Full exposure: Spain hosts its first nudist cinema event

Spain has boldly gone where no audience has gone before... at least not without their trousers. This chilly Sunday in December, the Girona Cinema in Barcelona, alongside cinemas in Valencia and Madrid (where the latter was ultimately cancelled), hosted the country’s first-ever nudist film screenings, aiming to normalise nudity and challenge cultural taboos.  

The chosen film, ‘Tú no eres Yo’, a Christmas thriller directed by Marisa Crespo and Moisés Romera, featured naturists both on-screen and in the seats. Audiences were invited to strip down to nothing but a towel to cover and protect their seats for a special viewing of the film.

Segimon Rovira, president of the Catalan Naturist-Nudist Federation, described the event as a way to promote “natural nudity, unlinked to sex,” adding that nudism is about removing more than layers.

“You take off the shame and impositions that weigh you down,” he said, as cinemagoers removed their clothes in the screening room itself.

One enthusiastic attendee applauded the timing: “It’s winter, so options for naked activities are limited. It’s nice to watch a film without all those bothersome clothes getting in the way.”

The screening drew around 50 brave viewers per venue, most of whom were seasoned naturists. While the atmosphere was described as relaxed and liberating, it’s safe to assume no one was sneaking snacks in their coat pockets.

Naturist organisers hope events like this will continue to grow, with ambitions to expand into more cultural spaces across the country. As one attendee succintly put it, “We had been to the theatre naked, but never the cinema. Now we’ve ticked that off the list!”

For Spain’s nudists, it seems the curtain is up, even if everything else is down.