Ian de la Rosa’s queer romance asks how much of yourself can you afford to give when survival is already a struggle, in this Teddy Award winning feature direct from Berlin.
Ivan & Hadoum plays as a relevant, resonant exploration of how the romantic ideals of connection and acceptance can often be no match for the mundane socio-economic realities of modern life.
Iván & Hadoum 2026
Set against the striking landscape of southern Spain, director Ian de la Rosa explores an agricultural workplace romance, focusing on how socioeconomic factors affect his protagonists in different ways.
Iván (Silver Chicón), a trans man, is working towards a promotion, while Moroccan produce packer Hadoum (Herminia Loh) is careful how she navigates the precarious working conditions within the greenhouse. The tone is set after an incident at a bar - while Iván and Hadoum stand up for themselves with dignity, they refuse to let discrimination define their lives.
What follows is a complex yet tender relationship as the film delves into the nuances of its characters. Iván questions to whom his loyalties lie - his family, his employers, or Hadoum, whereas Hadoum lusts after both Iván and the freedom that may come from a life beyond their hometown.
De la Rosa utilises the sun-drenched Mediterranean city of Almería to complement passion and desire, and the stifling pressures of European capitalism on the working class. Survival instincts collide in an exploration of resilience, agency, and love.
– Madison Marshall