Amenábar honoured with Méliès Career Award
Director Alejandro Amenábar received the Méliès Career Award on Sunday, 11 October 2026, during the Sitges Film Festival, in recognition of his contribution to the fantasy and horror genres. The award was presented by the International Méliès Federation (MIFF), which cited Amenábar as a filmmaker who transformed Spanish science fiction and helped renew and internationalise European cinema. Mònica Garcia, director of the Sitges Festival Foundation, described Amenábar as a director who 'changed the rules of the game' in Spanish sci-fi cinema. Despite never having premiered a feature film at Sitges, this marks the second honour Amenábar has received from the festival.
I say with great enthusiasm that my next project, which I find hard to classify as psychological horror or suspense, is a mystery film.
Amenábar expressed his gratitude, calling the festival a celebration born of passion and enthusiasm for fantastic and horror cinema. He confirmed that his upcoming film would be a mystery, though he struggled to categorise it strictly as psychological horror or suspense.
'Tesis' restored and re-released
The event coincided with the 30th anniversary of Amenábar’s debut feature, Tesis (1996). A newly restored 4K version was screened at the festival, featuring the film’s original sound mix and corrected frame rate. The film was originally shot at 25 frames per second, causing it to play 4% slower in standard projections. The restoration restores the original timing, shortening the runtime by five minutes and aligning it with the actors’ original performances. Amenábar, who is typically against altering finished films, explained that the restoration returned the sound to its original masters and adapted it for modern formats such as Atmos and 7.1. The restored version will return to Spanish cinemas on 19 November 2026, distributed by ConUnPack, though the specific theatres have not yet been announced. Actor Eduardo Noriega, who co-starred in Tesis, joined Amenábar at the screening and described the original shoot as one of the best experiences of his career.
New Méliès awards announced
The International Méliès Federation also revealed this year’s winners of the Méliès d’Or awards. Best European feature went to Feels like home by Hungarian director Gábor Holtai. The Méliès d’Or for best short film was awarded to La anciana y la eternidad by Marc Martínez Jordán.
Reported by europapress.es, elconfidencial.com, blu-ray.com, dodmagazine.es, ground.news, Europa Press Barcelona.
