Welcome to Lapland

Welcome to Lapland
Theatrical release poster
SpanishLapönia
Directed byDavid Serrano
Written by
  • Cristina Clemente
  • Marc Angelet
Based on
Lapònia
by Cristina Clemente, Marc Angelet, and Jordi Casanovas
Produced byJavier Méndez
Starring
CinematographyJoan Bordera
Edited byMiguel Ariza
Music byJoan Martorell
Production
company
Distributed byA Contracorriente Films
Release dates
  • 9 March 2026 (2026-03-09) (Málaga)
  • 1 April 2026 (2026-04-01) (Spain)
Running time
89 minutes
CountrySpain
LanguageSpanish

Welcome to Lapland (Spanish: Lapönia, lit. 'Lapland') is a 2026 Spanish comedy film directed by David Serrano and written by Cristina Clemente and Marc Angelet based on their own play Lapònia. It stars Natalia Verbeke, Julián López, Ángela Cervantes, and Vebjørn Enger.

It world premiered at the 29th Málaga Film Festival in March 2026 ahead of its 1 April 2026 theatrical rollout in Spain by A Contracorriente Films.

Plot

Nuria, a resident in Lapland with her husband Olavi and her daughter, invites her sister Mónica, her brother-in-law and her nephew to a Christmas stay in Rovaniemi. Havoc ensues when Nuria's daughter tells her cousin that Father Christmas does not exist, triggering family strife and the resurfacing of buried secrets.[1]

Cast

Production

A The Mediapro Studio production,[1] the film had the participation of Movistar Plus+, RTVE, and 3Cat.[3] Joan Bordera worked as cinematographer, using an Arri Alexa 35 camera and Arri Signature Primes lenses.[4] Shooting locations in the Basque Country included a house near Getxo.[5]

Release

The film premiered at the 29th Málaga Film Festival in March 2026.[6] It was released theatrically in Spain on 1 April 2026 by A Contracorriente Films.[1]

Reception

Andrea G. Bermejo of Cinemanía rated the film 4 out of 5 stars assessing that Serrano brings the play to the screen brilliantly using very few elements.[7]

Pablo Vázquez of Fotogramas rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, applauding "the triumphant return of Natalia Verbeke, who has never looked better".[8]

Luis Martínez of El Mundo gave the film a 2-star rating, describing it as a "naïf and even extravagantly conservative" comedy, pointing out that the cast meet the requirements, despite the "obvious shortcomings of a story that is convinced it is far more clever than it actually is".[9]

Elsa Fernández-Santos of El País deemed the film to be very theatre-like vis-à-vis the dialogue, yet also carefully tuned and staged when it comes to the mise-en-scène.[10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rivera, Alfonso (28 January 2026). "David Serrano directs Welcome to Lapland, an adaptation of a stage play". Cineuropa.
  2. ↑ Salas, Andrés (11 March 2026). "Una comedia no familiar en el Festival de Málaga: 'Lapönia' divierte y plantea dilemas para adultos". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
  3. ↑ "Primer adelanto de 'Lapönia', una comedia coral en la que Papa Noel no existe". Cine con Ñ. 21 January 2026.
  4. ↑ "Arranca el rodaje de 'Laponia', con dirección de David Serrano". Camera and Light Mag. 12 May 2025.
  5. ↑ "'Laponia', una comedia de «reflexión cultural», se rueda en Bizkaia". Agencia EFE. 23 May 2025.
  6. ↑ Juesas, María (12 February 2026). "Festival de Málaga 2026: De lo nuevo de Los Javis a lo último de Carmen Maura". Fotogramas.
  7. ↑ Bermejo, Andrea G. (30 March 2026). "Crítica de 'Lapönia': es un gustazo reírse con una comedia tan inteligente sobre las mentiras de los padres". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
  8. ↑ Vázquez, Pablo (30 March 2026). "La nueva comedia del director de 'Días de fútbol' que ha conquistado a la crítica: "Difícil resistirse a este alfajor envenenado"". Fotogramas.
  9. ↑ Martínez, Luis (1 April 2026). "Laponia: Una comedia de mentira sobre la familia y sus mentiras (**)". El Mundo.
  10. ↑ Fernández-Santos, Elsa (1 April 2026). "'Lapönia': verdades, mentiras y risas de la familia española". El País.
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