Locarno’s Spanish Film Previews highlighted a diverse slate of upcoming films, including the Basque period thriller “Blind Ants”, Diego Llorente’s “How the Lights Get In” and editor Nacho Ruiz Capillas’ feature-directing debut, “War Material Captured From the Enemy”. The selection underlined the strength of Spain’s regional film industries and their role in sustaining the country’s unusually high level of feature-film production.

“Blind Ants”, directed by Igor Legarreta and adapted from a novel by Ramón Pinilla, is set in 1935 and follows villagers scrambling to recover cargo after an English coal ship is wrecked on the Bizkaia coast; it is due for Spanish release on 9 October through Disney’s BVI. The film benefits from Basque production incentives of up to 70% tax credits and involves producers including Lamia, Buendía Estudios and Lazona, while Spain produced more feature films in 2025 than any other European country, according to the Cannes Marché de Film’s 2026 report. Several previewed titles were cross-regional co-productions, with international participation also supporting projects from Catalonia, Galicia, Andalusia and Asturias.