Wikipedia

I Won't Die for Love

I Won't Die for Love (Spanish: Yo no moriré de amor)[1] is a 2026 family drama film directed by Marta Matute (in her directorial debut feature). It stars newcomer Júlia Mascort along with Sonia Almarcha, Tomás del Estal, and Laura Weissmahr. It IS a Spanish-Belgian co-production.

I Won't Die for Love
Theatrical release poster
SpanishYo no moriré de amor
Directed byMarta Matute
Screenplay byMarta Matute
Produced by
Starring
CinematographySara Gallego
Edited byCarlos Cañas Carreira
Music bySimon Fransquet
Production
companies
Distributed byElastica Films
Release dates
  • 11 March 2026 (2026-03-11) (Málaga)
  • 8 May 2026 (2026-05-08) (Spain)
Running time
94 minutes
Countries
  • Spain
  • Belgium
LanguageSpanish

The film world premiered at the 29th Málaga Film Festival on 11 March 2026 and went on to win the Golden Biznaga. It was released theatrically in Spain on 8 May 2026 by Elastica Films.

Plot

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The plot explores the dilemma of 18-year-old Claudia, torn between becoming a caregiver for her mother who has Alzheimer's disease or making the most of her youth.[2]

Cast

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Production

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The screenplay taps incidents from the biography of director Marta Matute,[4] who also took inspiration from the work of Carla Simón, Belén Funes, and Pilar Palomero.[2] In 2021, while the project was in development, Matute won the 18th 'Julio Alejandro' SGAE Award for Best Feature Length Screenplay.[5] It was picked up by the ECAM incubator program.[4] The film is a Spanish-Belgian co-production by Solita Films (José Esteban Alenda and César Esteban Alenda) and Elastica Films (María Zamora) alongside Saga Film (Flavia Biurrun).[2] It also received backing from ICAA, Eurimages, the Madrid regional administration, Ayuntamiento de Madrid, RTVE, Movistar Plus+, and Filmin.[6] Shooting locations included Valdemoro (Matute's hometown) and Madrid.[7] Sara Gallego worked as director of photography, using an Alexa 35 and Kowa Cine Prominar lenses.[8]

Release

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The film was presented in the official selection of the 29th Málaga Film Festival on 11 March 2026.[9][10] It was also programmed at the 16th D'A Film Festival [ca].[11] Elastica Films will handle theatrical distribution in Spain.[6] It was released theatrically in Spain on 8 May 2026.[12][13]

Reception

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Laura Pérez of Fotogramas rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, determining it to possess "a brutal emotional honesty", also writing that it is "crafted with precision", with every move carefully calculated so as not to give any satisfaction until well into the film.[14]

In a 4-star rating, Manuel J. Lombardo of Diario de Sevilla wrote that I Won't Die for Love turns out to be "raw, honest, direct and uncompromising" film.[15]

Javier Ocaña of El País assessed that the "excellent" film delivers a story which is "harrowing yet moving, vicious yet hopeful", although none of its achievements would have been possible without the awe-inspiring performances by Mascort, Almarcha, del Estal, and Weissmahr.[16]

Marta Medina del Valle of El Confidencial rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, adscribing it to the "intimist" trend of recent Spanish cinema in search of the hyperrealist portrait, in which the "superb" performances of the film's four leads are framed.[17]

Alfonso Rivera of Cineuropa praised how Matute manages to convey her message "through a mature, restrained, measured and meticulous direction, where silences, ellipses and glances carry more weight than dialogue".[3]

Accolades

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Year Award CategoryNominee(s) ResultRef.
2026
29th Málaga Film Festival Golden BiznagaWon[18]
Silver Biznaga for Best ActressJúlia MascortWon
Silver Biznaga for Best Supporting ActorTomás del EstalWon
Feroz Puerta Oscura AwardWon[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Cabeza, Elisabet (15 September 2025). "12 hot new feature film projects from Spain in the works". ScreenDaily.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rivera, Alfonso (25 March 2025). "Marta Matute makes her directorial debut with Yo no moriré de amor". Cineuropa.
  3. 1 2 Rivera, Alfonso (7 May 2026). "Review: I Won't Die for Love". Cineuropa.
  4. 1 2 De La Fuente, Anna Marie (24 September 2023). "'La Pecera's' Solita Films, 'Alcarràs' Elastica Films Co-Producing Marta Matute's 'Yo No Moriré de Amor' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  5. ↑ "'Yo no moriré de amor', de Marta Matute, Premio SGAE de Guion Julio Alejandro 2021". Residencias Academia de Cine. 10 December 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Se rueda 'Yo no moriré de amor', la ópera prima de Marta Matute sobre una cuidadora precoz". Cine con Ñ. 10 March 2025.
  7. ↑ Díaz Cuervo, Graciela (5 June 2025). "Marta Matute, directora de cine de Valdemoro: "Si me dicen hace seis años que voy a rodar una película, no me lo creo"". Zigzag Digital.
  8. ↑ "Comienza el rodaje de 'Yo no moriré de amor', opera prima de Marta Matute". Camera and Light Mag. 11 March 2025.
  9. ↑ "El Festival de Málaga recibe a una familia marcada por la enfermedad con 'Yo no moriré de amor'". Europa Press. 11 March 2026.
  10. ↑ "Doce películas españolas y diez iberoamericanas competirán en el 29 Festival de Málaga". rtve.es. 11 February 2026.
  11. ↑ Rebolledo, Matías G. (17 February 2026). "'Un altre home', de David Moragas, película inaugural de un D'A 2026 que presenta su programación nacional". Kinótico.
  12. ↑ Martos Martínez, Raúl (23 February 2026). "Cine con acento de Valdemoro". Zig Zag Digital.
  13. ↑ Arrastia, Diana (26 May 2026). "Quién es Laura Weissmahr, la actriz políglota de 'Se tiene que morir mucha gente' que devora todas las pantallas". Cinemanía (in European Spanish). Retrieved 31 May 2026 – via 20minutos.es.
  14. ↑ Pérez, Laura (4 May 2026). ""Una película de una honestidad emocional brutal": La gran sorpresa del cine español del año, ganadora en el Festival de Málaga, llega a los cines". Fotogramas.
  15. ↑ Lombardo, Manuel J. (8 May 2026). "Aprender a cuidar, aprender a querer". Diario de Sevilla. Grupo Joly.
  16. ↑ Ocaña, Javier (8 May 2026). "'Yo no moriré de amor': el dolor de cuidar, en un conmovedor debut". El País.
  17. ↑ Medina del Valle, Marta (8 May 2026). "'Yo no moriré de amor': cómo convertir el dolor propio en una de las mejores películas del año". El Confidencial.
  18. ↑ Romero, José M. (14 March 2026). "La debutante Marta Matute gana la Biznaga de Oro con 'Yo no moriré de amor', un drama familiar sobre el peso de los cuidados". Cadena SER.
  19. ↑ Griñán, Paco (13 March 2026). "Quiniela del 29 Festival de Málaga: estas son las películas favoritas". Diario Sur. Grupo Vocento.
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