Atlantida Film Fest: from pioneering online initiative to star-studded gala

PalmaThe Atlàntida Film Fest reaches its sixteenth edition with an intense trajectory, which has taken it from being a pioneering and unusual experience, an online film showcase, to becoming one of the benchmark events in the country: first position among festivals held in the summer, second best-rated among all events, according to data from the Ministry of Culture. Like any relevant film festival, a good number of stars have walked through its openings and closings: Liv Ullmann, Michael Douglas, Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Isabelle Huppert, Joseph Fiennes, Britt Ekland… This year, Gael García Bernal, Javier and Carlos Bardem, Fernando Trueba, Jaime Chávarri, Rodrigo Sorogoyen and the Mallorcan actress Victoria Luengo, among others.

But the photocall, this space with the festival's poster and sponsors, which celebrities parade through, was not its first calling. We were living the 2008 crisis, cinema was also suffering from it, and there was no way for many valuable productions to reach cinemas, many of which were closing. The creators of the Filmin platform considered this formula, the online festival, as a way to make them known.

Why Atlàntida? The name of a lost continent – says its director and co-founder of Filmin, Mallorcan Jaume Ripoll – reflected the danger of "those films that ran the risk of being lost". It also served to "encourage a more restless viewer to adventure". That turned out quite well. From 2011 to 2015, five virtual editions were held, with an official section dedicated to Spanish and Latin American cinema, and a second section, Atlas, with feature films from the rest of the world. In the fourth edition, over 40,000 spectators were surpassed.

Yes, quite well. It was necessary to take a risk. As Ripoll says: "If it were easy, it wouldn't be Atlàntida". In 2015, the festival incorporated a workshop, led by Anna Broinowski, in which participants were taught how to use North Korean propaganda techniques on a film set. And this is one of the many audacities that have placed it in an unconventional position.

The contribution of institutions

L’Atlàntida, true to its name, has 'gotten wet' with screenings, themes, and not always pleasing guests: David Bernet's documentary Democracy, highly critical of the European Parliament; a conference by the lawyer of former president Puigdemont, Gonzalo Boye; productions related to LGTBI pride; El caso Kurt Waldheim, by Ruth Beckermann, which exposed the Nazi past of the former UN Secretary-General; Holiday, by Isabella Eklöf, with certainly daring images; El venerable W., by the Iranian – whose mother resides in Ibiza – Barbet Schroeder, about a Buddhist monk who promoted the persecution of the Rohingya, Burmese Muslims; the film by Mallorcan Agustí Villaronga Born a King, highly criticized for having been filmed in Saudi Arabia; and, among many others, markedly committed references to the genocide in Gaza, at the opening ceremony of 2025.

Since 2016, L’Atlàntida has shared the virtual stage with another physical one: Palma. Mallorca was chosen because the founders of Filmin are Mallorcans, because there was not yet a festival with a certain projection, and because, adds Ripoll, “politicians saw it favorably”.

In parallel with the festival's development, the economic support from the institutions of the Balearic Islands has also increased significantly. In 2016, the Institut d’Estudis Baleàrics (IEB), the Government's entity responsible for cultural subsidies, awarded L’Atlàntida 25,000 euros, an amount that was doubled in 2018, to 50,000. In 2019 it rose to 60,000; in 2020, to 72,592.80, and in 2021, to 75,000 euros, the same amount as in 2022. In 2024, according to reports, the IEB's aid grew spectacularly to 188,000 euros. 

The IEB is listed as a funding entity for L’Atlàntida, but it is also supported by the Fundació Mallorca Turisme – from the Consell de Mallorca –, the Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales – from the Ministry of Culture –, the Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia of the Spanish government, the European Union, and the Palma City Council.

In 2025, Atlàntida received a nominative subsidy from the IEB, meaning without a call for applications, of 350,000 euros, almost five times the maximum amount for aid through contributions to fairs and festivals (75,000). According to the Government, this exceptionality "is justified by its unique and non-reproducible character, as it is the largest hybrid festival in the world, with a consolidated structure" and that, moreover, "it enjoys accredited public and cultural interest, as it promotes free access to culture, drives Balearic talent and fosters inclusion and sustainability".

The budget for 2026 is around one million euros, 350,000 of which come from the IEB, representing about a third. This year, Atlàntida has also received a subsidy, also nominative, from the Palma City Council, for the amount of 35,000 euros.

Mallorcan posters, concerts and cinema

In any case, Jaume Ripoll has not shied away from being critical of public administrations when he has found it appropriate. On one occasion, he expressed concern about the delay in the payment of aid. On the morning of the same day that the 2018 edition was inaugurated, in Bellver, he published a tweet about an institution's threat to withdraw aid to Atlàntida if its logo did not appear with larger dimensions.

And, with the physical venue, came the glamour. In 2017, Atlàntida paid tribute to Guy Hamilton, who was closely linked to Mallorca, with the presence of Britt Ekland and Joseph Fiennes. In successive editions, they have received the Master of Cinema award; Vanessa Redgrave, Roland Joffé, Ken Loach, Michael Douglas, Judi Dench, Stephen Frears, Neil Jordan, Isabelle Huppert, Matt Dillon, Irène Jacob, Fernando León de Aranoa, Juan Antonio Bayona, and Marina Abramović, among others, have presented their films or received awards. It is not dedicated to cinema, but Queen Letizia has become a regular at the opening and closing galas: previously in Bellver, and in recent years at La Misericòrdia, which has established itself as the festival's palace.

Ripoll sees the presence of stars as “compatible” with rigor in programming: “A star gives visibility to a festival. But its solidity is demonstrated by the programming. The programming is its strength.” The physical arrival in Palma marked a shift in themes: from the Ibero-American sphere, it moved to the European sphere. “It was a moment of tension” on the continent, recalls the director of Atlàntida, and the choice was made for “topics that interested Europeans”.

Jaume Ripoll took a risk when the coronavirus arrived and stated that, even so, there would be a festival in 2020. Cannes had to be suspended, but Atlàntida took advantage of one of its tools: open-air screenings, albeit with the established safety distance. Since then, it has changed its dates: it used to be held around Sant Joan, now it is held around Sant Jaume.

But cinema is not enough. Each edition of Atlàntida has also included talks, concerts, professional conferences, workshops, and other complementary activities. “A festival like ours –explains Ripoll– must reach all audiences, new audiences.” Yes, perhaps a young spectator comes to listen to the musician of the moment, but then stays for the film. That's the point. All activities are free, except for those held in cinemas.

The first edition in Mallorca was announced with a luxury poster: a work by Miquel Barceló. Artists such as Albert Pinya and Ana Cabello have followed. This year, an image of Errol Flynn has been chosen, a star very linked to Mallorca, a work by Josep Planas i Muntanyà, from the Casa Planas archive.

The presence of Mallorcan filmmakers in the programming has been a constant throughout the history of Atlàntida. From renowned names, such as Agustí Villaronga and Cesc Mulet, to younger talents like Carles Bover, Miguel Eek, Antonina Obrador, Marcos Cabotà and Marga Melià, among others. "It is the festival's obligation," states Ripoll. "It must work for the creators of the territory." And he considers that, in these ten years of establishment in Mallorca, Atlàntida has contributed to its growth.