SPA26 The Captive

SPA26 The Captive

SPA26 The Captive

El cautivo

AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE

An ambitious and thrilling historical adventure drama from award-winning director Alejandro Amenábar (While at War, The Sea Inside), starring Julio Peña (Through My Window) and Alessandro Borghi (The Eight Mountains), The Captive is an enthralling tale about the power of stories that cleverly combines truth, history and fiction.

1575, Algiers.

Miguel de Cervantes (Peña), a wounded 28-year-old Spanish Navy soldier and the future author of Don Quixote, is held prisoner by Ottoman corsairs. Faced with a ticking clock, a cruel death awaits him should his fellow countrymen fail to pay his ransom soon. But within the confines of his cell, Cervantes discovers a surprising refuge in the art of storytelling.

Crafted from resilience and hope, his stories enthrall his fellow captives and spark the attention of Hasan (Borghi), the enigmatic and feared Bey of Algiers. With a secret affinity ignited between captor and captive, suspicions begin to rise amidst growing tensions in the city. But, driven by an unwavering sense of optimism, Cervantes devises a daring plan for freedom.

“As both a story about the magic of telling stories and a morality play about national identity and religious persecution, it’s a handsomely made, compulsively watchable film.” - Next Best Picture

OFFICIAL SELECTION - Toronto International Film Festival 2025

WINNER - Audience Award, José María Forqué Awards 2025

WINNER - Best New Actor, Cinema Writers Circle Awards 2026

Spain, Italy

Rating: CTC
Runtime: 134 mins

Spanish, Arabic, Italian with English subtitles

Session Times

Eastend Cinemas
Thu, Jun 11:
18:00

Sun, Jun 14:
11:00

Mon, Jun 22:
20:15

Sun, Jun 28:
13:30

Tue, Jun 30:
20:10

Prospect Cinemas
Fri, Jun 12:
13:00

Tue, Jun 16:
15:30

Sat, Jun 20:
20:10

Fri, Jun 26:
20:00

Wed, Jul 1:
20:10

Festival Highlights

CTC In this engaging comedy thriller, an Argentinian policeman outruns his corrupt boss by crossing into Uruguay where the locals welcome him with open arms, as he navigates
CTC From renowned writer-director David Trueba, this tender romantic drama starring David Verdaguer follows an architect who travels to Belgium to take part in a competition
CTC A feel-good origins story inspired by true events, Another League tells the story of a group of pioneering girls and an ambitious promotor who set out to change the story
CTC Based on true events, this breathtaking survival thriller about a group of hikers trying to ascend the mountain Balandrau sees them caught in the worst storm ever to hit
CTC Two years after the tragic sinking of a fishing boat that devastated their tight-knit fishing community, a small coastal village in Galicia decides to revive their tradit
CTC Fun is guaranteed in this exciting family movie in which two nine-year-olds race against time to save their summer camp, combining live action and animation for a stellar
CTC From: Jun 10, 2026
In a working-class neighborhood on the outskirts of Bilbao in 1989, a group of fathers must step up to chaperone their daughters at a rhythmic gymnastics tournament in Be
CTC Performed by the remarkable Guillermo Francella, this Argentinian box office hit black comedy from Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat is a series of vignettes about identity
CTC From: Jun 10, 2026
In this intoxicating drama, a talented sommelier in São Paulo’s fine-dining scene dreams of opening her own wine bar, away from her controlling boss, but must navigate fo
CTC From: Jun 10, 2026
Based on a true story, this epic historical drama follows nurse Karmele Urresti and her family on a riveting emotional journey through 20th century Spain as they survive