The Espacio Mercado in Getafe hosted the presentation of the program for the XIX Madrid Crime Novel Festival, Getafe Negro. The event, taking place from October 14 to 25, will offer more than sixty activities, including round tables, talks, conferences, screenings, podcasts, live radio, theater, concerts, workshops, role-playing games, storytelling, and exhibitions. The edition will feature over a hundred authors, both national and international, from Europe, America, and Asia.
The opening will take place on October 14 at the Teatro Federico García Lorca in Getafe, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the premiere of El chico de la última fila by Juan Mayorga. The celebration will include a screening of the film adaptation by director François Ozon (Dans la maison, 2012) followed by a discussion with Mayorga himself and the festival's honorary director, Lorenzo Silva.
Among this year's novelties is the I Crime Novel Congress Getafe Negro, organized in collaboration with the Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR). Held from October 15 to 17 at the Espacio Mercado, the congress will focus on Stephen King and the mutations of noir, exploring themes such as violence, memory, social conflict, rural noir, identities, margins, women and violence in contemporary noir, and the spaces of crime.
The festival will also commemorate significant anniversaries: the 30th anniversary of the character Petra Delicado with author Alicia Giménez Bartlett, the 90th anniversary of the death of Federico García Lorca, and the 50th anniversary of the birth of the magazine Interviú and the death of Agatha Christie.
The program will include a panel on romantasy, addressing crime, mafia, and conspiracy within this genre popular among young readers. For the first time, the Association of Cultural Magazines of Spain (ARCE) will participate in the festival, reinforcing cultural values against the challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence.
Authors such as Manel Loureiro will present his new thriller Antes de que todo cambie, while Martín Caparrós, Carlos Bardem, and Carmen Mola will be among those closing the event. The festival will also highlight local authors and emerging new voices.
The solidarity axis will feature the Spanish Association Against Cancer in Madrid, with the participation of young volunteers from the Pediatric Oncology unit of the 12 de Octubre University Hospital, who will share their experiences to promote social commitment in the fight against the disease.
The XVII José Luis Sampedro Award will be presented on Wednesday, October 21, at the Espacio Mercado, honoring writer and journalist Juan Jose Millás. The program extends until October 25, with activities covering various literary genres and formats.
