She plays a doctor in María Martínez Bayona’s debut feature film, recently shot in Tenerife.
The Canarian actress, who heads the El Hierro Film Commission, invites the people of El Hierro to offer their services and resources through the film office’s platform.
Aïda Ballmann will attend the world premiere of The End of It, the debut feature film by María Martínez Bayona, at the 79th Cannes Film Festival on 21 May. The actress from El Hierro is part of the cast of this production by The Mediapro Studio and Fasten Films, with the participation of BBC Film. Martínez Bayona serves as both director and screenwriter. Shot in Tenerife in 2025, the film stars Rebecca Hall, Gael García Bernal, Noomi Rapace and Beanie Feldstein.
Alongside them, Ballmann plays a doctor in a futuristic story set in a society where ageing can be cured and death is optional. Claire, a provocative 250-year-old artist, chooses to die, a decision that sparks conflict with her family and her AI assistant. As she uses her impending death as an opportunity to return to art, she is forced to confront the true meaning of death, life and the absurdity of it all.
The actress is attending the Cannes Film Festival for the second time in her career, an event considered one of the most prestigious and influential film festivals in the world. She previously attended on another occasion to mark a world premiere, that of the short film… Five Minutes, by Génesis Lence, for which she received a Best Actress nomination at the Vienna International Film Awards (VIFA). “I’m delighted that the Canary Islands are gaining greater visibility at major film festivals thanks to the productions filmed here. This also creates artistic opportunities for Canarians. Personally, I had never imagined that I would one day share the screen with Rebecca Hall, an actress I admire enormously. It is a pleasure to watch her perform from such close quarters,” says Ballmann.
Film Productions on El Hierro
The actress is packing her bags for Cannes after returning from El Hierro, where, in her role as representative of the El Hierro Film Commission since last January, she encouraged the island’s residents to make use of the digital platform run by this organisation, which promotes audiovisual productions on her native island.
Ballmann recently took part in the launch of the El Hierro Film Commission website, an initiative of the Island Council of El Hierro designed to facilitate film shoots and boost the audiovisual sector on the island.
The actress highlights the office’s aim of “building a network of local contacts and services to streamline the work of production companies choosing the island as a filming location. We want to connect the audiovisual sector with local talent, businesses and professionals from El Hierro, creating new economic opportunities and contributing to the development of the island’s economy.” For this reason, she is encouraging residents of El Hierro to register in the directory at the following website address… At elhierrofilmcommission.com/profesionales, interested parties can register and specify which services or resources they can offer to be considered for future film shoots, including accommodation, catering, private locations and artistic talent.
“With the creation of this new website, we are taking the first step towards positioning El Hierro within the national and international audiovisual industry,” Ballmann said.
The platform “showcases to the world the richness and uniqueness of landscapes that have so far remained largely unexplored by film and television. Our goal is to turn the island into a leading destination for sustainable productions seeking authentic, diverse locations with a strong sense of identity,” the actress explains.
She also points out that the audiovisual industry is becoming an increasingly strategic sector for the Canary Islands’ economy, generating more than 20,000 direct jobs and an economic impact of €432 million. These figures are driven by the 180 national and international productions that chose the Canary Islands as a filming location in 2025.
Aïda Ballmann is an actress, filmmaker and cultural manager. Born on El Hierro and of German descent, she heads the El Hierro Film Commission. As an actress, she has appeared in television series such as Malnombre, Operación Barrio Inglés, Una vida menos en Canarias, Endlich Witwer, Crossfire, El tiempo entre costuras, Águila Roja, Lo que escondían sus ojos and Brigada de fenómenos, as well as feature films including A una isla de ti, The End of It, Un hombre tras un rifle and L’Àvia i el foraster. Gleich, La metamorfosis de Narciso, Atlánticas, Die Insel, La velocidad de nuestros pensamientos, Los europeos and The Extraordinary Tale.
She received Best Actress awards at Film Bizarro, the Cardiff International Film Festival, Festivalito and the Premios Leoncio Morales, and has also received several nominations, including those from ASECAN and VIFA. She made her directorial debut with Sand Path, a documentary screened at more than 50 film festivals, and served as artistic director of the Insularia Islas en Red Film Festival.
