Bands Together

Warm, immersive and charming comedy about a small Galician fishing village — marred by a tragic boat accident a few years earlier — in which a local enthusiast, 18-year-old Andrea, tries to heal the wounds by staging a Rondalla show (a tatoo-like dance performance in which giant bands of 50-100 people dance and play in formation). Traditional instruments, but contemporary hits. The unity of the city blossoms again, and the band signs up for a major music competition.

'Band Together' is a little gem of a comedy drama from a grey-weather-stricken province of Spain that doesn't otherwise make much of a fuss. The city's collective mourning work is finely woven into the musical and far along the way feelgood-voiced history. The people gallery is gloriously variegated and the closing music competition is a celebration to witness.

Director: Daniel Sánchez Arévalo
Starring: Javier Gutiérrez, María Vázquez, Judith Fernández, Tamar Novas, Carlos Blanco
Country/year: Spain, 2025
Running time: 112 min.
Formato: DCP
Language: English subtitles
Age limit: Allowed for all, but children under 7 years old are not recommended
Original title: Rondallas

Part of the series: Spanish Film Weeks
Documentary about forest fires in Galicia, miniseries about the 1981 coup attempt in the Spanish parliament, youth films about rap in Barcelona, a comedy about a celebratory dinner for Franco and a cleaning opera from Andalusia. Spanish film lovers are widely distributed in the Iberian Peninsula - both geographically, historically and in terms of genre.