The award ceremony will take place at the Inaugural Gala, to be held on April 18th at the Cultural Center, with free admission upon prior reservation
Skyline Benidorm Film Festival will present the ‘Skyliner’ award to the Alicante-born actor Fele Martínez in 2026 in recognition of his career
Benidorm Skyline Film Festival will award the Alicante-born actor Fele Martínez the ‘Skyliner 2026’ award. It will be presented on April 18th during the Opening Gala of the tenth edition of the Benidorm film festival and will highlight “his generosity, commitment to his craft, and ability to inspire those who come after him,” according to festival organisers.
The award will be presented at the opening gala at the Cultural Centre at 7:00 PM on April 18th. Admission is free, but reservations are required and can be made at the following link:
https://entradium.com/es/events/skyline-gala-inauguracion
The Councillor for Culture, Jaime Jesús Pérez, stated that Martínez “has a solid and versatile career and is one of the most recognised names in Spanish audiovisual production.” Fele Martínez received the Goya Award for Best New Actor early in his career for Alejandro Amenábar's ‘Thesis’ and has worked with directors of the calibre of Julio Medem, Pedro Almodóvar, and Álvaro Fernández Armero, among others. Furthermore, he has starred in some of the most popular television series of recent years, such as ‘Alpha Males’, ‘I'm Alive’, and ‘The Unit’.
The actor from Alicante has a strong connection to short films and the Skyline Benidorm Film Festival, having competed with several works over the festival's ten-year history. These include ‘Cuentas divinas’ (Divine Accounts), directed by Eulalia Ramón, which won the Audience Award in 2023 and was nominated for a Goya Award; ‘Imposible decirte adiós’ (Impossible to Say Goodbye), by Yolanda Centeno, which won Best Short Fiction Film in 2022; and ‘Tu día de suerte’ (Your Lucky Day), which he directed himself in 2019.
The Councillor for Culture highlighted that this award “recognises figures each year whose careers align with the festival's values,” as has been the case with María Esteve, Miguel Rellán, and Cayetana Guillén Cuervo. In this instance, Fele Martínez “has a career that combines feature films, television, and theater, and maintains a genuine connection with the festival ecosystem.”
For her part, Beatriz Hernández, the festival director, stated that Fele Martínez "perfectly embodies what we are as a festival: a solid, consistent career deeply connected to cinema, having worked with some of the biggest names in Spanish film and maintained a constant relationship with short films throughout his entire career." She also emphasized that his participation in Skyline "has not been a one-off," but rather that he has been present at several editions "with highly relevant work as both an actor and director, and this genuine connection with the festival is something we value greatly."
The Skyline Benidorm Film Festival will take place from April 18 to 25, and the Opening Gala will close with the premiere of the short film "Quemar al padre" (Burn the Father) by Rafa Piqueras, one of the projects selected through the festival's Shortpitch, which "reflects our commitment to the development and support of projects originating within the festival itself." The premiere will be attended by the director and members of the artistic and technical team.
