] elegant rumination on art and ethics ... It’s intricately structured, beautifully acted bya cast of both regulars and newcomers”
dripping in visual style

Tickets

Sat 7 November 2026, 1:30pm
Event Cinemas Cairns Central
Event Cinemas Cairns Central
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Limited seats are available for patrons requiring access for wheelchairs, low vision and hearing loop. Please contact our ticketing team directly on 1300 733 733 or tickets@sff.org.au to complete your booking, or see our Access & Inclusion page for more information.

  • Year
    2026
  • Classification
    Unclassified 18+
  • Country
    Spain
  • Language
    In Spanish with English subtitles
  • Director
    Pedro Almodóvar
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