The Harvester has brought one of Spain’s darkest criminal stories to the San Sebastián Film Festival. David Pérez Sañudo’s new thriller received a special screening outside competition, with Antonio de la Torre playing Juan Díaz de Garayo and Patricia López Arnaiz leading the search for justice around him.
The film is called Sacamantecas in Spain. Its English title is The Harvester. It runs 109 minutes and will open in Spanish theaters on November 6, 2026, through Buena Vista International.
A murder story during a war
The story takes place near Vitoria at the end of the Third Carlist War. Several women have been found strangled outside the city. Ángela Berrosteguieta returns to bury her sister, but grief quickly becomes a decision to find the person responsible.
Ángela believes Juan Díaz de Garayo is the killer. Garayo is an illiterate farmer who became part of Spanish criminal history and later folklore. The movie uses his case as the center of a thriller, while keeping the war and the pressure on ordinary people visible around him.
Pío Pinedo, the head of the constabulary, is trying to investigate with few resources. The authorities would rather hide the growing number of murders than admit what is happening. That leaves Ángela pushing forward at a time when the official system is failing her.
The locations are part of the film
The production shot in natural locations across Álava and Vitoria-Gasteiz. The filmmakers used the landscape to build the feeling of a country damaged by war, instead of treating the period setting as a clean background.
The scale is larger than a small murder mystery. Disney’s Spanish press materials say the production used more than 3,000 extras and specialists. The movie includes action, pursuits, battles, practical period details and special effects alongside the investigation.
The cast also includes Josean Bengoetxea, Eneko Sagardoy and Haizea Carneros. Luis Callejo, Urko Olazabal, Fernando Albizu, Miguel Iriarte, Isabel Gaudí, Erik Probanza and Mikel Losada appear in supporting roles.
The film begins with Ángela’s loss
The trailer does not hide Garayo’s place in the story. The tension comes from watching Ángela move through a system that is not prepared to protect women or openly face the murders. Her sister’s funeral gives the investigation a personal beginning before the story expands into a larger portrait of violence and silence.
Sañudo co-wrote the screenplay with Sergio Granda. Kenneth Oribe served as director of photography, Beatriz López-Nogales composed the music, and José M. G. Moyano and Lluís Murúa edited the film.
Who’s who in The Harvester
When The Harvester will be released
The San Sebastián screening is the film’s festival launch. Its confirmed Spanish theatrical date is November 6, 2026. An international sales campaign is being handled by Latido Films, but release dates for the United States and other markets have not been announced.
The The Harvester movie page has the full premise, cast, runtime, filmmakers and current release information.
