Murcia Región Europea XIV SHADOW: The Murcia European Fantastic Film Festival celebrates horror, satire and innovation

Murcia once again cloaked itself in shadows with the celebration of the 14th edition of SOMBRA, the European Fantastic Film Festival, an already well-established event that each year attracts lovers of the most daring and provocative genre cinema. In this edition, the festival featured a strong programme, in collaboration with EUROPE DIRECT, bringing the best of contemporary European fantastic cinema to the Regional Film Library.

Outstanding screenings with a European stamp
Among the films presented under the EUROPE DIRECT umbrella, three titles stood out for their originality, visual strength and narrative depth:

• The Second Act (Le deuxième acte, Quentin Dupieux, France, 2024, 85 min, original version with Spanish subtitles): screened in the Official Competition, this surrealist satire packed with dark humor invited audiences to a meta-cinematic reflection on the role of film and acting. It was shown in Screening Room A of the Regional Film Library as part of Media Window.

• The Devil’s Bath (Des Teufels Bad, Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, Austria, 2024, 120 min, original version with Spanish subtitles): part of the “Gems of Terror” section, this unsettling film delved into the depths of religious fanaticism and mental health in 18th-century Europe. It was one of the most intense proposals of the festival.

• Fréwaka (Aislinn Clarke, Ireland, 2024, 103 min, original version with Spanish subtitles): also screened in the Official Competition, this Irish production captivated both critics and audiences with its blend of folk and feminist horror, set in a rural community hiding dark secrets. Another Media Window title.

2025 Awards: Fréwaka triumphs in a year of exceptional quality
The SOMBRA 2025 jury faced a difficult task given the high level of the competing films. Ultimately, the big winner was the Irish film Fréwaka, which took home the Grand Jury Prize, cementing Aislinn Clarke as one of the strongest voices in contemporary horror cinema.

In addition, the award for Best Screenplay went to Juan Albarracín from Lorca, Murcia, for his work on El instinto, a psychologically charged story that impressed with its narrative complexity and structural solidity.

With a bold programme committed to European cinema, SOMBRA has consolidated itself as one of the most important genre festivals in southern Europe. Collaboration with platforms such as Media Window and the support of community initiatives like EUROPE DIRECT allow the festival not only to screen films, but also to generate debate, training and reflection on the many forms of fear, the fantastic and the impossible.