The International Film Week of Valladolid (Seminci), which will celebrate its 68th edition from October 21st to 28th with India as the guest country, is one of the main film events in the country and the city's premier showcase for the seventh art. Valladolid has been named a City of Film by UNESCO. It is one of the country's leading festivals and the most significant cultural event in the region, as highlighted by the panel of experts that comprises the Cultural Observatory and the Castilla y León Arts Award received by the festival in 2016.

The festival strongly emphasizes independent and art-house cinema, providing a platform for minority genres and showcasing debut works and the finest productions from Spain. Seminci takes place in late October with the Teatro Calderón as its main venue, hosting the galas, the red carpet, and the screenings of its Official Section, although screenings also extend to other theaters and commercial venues in the city.

Seminci is structured around three main sections: the Official Section (which awards the most prestigious prize among the thirty distributed, the Golden Spike for the Best Feature Film, endowed with €60,000), Punto de Encuentro (dedicated to debut and second films), and Tiempo de Historia (documentary chapter).

In parallel to these sections, the festival presents a thematic program dedicated to renowned filmmakers, the guest country of each edition, the relationship between cinema and wine, and historical moments, among others.

The history of Seminci boasts an exemplary list of winners, including renowned directors such as Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, Françoise Truffaut, Akira Kurosawa, Bernardo Bertolucci, Kim Ki-duk, Lars Von Trier, Ken Loach, the Dardenne brothers, Abbas Kiarostami, and Goran Paskaljevic.

As for national talent, few acclaimed filmmakers and actors have not walked the red carpet of Seminci, including Pedro Almodóvar, José Luis Cuerda, Imanol Arias, Aitana Sánchez Gijón, Fernando Fernán Gómez, Carmen Maura, José Luis Garci, Iciar Bollaín, Isabel Coixet, and Fernando Guillén, as well as Pilar Miró, whose name now adorns the Best New Director Award.

Seminci was founded in 1956, originally linked to Holy Week, as the Religious Film Week of Valladolid. Four years later, it was renamed the International Week of Religious and Human Values Cinema, expanding the admission of films that dealt with inherent human rights. The current name was adopted in 1973 when the religious theme was removed from the competition.

2023 EDITION

Seminci will celebrate its 68th edition from October 21st to 28th, 2023.