Sleepless City
| Sleepless City | |
|---|---|
 Spanish theatrical release poster | |
| Spanish | Ciudad sin sueño |
| Directed by | Guillermo Galoe |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by |
|
| Cinematography | Rui Poças |
| Edited by | Victoria Lammers |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by |
|
Release dates |
|
| Countries |
|
| Language | Spanish |
Sleepless City (Spanish: Ciudad sin sueño) is a 2025 drama film directed by Guillermo Galoe, and co-written by Galoe and Víctor Alonso-Berbel. A Spanish and French co-production, it was shot and set in the Cañada Real shanty town near Madrid.
The film had its world premiere in the Critics' Week section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 19 May 2025 ahead of its theatrical release in France by Pan Distribution on 3 September 2025 and in Spain on 21 November 2025 by BTeam Pictures.
Plot
[edit]The life of 13-year-old Toni is shattered after his family is given an eviction notice and he learns that his friend Said is leaving La Cañada for good.[1][2]
Cast
[edit]Production
[edit]Sleepless City was produced by Sintagma Films (Marina García López), Buenapinta Media (Marisa Fernández Armenteros), Encanta Films (Manuel Calvo), Bteam Prods (Álex Lafuente), Les Valseurs (Damien Megherbi and Justin Pechberty), and Les Films des Tournelles (Anne-Dominique Toussaint).[3] Rui Poças worked as cinematographer.[1] The film was shot in Cañada Real.[1]
Release
[edit]The film had its world premiere at the Critics' Week section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 19 May 2025.[2][4] It was also programmed at the 73rd San Sebastián International Film Festival and the 70th Valladolid International Film Festival.[5][6]
Distributed by Pan Distribution,[7] it was released theatrically in France on 3 September 2025.[8]
Sleepless City received a screening in an outdoor cinema set up in the sector 6 of the Cañada Real on 11 October 2025.[9] BTeam Pictures is set to release the film in Spanish theatres on 21 November 2025.[10][11]
Reception
[edit]Jonathan Holland of ScreenDaily described the film as "vibrant, melancholy and immersive", otherwise carrying "a universal message about loss, resilience and hope that deserves to open eyes further affield".[12]
Adam Solomons of IndieWire gave Sleepless City a 'B+' rating deeming it to be "an excellent film" while also declaring Toni and Chule's relationship "a provocative insight into an ideological schism at the heart of a community".[13]
The film won the Golden Punt Jury award at the 2025 Cambridge Film Festival. [14]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Partearroyo, Daniel de (14 April 2025). "La Cañada Real en Cannes 2025: el español Guillermo Galoe competirá en la Semana de la Crítica". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
- ^ a b Zurro, Javier (14 April 2025). "La Cañada Real llegará al Festival de Cannes: la Semana de la Crítica selecciona 'Ciudad sin sueño'". eldiario.es.
- ^ a b c d e Rivera, Alfonso (17 April 2025). "Guillermo Galoe's Sleepless City to premiere in the Cannes Critics' Week". Cineuropa.
- ^ "The Screenings Guide of the 78th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. 8 May 2025. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ "27 producciones catalanas participan en el Festival de cine de San Sebastián". Europa Press. 19 September 2025.
- ^ "Mia Hansen-Love, Luis Callejo, la ECAM y la ESCAC, Espigas de Honor de la 70 Seminci". Europa Press. 8 October 2025.
- ^ "Les distributeurs ajustent leurs line-ups". Box Office Pro. 30 April 2025.
- ^ "'Ciudad sin sueño' de Guillermo Galoe se estrena en Francia, con 11.500 espectadores en su primera semana". Audiovisual451. 12 September 2025.
- ^ "Gran emoción en la madrileña Cañada Real ante el estreno de la película premiada en Cannes sobre el asentamiento". La Vanguardia. 12 October 2025.
- ^ "Ciudad sin sueño". Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España. 27 May 2024.
- ^ Mantilla, Daniel (21 August 2025). "La Academia de Cine abre las urnas para elegir la terna que aspira a representar al cine español en los Oscar de 2026". Kinótico.
- ^ Holland, Jonathan (19 May 2025). "'Sleepless City' review: Coming-of-age drama set in Europe's largest shanty town in Spain". ScreenDaily.
- ^ Solmomons, Adam (19 May 2025). "'Sleepless City' Review: This Hard-Edged Coming-of-Age Drama Set in Roma Shantytown Takes Notes from Fellini". IndieWire.
- ^ Golden Punt award
