IVÁN & HADOUM
Winner of the Teddy Award for films with LGBTQIA+ themes at the Berlinale, as well as two Silver Biznagas at the Málaga Film Festival, Spanish filmmaker Ian de la Rosa’s feature debut follows Iván (Silver Chicón), a forklift driver at a small-town greenhouse who is on the path to becoming a manager, and Hadoum (Herminia Loh), a newly hired Moroccan-Spanish fruit packer who immediately catches Iván’s attention. Having traveled across the continent as a seasonal worker, the outspoken Hadoum is determined to fight for what she wants, and she joins her coworkers in their struggle for labor rights at the greenhouse. This forces Iván to confront the social and economic expectations his family places on him: to become the breadwinner in return for the sacrifices they made to pay for his gender transition. As Hadoum falls in love with Iván, she is also drawn to his own, different kind of masculinity. Their casual, secret encounters soon develop into genuine affection and mutual discovery. Set in an Almería stripped any cinematic embellishments, the natural landscapes of this southwestern region of Spain provide a shelter for the couple’s budding relationship. Newcomers Chacon and Loh bring honesty and openness to their beautiful, intimate love scenes, offering a portrayal of transmasculine pleasure that is rarely seen on screen. As a trans actor, De la Rosa brings a deeply personal perspective to a love story shaped by the intersection of identities, social barriers and labor dynamics. IVÁN & HADOUM offers a fresh and original narrative about queer love that steers clear of clichés, providing a realistic portrayal not only of transmasculine identity but also of the contemporary agricultural sector and its treatment of seasonal workers. Above all, the film explores the transformative power of desire and love as a path toward self-acceptance beyond the constraints of socially imposed expectations. (Note courtesy of Natalia Ames, AFI FEST.)
DIR/SCR Ian de la Rosa; PROD Stefan Schmitz, Emilia Fort, José Alba, Odile Antonio-Baez, Carlotta Schiavon. Spain/Germany/Belgium, 2026, color, 100 min. In Spanish and Arabic with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Run Time: 100 Minutes
Opening Date: Wednesday, December 09, 2026
Genre: Drama, romance
