''I'm Nevenka'' () is a 2024 biographical drama film directed by

Icíar Bollaín Icíar Bollaín Pérez-Mínguez (born 12 June 1967) is a Spanish filmmaker and actress. She is best known for directing '' Te Doy Mis Ojos'' (''Take My Eyes''), which won 7 Goya Awards. Bollaín has won other awards for acting and script-writing ...

from a screenplay by Bollaín and Isa Campo starring Mireia Oriol and Urko Olazabal. It depicts the sexual harassment case involving Ismael Álvarez and Nevenka Fernández, respectively mayor and municipal councillor in the local government of

Ponferrada Ponferrada () is a city of Spain, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Ponferrada, the second most populated municipality of the Province of León, is also the capital city of El Bierzo, the only Comarcas of Spain, ''comarca'' ...

, which elicited strong public scrutiny and controversy in early 21st-century Spain.

Plot

The plot dramatizes the case of Nevenka Fernández, a young municipal finance councillor in

who faced widespread scrutiny and societal backlash in Spain after filing a complaint against Mayor Ismael Álvarez for

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment based on the sex or gender of a victim. It can involve offensive sexist or sexual behavior, verbal or physical actions, up to bribery, coercion, and assault. Harassment may be explicit or implicit, wit ...

, winning her case notwithstanding.

Cast

Production

The screenplay was written by Icíar Bollaín alongside Isa Campo. The film is a

Movistar Plus+ Movistar Plus+ (formerly Movistar+) is the trade name of the subscription platform for digital television owned by , which operates in Spain. The service is distributed via optical fiber and ADSL as well as with satellites such as Astra. The pl ...

original produced by Kowalski Films, Feelgood Media, and Nva Peli AIE; in association with Garbo Produzioni. Shooting locations included

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

and Zamora.

Release

''I'm Nevenka'' was presented on 21 September 2024 at the 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival, as a part of the festival's official selection. It also made it to the slate of the 20th

Zurich Film Festival Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) is an annual film festival that has been held in Zürich, Switzerland, since 2005. The festival's main focus is to promote emerging filmmakers from all over the world. In three competition categories only first, secon ...

for its international premiere, and main competition section of

55th International Film Festival of India The 55th International Film Festival of India took place from 20 to 28 November 2024 at Panaji, Goa. The theme of this year's festival is 'Young Filmmakers – The Future is Now', so this year a new section and award category 'Best Debut Direct ...

, where it competed for

Golden Peacock Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome, Stroud#Golden Val ...

award. The film was released theatrically in Spain on 27 September 2024 by

Buena Vista International Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor within the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company. It handles theatrical and occasional digital distribution, marketing, and promotion for films produced and ...

. Epicentre Film acquired French rights to the film.

Reception

Alfonso Rivera of ''

Cineuropa Cineuropa is an online information portal dedicated to the promotion of European cinema. It publishes daily news, reviews, interviews, and industry reports and maintains a database of information. It is available in four languages: English, Fre ...

'' wrote that the film "is impeccably crafted", but "has a tendency to lean towards TV-movie territory, taking minimal risk in its mise-en-scène". Eulàlia Iglesias of ''

Fotogramas ''Fotogramas'' is a Spanish digital and print film magazine which has been in circulation since 1946. It is one of the early film magazines in Spain. History Founded in Barcelona, it was first published on 15 November 1946 by Antonio Nadal-Rodó ...

'' rated the film 3 out of 5 stars, highlighting Olazabal's performance as the best thing about the film, while considering that if you have seen the series, the film tastes of little. Gregorio Belinchón of ''

El País (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second-most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . is the most read newspaper in ...

'' assessed that ''I'm Nevenka'' is "important and necessary, but cinema cannot be built from the label of 'a necessary film'", although, fortunately, the film overcomes this burden. David Jenkins of '' Little White Lies'' commented that ''I'm Nevenka'' is "a trashy, tabloid-y film, but it's a fine one, and a story that still needs to be told again, and again, and again".

Accolades

References

{{authority control Films directed by Icíar Bollaín Spanish biographical drama films Films set in Castile and León Films shot in Bilbao Films shot in the province of Zamora Kowalski Films films Films about sexual harassment 2020s Spanish films 2020s Spanish-language films 2024 drama films 2024 films 2024 biographical drama films Buena Vista International films