Barcelona will honour veteran Catalan actor Joan Pera with the Honourary Award at the eighth La GRAN pantalla International Film Festival for Older Persons. The festival will run from 30 June to 4 July 2026 at Cinemes Girona, before continuing through July at CaixaForum Barcelona and online via CaixaForum+.
The festival is organised by the cultural association elParlante, in collaboration with Barcelona City Council's Department for Older Persons. Its aim is to challenge stereotypes about ageing and to present older people as active, creative and visible members of society. More Catalonia news
Festival director Alfredo Cohen said the audiovisual industry has an urgent challenge to break with stereotypes that marginalise more than 20% of the population. He added that older people have memories, their own voices, different perspectives, many hopes and a great sense of humour. The organisers describe the festival as a space for community health and rebellious pride, and as a cultural response to unwanted loneliness and the digital divide.
Joan Pera's award recognises a long career in cinema, theatre and dubbing. He received the 2019 Gaudí d'Honor-Miquel Porter Award from the Catalan Film Academy and the Creu de Sant Jordi. His voice is familiar to generations of viewers through Catalan and Spanish dubbing work for comedy figures such as Woody Allen and Rowan Atkinson, as Mr. Bean.
On film, Pera worked with director Ventura Pons on Forasters (2007), Oh, quina joia! (2016), Sabates grosses (2017) and Miss Dalí (2018). He also appeared in 23-F. La película (2011), playing Santiago Carrillo, and in Daniel Monzón's Yucatán (2018). On television, he starred in Pau, la força del silenci (2017), as Pau Casals, and in El metralla (2021) alongside his son, Roger Pera.
Previous recipients of the Honourary Award include Montserrat Carulla, Carme Elias, Carme Sansa, Teresa Gimpera, Josep Maria Pou and Vicky Peña. The festival says Pera reflects its spirit by showing that maturity can be lived on stage and on screen with energy, passion and humour. Catalonia news archive
The official selection opens with Calle Málaga (Morocco, 2025), directed by Maryam Touzani and starring Carmen Maura. Other titles include El sendero azul (2025), Vitória (2025), Familiar Touch (2024), Maspalomas (2025), La babosa y el caracol (2024), Siemprevivas (2025), Solo pienso en ti (2025), On eres quan hi eres? (2025) and the closing film Plaza nueva a las diez (2025).
