The Lanzarote International Film Festival (FICL) begins a month of screenings, courses, and contests. "It seems like it was yesterday when it began its journey, but the FICL is already twenty-three years old, promoting the collective cinematographic experience," the Cabildo of Lanzarote recalled in a statement. This edition of the festival carries in its motto Mararía, the character of Rafael Arozarena who was commissioned in the cinema by Goya Toledo and a work set on the island.
According to the highest island body, although activities have been taking place since April 10, the festival's big week will be from May 8 to 13, when the screenings of the short films in competition will take place and the jury that will announce the winners at the closing gala will arrive on the island.
According to the Minister of Culture of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Alberto Aguiar, the twenty-third edition of FICL is a "clear example of the Cabildo's commitment" to culture and art. "Let's imagine for a moment the number of stories that the more than 2,000 short films received could tell us. The amount of talent in the world of cinema is incredible, and we are lucky enough to enjoy them in Lanzarote thanks to the Festival," says Aguiar.
The Festival has become an "international reference," the Cabildo emphasizes. This year, 2,152 works from ninety countries have been received in a contest that is an official qualifier for the Goya Awards. In addition, local participation in the courses and mural and window dressing contests increases with each edition. Also, one of the most anticipated events of the Festival is the Roberto Pérez Toledo Express Short Film Contest, which is already in the pre-registration phase.
Training for the film industry
One of the great attractions of the FICL is the offer of courses related to film trades that are taught in each edition. The possibilities offered by the islands as natural sets attract hundreds of audiovisual shoots a year that require specialized professionals. For this reason, this year the FICL has programmed three training courses by recognized names in the industry.
Due to the "good reception" that the Eco Assistant workshop: sustainability on set had in the last edition, this year the FICL has programmed the course Sustainability Management in Audiovisual Productions, which will begin next Monday, April 17 and will extend until Friday, April 21. It will be taught by Yanira Cáceres Arocha, responsible for environmental assessment in the filming of international productions such as Foundation, Eternals, Han Solo, or Exodus.
Registration is also open for the Assistant Director course (April 24-28), taught by David Martínez (Makkers School), a professional with 35 years of experience in the sector, who has worked with Pedro Almodóvar, James Mangold, Carlos Saura, and Ken Loach, among others.
Places for these two training courses are limited and will take place at the CIC of El Almacén. The registration fee is 80 euros.
This year, in addition, a third free training course is offered: the Introduction to Filmmaking course. Those in charge of teaching it are the short filmmaker and videographer Iván Umpiérrez, winner on several occasions of the Corto Express Roberto Pérez Toledo contest; and Francisco García, sound and VFX technician, technical coordinator of the FICL, and creator of short films and films available on the main platforms. This course will be taught from May 2 to 4 at the CIC El Almacén and requires prior registration.
Screenings of the finalist short films
"The highlight of the event with short films will be the screening of the finalist works in the official section," in the categories Spanish Fiction, International Fiction, Canary Islands, Documentary, and Animation. As always, the Buñuel Room of El Almacén will be, from Monday, May 8 to Friday, May 12, the meeting place for film lovers. The El Salinero Theater will host the reading of the winners and the awards ceremony on Saturday, May 13.
Also, the entire population of Lanzarote is invited to participate actively in the Festival, through the already consolidated Window Dressing and Film Murals contests, which turn the streets and shops of Arrecife into an authentic Mecca of the seventh art.
This film event is organized by Fisme Producciones and the Culture area of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, with the sponsorship of the entities CACT Lanzarote, Canary Island Films, Instituto Canario de Desarrollo Cultural, and the Arrecife City Council. The Lanzarote companies Arrecife Gran Hotel and CICAR collaborate with the Festival.
All the information about each of the activities and the registration forms for each of the courses and contests can be found in more detail on the website.
