As the 25th REC Tarragona International Film Festival (December 3rd to 8th) draws to a close, RECLab wraps another edition that reinforces its standing as one of Europe’s most creator-centred development platforms. Tarragona’s coastal setting once again provided the right balance of calm and professionalism, allowing participants to pause, rethink their projects and form meaningful connections.

With its four interconnected programmes – RECMatch, RECPush, RECVision and Primer Test – the Lab continues to offer a uniquely comprehensive journey from development to exhibition.

This year’s festival also presented a rich slate of screenings, including local and international hits. You can find out more about some of the titles by clicking here.

Click here in order to find out more about RECLab.

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A cohesive and participant-driven edition

The 2025 edition of RECLab closed on December 7th with its traditional awards ceremony, marking the end of three dense days of project development, expert consultations and cross-border networking. Over the years, the initiative has cemented itself as one of Spain’s most attentive, hands-on talent incubators – largely thanks to its tight curatorial approach across project selection, participants and its pool of invited collaborators.

This year proved no exception. Across Primer Test, RECMatch and RECVision, teams engaged in sustained exchanges of ideas and strategies, shaping both the creative and practical pathways of their works-in-progress. Several participants described the edition as a “reset” – a rare space to slow down, refocus and build alliances that would endure beyond Tarragona.

All the sections managed to strike a strong diversity balance. For example, “three of the projects were led by female directors, one by a mixed-gender duo and one by a male director, while the group of invited experts – three men and three women – spanned acting, coaching, management and production, and represented nationalities from the US, Spain, Chile, Brazil, Venezuela, the UK and Mexico”, noted RECMatch head Clara Larraín Zegers.

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A varied line-up of winners

Wolf Grrrls, directed by Claudia Estrada Tarascó and produced by Alba Sotorra, received the International Deluxe Award. The jury praised its clarity of vision and wisdom as it follows Luna, a misunderstood teenager whose time in a juvenile detention centre becomes a journey towards friendship and the possibility of a life beyond its walls.

The National Deluxe Award was bestowed upon Radio Patio, helmed by Pau Bacardit and produced by Anna Bacardit for Vayolet Films. The documentary centres on a series of concerts organised in Anna’s patio while she undergoes radiotherapy after breast cancer surgery – a grassroots initiative that grows into a wider cultural phenomenon, raising over €13,000 and ultimately reaching the Palau de Pedralbes, while tackling illness and resilience without victimhood or pretension.

Agrestes, directed by Bàrbara Farré and staged by Diego Betancor and Jofre Farré for Mimosa Produce, secured the Screening Test & Follow-Up Award. It tells the story of Atenea, a girl raised in isolation with other orphaned children, whose adoption and fear of exclusion drive her towards an unimaginable decision in order to secure a place in the world.

Meanwhile, Lóngquán: The Dragon Spring, directed by Adrià Guxens and produced by Olga Doganoc for La Charito Films and Pausa Dramática Films, received the Málaga Work in Progress Award, which secures its direct selection for Malaga’s industry hub Mafiz 2026, while also marking the project’s next major visibility milestone. Set during Lunar New Year, it follows Junyi, a young Catalan of Chinese descent who travels to see his ill grandmother and finds himself confronting his roots and an increasingly blurred sense of identity.

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RECMatch: a gateway to major industry platforms

Last Generation, co-directed by Belén Abarza and Eduardo Bunster, won the RECMatch Award with an intimate portrait of a young independent filmmaker who chooses single motherhood, only to see her “no-strings-attached” insemination agreement with her best friend—a gay vet—collapse when he develops a powerful paternal instinct and claims shared custody, forcing both to redefine what family means. Upon receiving the award, Abarza said: “In times of war, of genocide, of hopelessness; let us defend these spaces that emphasise human connection, and the importance of embodying the ideas and intuitions of our developing projects.”

The Colour Green, directed by Paloma Zapata and produced by Mila Luengo, scooped the CineMart Award, securing access to one of Europe’s most influential co-production markets. The project centres on twin sisters Emma and Lucía and their mother Clara, who leads a local resistance against a real-estate company threatening Benimaclet’s farmland, while the family is confronted with an inconvenient truth that will fundamentally reshape their lives. As Larraín Zegers explained, “This is the third year we have organised RECMatch, an initiative that began when I first pitched the concept to Xavier García Puerto, who immediately supported the idea and generously provided a space for it to grow.”

She noted the sidebar’s evolution from a panel-based pilot into last year’s pitching-and-talks model, before arriving at what she describes as its ideal format with the introduction of a hands-on directing actors workshop led by British acting coach Amanda Brennan. “Together, and with the actors’ insights, we co-created the structure of the workshop, and we are extremely pleased with the results.

“At the heart of the initiative is a commitment to bringing actors – and their often overlooked craft – back into the centre of the creative conversation,” she added, emphasising the creation of a “safe, collaborative space” where actors and emerging directors can work together, test ideas and build long-lasting creative partnerships.

Larraín Zegers described the results of this year’s edition as “extremely rewarding,” pointing out that although the innovative format initially generated some apprehension, participants gradually embraced it. “By the end, the feedback from both participants and industry experts was exceptional. We witnessed the projects evolve and observed how the tools we provided proved valuable not only to directors and producers, but also to the actors involved”.

Actor Diogo Sales Brito also praised the initiative: “For us as actors, this initiative is a fantastic idea with great artistic value for the creative process. It gives us autonomy, it gives actors a voice, and it places us in a leadership position from the very beginning. I learned so much and met wonderful professionals.” Finally, director Joana Moya (La Koreana) shared her enthusiasm through a simple but telling takeaway: “This is what I needed for the project and I didn’t even know it”.

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RECVision: commitment to exhibition and audience development

Almería’s Cineclub Almócita earned the Publics and Audiences of the Future – Ficunam Award for an innovative and socially embedded approach: a cineclub founded in a village of just 210 inhabitants in the Alpujarra region, bringing arthouse cinema to a territory with no such infrastructure, fostering dialogue between rural communities and filmmakers and reinforcing social ties and collective identity in an area affected by depopulation.

Moreover, the Development Grant was awarded to La GRAN Pantalla, a Barcelona-based festival and cultural project that promotes the autonomy and well-being of older people through cinema, combats isolation and challenges ageist stereotypes, using film as a tool for reflection, expression and meaningful intergenerational dialogue.

The final session also included a brief but heartfelt tribute to José Luis Cienfuegos, remembered as a defining figure in Spanish festival curation.

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European reach and a growing sense of community

Although RECPush does not traditionally award prizes, its impact was clearly felt across the ceremony. As programme lead Marika Kozlovska noted: “Seeing RECPush participants recognised across other sections – The Colour Green at RECMatch and Radio Pati at Primer Test – shows how strongly the programme aligns with the overall curatorial vision”.

“[Taking part in] RECPush is already an award in itself, but this synergy confirms the quality of the selection and the coherence between the different strands of the Lab. We opened the ceremony with a participatory dance created during the programme – an example of our section’s interactive spirit and its commitment to engaging everyone in the room. And perhaps most importantly, the final breakfast together showed a genuinely warm sense of connection: people left happy, connected, and looking forward to future collaborations”, Kozlovska summed up.

Her words echoed a recurring theme across the edition: the coherence of the group and the sense of momentum generated through shared creative processes.

As RECLab positions itself within a growing constellation of European development initiatives, its identity remains clear: intimate, rigorous and deeply focused on the people behind the projects. For many attendees, Tarragona served not only as a development checkpoint but also as a launching pad for future collaborations and renewed creative direction.

The 2025 edition may be over, but—as suggested at the closing session—the conversations ignited here will continue to ripple outward across the year.

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Here is the full list of this year’s award winners:

International Deluxe Award
Wolf Grrrls (Salen las lobas) – Claudia Estrada Taracó / Alba Sotorra

National Deluxe Award
Radio Pati – Pau Bacardit

Screening Test & Follow-Up Award
Agrestes – Bàrbara Farré

Málaga Work in Progress Award
Lóngquán: The Dragon Spring (Lóngquán: El manantial del dragón) – Adrià Guxens

RECMatch Award
Last Generation (Última generación) – Belén Abarza and Eduardo Bunster

CineMart Award
The Green Colour (El color verde) – Paloma Zapata

RECVision Awards

Publics and Audiences of the Future – FICUNAM Award
Cineclub Almócita (Almería)

RECVision Development Grant
La GRAN pantalla (Barcelona)

Click here in order to find out more about RECLab.

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All pictures on this article are property of REC Tarragona. You can see more images in the event’s gallery here, here and here.