Elsinore will open the 14th edition of the Los Cabos International Film and Creativity Festival on December 9 at La Marina de Puerto Los Cabos, at 8:00 PM.
FICCLosCabos 2026 will kick off with Elsinore, a film that launches five days of cinema, creativity, and international exchange in one of Mexico’s most extraordinary settings: Los Cabos, Baja California Sur.
Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, November 6, 2026 — The Los Cabos International Film and Creativity Festival (FICCLosCabos) has announced Elsinore as the opening film for its 14th edition, taking place from December 9 to 13, 2026. The festival continues to establish Los Cabos as a meeting point for Mexican cinema, the international audiovisual industry, and new forms of creative expression.
Set in London in 1989, Elsinore depicts the final months in the life of Ian Charleson, the Scottish actor best known for his portrayal of Eric Liddell in “Chariots of Fire”. Following the departure of Daniel Day-Lewis from the production, Charleson stepped into the role of Hamlet at London’s National Theatre, all while privately battling the terminal stages of AIDS. On stage, Shakespeare’s meditation on mortality collided with his own reality; acting became an act of dignity, freedom, and resistance. Before his death in 1990, Charleson requested that the cause of his passing be made public—a courageous move during an era defined by silence and the stigma surrounding HIV.
Written by Stephen Beresford (*Pride*) and directed by Simon Stone (*The Dig*), the film stars Andrew Scott (*All of Us Strangers*, *Fleabag*) as Charleson, alongside Olivia Colman (*The Favourite*, *The Crown*) as Dr. Margaret Johnson. The cast also includes Billie Piper and Johnny Flynn, among others.
The selection of Elsinore as the opening film for FICCLosCabos 2026 stems from a fundamental conviction: creativity is one of the deepest expressions of the human condition and a force capable of transforming how we understand the world.
Through art, societies have found ways to question their own structures, confront prejudices, preserve memory, and imagine different realities. Creative expression does not merely reflect cultural shifts; it also drives them, shapes collective discourse, and paves the way for social and economic transformation.
The story of Ian Charleson exemplifies art’s extraordinary capacity to transcend individual circumstances. At a time when fear, discrimination, and silence defined the public conversation surrounding HIV, his performance as Hamlet transformed the stage into a space of freedom, visibility, and life-affirmation.
Guided by the vision #BeyondTheScreen, Elsinore opens an edition that recognizes creativity not just as an artistic manifestation, but as an essential capacity for building culture, fostering new economies, and transforming societies.
Because to create is far more than simply producing a work; it is our ability to imagine what does not yet exist—and, from that possibility, to transform reality.
Elsinore was screened at the Telluride and Toronto (TIFF) film festivals, served as the opening film for the 70th BFI London Film Festival, and had its Spanish premiere at the 71st Seminci in Valladolid. Furthermore, it leads the nominations for the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) with 12 nods, including Best British Independent Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Lead Performance for Andrew Scott.
The opening screening will take place on Wednesday, December 9, at the Marina in Puerto Los Cabos—an open-air cinematic experience that will bring together filmmakers, talent, industry representatives, the media, and special guests. The Marina at Puerto Los Cabos will serve as the setting for the opening night, blending cinema and celebration into an experience that reflects the Festival’s identity: a meeting point between the Pacific, Mexico, and the local, national, and international creative community.
The evening will feature the official opening ceremony, a screening of *Elsinore*, a post-screening discussion, and the Festival’s opening celebration.
Tickets for the opening screening are now available at https://www.ficloscabos.org/, where the public can also explore the various activities and experiences planned for this edition. Additionally, stay tuned to the Festival’s official channels for upcoming programming announcements and the launch of ticket bundles for “Marejada”—the Festival’s showcase of national and international cinema—which will soon be available for purchase via Cinépolis.
Stories that are transforming cinema are coming to Los Cabos.