- The Tenerife International Film Music Festival (FIMUCITÉ) is celebrating its 20th anniversary from July 3rd - 19th, 2026, but the starting pistol has sounded and events are starting to get underway with the open-air concert “And The Winner is…” this Saturday 6th June.

- The programme in the capital includes a new edition of the popular event Summer Cinema, from July 3rd - 5th, in the Plaza de Residencial Anaga, and then a concert by the municipal band, The Win Band Melodies, on July 9th in the Plaza del Príncipe.

The Tenerife International Film Music Festival (FIMUCITÉ) is preparing to unveil the programme for its eagerly anticipated 20th edition, which will take place from 3rd - 19th July, 2026. Once again, film music will resonate throughout venues across Santa Cruz de Tenerife and La Laguna. As a prelude to this landmark anniversary edition, the festival will begin this Saturday, 6th June, with a free concert in the iconic Plaza de Candelaria in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

The festival programme was presented this morning in the city hall of the Ayuntamiento de Santa Cruz. Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez expressed his enthusiasm for the event, stating that he was “delighted and excited by a festival that is celebrating a twenty-year trajectory, making it the longest-running event of its kind anywhere in the world. We are making history and, once again, this programme will ensure that Santa Cruz takes centre stage during FIMUCITÉ.”

The Mayor congratulated the festival on its twentieth anniversary, highlighting that “the concerts and the Summer Cinema programme fill our city with culture, following an approach in which we in the City Hall firmly believe, which is simply to bring culture into our local squares, neighbourhoods and most cherished public spaces; we see it as a public service that is accessible, inclusive and transformative.”

Cristóbal de la Rosa, the Director General for Cultural Innovation and Creative Industries of the Canary Islands Government, emphasised the prestige FIMUCITÉ has achieved over the past two decades. He explains, “The film industry is highly demanding, and no major composer grants permission for the use of their work unless there is complete trust. That is the true value of this festival, which consistently achieves what it sets out to do. Congratulations to Santa Cruz, because this is truly a city embracing cinema.”

José Carlos Acha, the Councillor for Culture, Museums and Sports of the Cabildo de Tenerife, noted that “the island government has supported FIMUCITÉ from the outset. Twenty years later, it has established itself as the longest-running film music festival in Spain and Europe, and as a global reference point for film music. Today it reaches several municipalities across the island, with activities in Santa Cruz, La Laguna, open-air cinema screenings, municipal band concerts, and performances at the Auditorio de Tenerife. This 20th anniversary programme is particularly ambitious and remarkable.”

Dimple Melwani, CEO of Turismo de Tenerife, highlighted FIMUCITÉ’s outstanding trajectory and the institutional support that has enabled the festival to grow and flourish over two decades. “A cultural festival becomes a global benchmark when it combines local identity, international projection, artistic excellence, and social and media impact. FIMUCITÉ embodies all these qualities and celebrates this important milestone with an exceptional programme and the commitment of its institutional and private partners.”

Purificación Dávila, Councillor for the Presidency of Santa Cruz City Council, remarked that “FIMUCITÉ has elevated Santa Cruz to the highest cultural level. What began with a handful of concerts has grown into a festival whose activities are deeply embedded throughout the city. It is the most prestigious film music festival of its kind, and we are proud to host these events.”

Festival founder and director Diego Navarro presented the full programme and reflected on the festival’s journey: “For twenty years we have worked with passion and dedication to bring the very best of film music to this city while placing Santa Cruz and Tenerife firmly on the international map. We could not be prouder of what has been achieved.”

The Councillor for Culture, Santiago Díaz Mejías, was also present at this event.

Under the title And The Winner Is…, the Pop Culture Band, FIMUCITÉ’s resident pop-rock ensemble since 2014, will present a two-hour concert on Saturday 6th June. The show has been designed to keep audiences dancing non-stop from start to finish. Led by Gonzalo de Araoz, the band will perform a vibrant selection of iconic soundtracks and songs from unforgettable films such as Ghostbusters, Shrek 2, Footloose, Flashdance, Top Gun, Grease, Back to the Future, Rocky III, Armageddon and Dirty Dancing. This feel-good set promises to bring back a flood of nostalgic memories.

The evening will conclude with a DJ set by NAGOBA, percussionist, composer and music producer, whose performances are renowned for their energy and their ability to connect with audiences.

As part of its collaboration with Santa Cruz City Council, FIMUCITÉ 20 will once again feature the Municipal Band of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, conducted by Ismael Brajim, in the concert The Win Band Melodies. The ensemble will perform an open-air concert on 9th July at 19:00 in Plaza del Príncipe, featuring arrangements by Juan Antonio Domínguez Martín and David Hernández Herrera.

In keeping with this year’s theme, dedicated to Academy Award-winning and nominated scores that have made film history, the The Win Band Melodies programme will include some of the greatest scores from the silver screen. Audiences will enjoy unforgettable works from films such as Ben-Hur, Psycho, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Exodus, Jaws, Taxi Driver, Chariots of Fire, The Lord of the Rings and Braveheart, among others, in a family-friendly programme designed for audiences of all ages.

Summer Cinema
One of the festival’s most popular parallel activities, Summer Cinema, will return on 3rd, 4th and 5th July with a programme dedicated to Academy Award-nominated and winning scores that have left a lasting mark on the history of the Oscars. Film screenings will take place outdoors in Plaza Residencial Anaga from 19:00 each evening, with free admission thanks to the support of Santa Cruz City Council, the Centro-Ifara District and Fundación DISA.

This year’s programme includes The Wild Robot (2024), featuring music by Kris Bowers; How to Train Your Dragon (2010), whose score by John Powell’s is regarded as one of the finest in animated cinema; and Martin Scorsese’s Hugo (2011), featuring music by Howard Shore.

Concert Programme
Among the highlights of this anniversary edition is Golden Piano Stories, taking place on Saturday 11th July at 20:00 at the Teatro Leal in La Laguna. This intimate and distinctive opening concert will feature Polish pianist Aleksander Dębicz, who will present the world premiere of a carefully curated selection of exclusive arrangements of Academy Award-winning film scores.

Another major event will be the concert John Williams Reimagined, which receives its Spanish premiere on 16th July in the Chamber Hall of the Auditorio de Tenerife before travelling to the Teatro Guiniguada in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on 18th July.

Produced by Robert Townson, the concert offers a unique journey through the musical world of John Williams, combining some of his most celebrated works with lesser-known treasures rarely heard in concert. Featuring special arrangements by Italian pianist Simone Pedroni, performed alongside flautist Sara Andon and cellist Cécilia Tsan, the trio performance will be complemented by Townson’s narration.
The programme includes music from Star Wars, Schindler’s List, Memoirs of a Geisha, Far and Away, Harry Potter and Hook, and has been personally endorsed by John Williams himself.

FIMUCITÉ will also present Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert in the Canary Islands for the first time on July 17th and 18th. The Tenerife Symphony Orchestra (OST) will perform Williams’ iconic score live during a screening of the original 1977 film, which was nominated for 10 Oscars and won Best Original Score. The screening has been made possible thanks to an exclusive licence from Disney. The two concerts will be conducted by Irish composer and conductor Eímear Noone, who in 2020 became the first woman to conduct the orchestra at an Academy Awards ceremony.

The 20th anniversary edition culminates with the FIMUCITÉ 20 Red Carpet Gala on 19th July, conducted by Diego Navarro, a member of the Hollywood Academy, and performed by the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra (OST) together with the Tenerife Film Choir. The closing concert will feature Academy Award-winning scores from films including Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Lord of the Rings, Dances with Wolves, Titanic and Dune, among others. This year's event will be the first to feature three symphonic concerts performed by the OST instead of the usual two.

Guests of Honour
Among this year’s distinguished guests will be Stephen Warbeck, Academy Award winner for Shakespeare in Love, returning to FIMUCITÉ fifteen years after his appearance at the festival’s fifth edition. The festival will also be welcoming John Corigliano as Guest of Honour, an exceptional presence that further elevates the status of this anniversary edition. His participation in the FIMUCITÉ 20 marks the first time the American composer has attended a film music festival, making this a particularly significant occasion for FIMUCITÉ, the world’s longest-running continuously held festival of its kind.

Best known for his Academy Award-winning score for The Red Violin (1998), Corigliano is also the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his Symphony No. 2 for String Orchestra and has received five Grammy Awards. He is widely regarded as one of the foremost figures in contemporary music.

FIMUCITÉ Film Scoring Academy
The programme will be complemented by a new edition of the FIMUCITÉ Film Scoring Academy (FSA), which brings together leading industry professionals and guest composers for a series of masterclasses, panel discussions and educational activities open to both students and the general public.

Institutional Support
The Tenerife International Film Music Festival will be marking its 20th anniversary in style with the support of its main sponsor, Turismo de Tenerife, as part of the campaign ‘Tenerife Awakens Emotions’, as well as additional support from the Department of Culture of the Cabildo de Tenerife. The festival is also sponsored by the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council and the Canary Islands Institute for Cultural Development of the Government of the Canary Islands. FIMUCITÉ extends its gratitude to the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra (OST), the Auditorio de Tenerife, and its many public and private partners for their continued support.