Feliz Navidad! Our top ten Spanish films to watch at Christmas

Who doesn’t like to enjoy a good Christmas movie! This cold, wintry season is undoubtedly the best time to settle down with a blanket on the sofa, make popcorn and turn on the TV to enjoy a moment of fun and Christmas magic through the seventh art.

The different streaming platforms have already updated their catalogues to offer you the best titles related to Christmas. Sometimes it is difficult to choose from the endless lists of Netflix, Amazon or Disney Plus , but fear not because our Culture colleagues in Spain have carefully combed through what’s on offer to present you with the very best of Iberian titles:

Klaus

The story of Father Christmas has never been told so well. In 2019, Spanish director Sergio Pablos made Klaus, a Netflix-produced film that offers an alternative animated look at one of the biggest symbols of this time of year.

Through the experiences of its protagonist, a postman named Jesper who is assigned to an island in the Arctic Circle, he recounts the legend of Father Christmas. The film was made by Madrid’s SPA using a two-dimensional digital animation technique. The result: a brilliant film that ended up winning an Oscar nomination and a Bafta for best film in the genre.

El dia de la bestia (The Day of the Beast)

Some people already consider it a classic because The Day of the Beast is one of Spain’s most awarded films. It won six Goya awards out of the 14 for which it was nominated, as well as several honours from the Film Writers’ Circle, the Melies D’Or Award in Brussels and won the Brussels International Film Festival.

Although the film is more about the apocalypse through the experiences of a Basque priest played by Álex Angulo, it all takes place at Christmas, as the Antichrist was supposed to be born on 25 December 1995 in Madrid. The film is a faithful reflection of the capital at that time and stars Santiago Segura. One of his scenes on the mythical Schweppes poster on Gran Vía is considered an icon of Spanish cinema.

Padre no hay más que uno 3 (There’s only one father 3)

We continue talking about Santiago Segura, now as an actor and also as a director. The third instalment of his successful saga Padre no hay más que uno is a fun, family Christmas comedy. He, along with Toni Acosta and Loles León complete the luxury cast of this film that is set in the run-up to Christmas, when the youngest members of a crazy family break a figure from their father’s Nativity scene collection and do everything they can to recover the unique antique piece.

This “comedy with a lot of angel”, as the critic Fausto Fernández described it, grossed almost a million euros and had more than 100,000 spectators in cinemas, a record figure in the Spanish market, being the best debut of a Spanish film since 2015 and the highest-grossing release of the year.

‘Reyes contra Santa’ (The Three Wise Kings vs Santa’)

Are you more of a three wise men or Father Christmas fan? If you like Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar more, this film is for you. In 2022, Paco Caballero brought us the definitive competition between the two of the most famous Christmas icons Karra Elejalde and David Verdaguer.

It is an amusing story in which the Three Wise Men try to stop Father Christmas from taking over the limelight in the face of his rising popularity. “It’s pure formula cinema, but with just the right amount of mischief and heart to never bore”, says the Fotogramas critic Pablo Vázquez.

La gran familia – (The Big Family)

If you are nostalgic and you like the great classics of our cinema, grab a pen and paper and take note because this is the ‘must see’ film this Christmas. The Big Family is one of those unforgettable titles that have well deserved legendary status.

Directed in 1962 by Fernando Palacios, it stars authentic stars of the time: the hilarious Alberto Closas, Amparo Soler, José Isber and José Luis López Vázquez. Some scenes, such as when little Chencho gets lost in the Christmas market in Madrid’s Plaza Mayor, are engraved in the collective imagination of Spaniards and are part of the country’s cultural fabric.

Se armó el Belén

From the same period is ‘Se armó el Belén’. Directed in 1970 by José Luis Sáenz de Heredia, it reflects the difficulties of a neighbourhood priest in making a living nativity scene and broadcasting it on television, a dream he has to make his parish gain fame and followers. If you like director Paco Martínez Soria, this is considered one of his best films.

Felices Pascuas – (Happy Easter)

Who hasn’t dreamt of winning the Christmas Lottery? It’s surely something we’ve all wished for. That’s what happens to the main character in this film… or so he thinks because in the end not everything is what it seems. Juan Antonio Bardem directs ‘Felices Pascuas’, a 1954 classic with Rafael Bardem, in the purest style of this iconic saga of Spanish filmmakers and actors.

Noche de reyes (Night of Kings)

We continue with the Bardems, this time with Miguel Bardem who in 2001 directed the Christmas film Night of Kings, a film that perfectly reflects the spirit of these holidays and the most magical Spanish tradition. Starring Joaquín Climent, Kiti Mánver and Elsa Pataky, it tells the story of what seems to be a quiet Three Wise Men’s night that ends up becoming the craziest day of the year.

A 1000 km from Christmas

Romantic comedy lovers, you’re in luck! You can watch a hilarious Christmas-themed film on Netflix. Directed by Álvaro Fernández Armero, it stars Tamar Novas and Andrea Ros. It is the second Spanish Christmas film produced by this platform after Klaus.

Ready for a Christmas movie marathon? If you liked our list, don’t miss the rest of the rankings in our ‘Best of 2024‘ series. Now fetch that blanket, pick your movie, curl up and enjoy!