Screening times:
Saturday, July 11, 6:00 PM
Sunday, July 19, 5:30 PM

Carla Simòn | Spain, Germany | 2026 | 115m
Spanish with English subtitles

Stirring long-buried emotions, reviving tenderness, and uncovering unspoken wounds tied to the past, 18-year-old Marina pieces together the fragmented and often contradictory memories of the parents she barely remembers in this quiet and delicate study of family. Orphaned at a young age, Marina travels Spain’s Atlantic coast to obtain a signature for a scholarship application from grandparents she has never met. She navigates a sea of new aunts, uncles, and cousins, uncertain whether she will be embraced or met with resistance.

Romeria is partially inspired by director Carla Simón own life. She says: “ Romería is a film about memory - the elusive family moments that we may never fully understand. The inherently fragmented nature of memory plays a role, but the main obstacle is the stigma surrounding AIDS, which clouds these memories. Frustrated by the impossibility of uncovering the complete history of my parents, I dedicated myself to creating the memory I was missing. Fortunately, I have cinema.”

As painful as the emotions are, Romería -- the Galician word for 'pilgrimage' -- never erupts into shouting matches or tearful monologues. Instead, it's a quiet, observational film, shot with an almost documentary-like remove. - Matthew Singer, Time Out

A roméria can mean a fiesta or a pilgrimage and this joyous and melancholic journey partakes of both. It has a magnetic lead in Garcia: her quizzical alertness radiates throughout... - JR Jonathan Romney, Time Out

Simón brings down the emotional barriers with graceful assurance and an abundance of sun-dappled coastal imagery, though here and there she hints at a level of formal daring that may achieve fuller realization in films to come. - Justin Chang, The New Yorker

Tickets $12 ($11.40 at the door if available)