With “Bai, Bai,” Murcia-born filmmaker Alba Esquinas turns a formative childhood memory into her debut feature, exploring the subtle but devastating rupture of a first friendship. It’s one of the ECAM Incubator titles, a prestigious Madrid Film School initiative that has become a key launchpad for emerging Spanish filmmakers, offering development backing, industry mentorship and access to international markets.

The story follows Ana, 12, who embarks on a long-awaited school trip to Madrid with her best friend Santi. But on the bus ride, Santi chooses to sit with someone else. That empty seat marks the beginning of a painful estrangement, as Ana confronts loneliness for the first time, far from the protection of her parents and her closest companion.

Esquinas traces the project’s origin

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