Palme d’Or Winner Juanjo Giménez Sets ‘Pínkala’ With Pol López, Frida Films (EXCLUSIVE)

Spanish filmmaker Juanjo Giménez Peña, whose 2016 “Timecode” won a Palme d’Or at Cannes for best short and later earned an Academy Award nomination, is set to begin shooting his new feature “Pínkala” this July in Vigo, Spain.

The supernatural love story stars Pol López and is produced by Frida Films alongside M-Films (Lithuania) and Uma Pedra no Sapato (Portugal), with BTeam Pictures handling distribution in Spain.

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At its center is Sam, a lonely luthier with the extraordinary ability to hear the constant noise of other people’s minds. Emotionally isolated and trapped by the burden of that gift, his life changes when he meets Alicia, a former dancer rebuilding her life after illness and the only person capable of truly connecting with him.

Giménez describes the project simply: “At its core, it’s a love story. A supernatural match.”

Though only now entering production, “Pínkala” has been with the filmmaker for more than a decade. “The first version of the script was written even before ‘Timecode,’” Giménez tells Variety. “It’s been in development for 10 or 11 years.”

Born and based in Barcelona, Giménez has built an international reputation across both features and short films. His most recent feature, “Tres” (“Out of Sync,” 2012), premiered at Venice and Toronto before screening at Sitges, Miami and Edinburgh, among others. The film earned multiple honors, including the Méliès d’Argent, the Sant Jordi Award for Best First Film, a Goya, a Gaudí Award and three Mestre Mateo Awards from the Galician Academy.

“Pínkala” also marks another collaboration with Frida Films, whose recent titles include “Titanic Ocean” (2026), directed by Konstantina Kotzamani and premiering in Un Certain Regard at Cannes this week. National distribution will be handled by BTeam Pictures, whose recent Spanish releases include acclaimed titles such as “Los Domingos” (2025) and “Sirat” (2025).

The Galician port city of Vigo will serve as more than backdrop for the film, says Giménez, who previously shot both “Tres” and multiple short films in Galicia. “In the first version, there was no specific city,” he says, “But Vigo has become its own character.”

The film is scheduled for an international release in 2027.