JIFF: Frontier

This film is also showing at our sister cinemas, Classic Cinemas and Lido Cinemas

Frontier

“A sense of historical responsibility permeates every frame of Frontier, which speaks as urgently to the present as it does to the past.” – Hollywood Times

Australian Premiere

During World War 2, around 35,000 Jews snuck across the French border into Spain, fleeing Nazi oppression. This riveting Catalan thriller tells of this perilous but little-known crusade, and reveals how the ghosts of the still-recent Spanish Civil War affected the plight of Spaniards and Jews alike in the midst of intersecting conflicts.  

In 1943, General Franco had blocked the path of Jewish refugees fleeing over the Pyrenees mountains. At a small border town, civil servant Manel Grau decides to go against the orders of his superiors and smuggle as many Jews as possible across the border. With the help of fellow Spaniard Juliana and French smugger Jerôme, and garnering the support of the villagers, they find themselves embroiled in a dangerous odyssey that jeopardises the safety of their families and the people they set out to help. 

Shot in the stunning Pyrenees, Frontier is a powerful moral tale about the disasters of war and the power of solidarity.

Festival Appearances/Awards
New York Jewish Film Festival 2026 – Official Selection
Palm Springs International Film Festival 2026 – Official Selection
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2025 – Official Selection

Rating

Unclassified 15+

Duration

101 min

Country

Spain

Language

Catalan, Spanish (English subtitles)

Cast

Bruna Cusí, Miki Esparbé, Asier Etxandia, Maria Rodriguez Soto, Kevin Janssens, Jordi Sánchez

Director

Judith Colell