Press Releases

NEW YORK, NY (August 26, 2025) – Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired the North American rights to BITTER CHRISTMAS, written and directed by frequent collaborator Pedro Almodóvar (TALK TO HER, ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER, PAIN AND GLORY) and produced by Almodóvar’s longtime producer, Agustín Almodóvar. 

The film, which recently wrapped production, stars Bárbara Lennie (PETRA), Leonardo Sbaraglia (PAIN AND GLORY), Aitana Sánchez-Gijón (PARALLEL MOTHERS), Victoria Luengo (THE ROOM NEXT DOOR), Patrick Criado (RIOT POLICE), Milena Smit (PARALLEL MOTHERS), Quim Gutiérrez (DARKBLUEALMOSTBLACK) and Rossy de Palma (PARALLEL MOTHERS). Several of these actors have appeared in previous Almodóvar/Sony Pictures Classics collaborations, including Luengo in THE ROOM NEXT DOOR; Sánchez-Gijón, Smit and de Palma in PARALLEL MOTHERS; Sbaraglia in PAIN AND GLORY and WILD TALES; and Lennie in THE SKIN I LIVE IN. 

Additional notable film creatives include Director of Photography Pau Esteve Birba (THE GOOD BOSS), Production Designer Antxon Gómez (PAIN AND GLORY), and Composer Alberto Iglesias (THE ROOM NEXT DOOR, PARALLEL MOTHERS, PAIN AND GLORY). 

BITTER CHRISTMAS follows Elsa, an advertising director whose mother dies during a long December holiday. She works non-stop and, without realizing, doesn’t give herself time to mourn her mother’s absence. After a moment of crisis, Elsa decides to travel to the island of Lanzarote accompanied by her friend Patricia. The story of these characters run parallel to that of a screenwriter and film director, exploring how life and fiction are inseparably linked, sometimes painfully so. 

This acquisition marks the latest chapter in the storied relationship between Sony Pictures Classics and Almodóvar. Most recently, the distributor released Almodóvar’s first English-language feature film THE ROOM NEXT DOOR, which took home the Golden Lion at last year’s Venice International Film Festival; the short film STRANGE WAY OF LIFE; and Oscar-nominated features PARALLEL MOTHERS and PAIN AND GLORY.  

The deal was negotiated between Sony Pictures Classics and Almodóvar’s production company, El Deseo, on behalf of the filmmaker. 

ABOUT SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
Michael Barker and Tom Bernard serve as co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics—an autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment they founded with Marcie Bloom in January 1992—which distributes, produces, and acquires independent films from around the world.  Barker and Bernard have released prestigious films that have won 42 Academy Awards® (38 of those at Sony Pictures Classics) and have garnered 190 Academy Award® nominations (164 at Sony Pictures Classics) including Best Picture nominations for I’M STILL HERE, THE FATHER, CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, WHIPLASH, AMOUR, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, AN EDUCATION, CAPOTE, HOWARDS END, and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.   

ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and distribution; television production, acquisition, and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services. http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/divisions.html.