The Lanzarote International Film Festival enters its final stretch, closing the week of screenings with the Canarian Short Film Section. The 9 works were screened in the El Almacén cinema, a room that was packed with the public.
Attendees enjoyed short films such as "Aitana" by Marina Alberti; "Cuadro" by Anatael Pérez, which, according to its author, takes snippets from his own experience and with which he tries to exorcise past evils; "En un Segundo" by Pablo Fajardo, a comedy born from a story written by its author; "La Canasta" by Nacho Peña where we discover that a location can also be the character. "NAP" by Javier Chavanel with a short film that has been shooting outside national circuits and is the first time it has set foot in a Canarian event; "Patata" by Emilio González, "Preguntas pa' Abuela" by Laura Rivero and "Tras los Pasos Perdidos" by Concha de Ganzo, a short film that, according to its author, speaks of the past but ends up leaving a reflection for the future "it is time to change the system in the Canary Islands", she declares.
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After the screenings, a space for reflection was opened, with a talk-meeting between the audience present there and the filmmakers. Concha de Ganzo, Pablo Fajardo, Javier Chavanel, Anatael Pérez, Emilio González and Nacho Peña delved into the current state of the Canarian industry, the conflict between commercial interest and respect for artistic integrity as a cultural asset and a point on which they all agreed: a good producer will pave the way for you. Not everything was discouraging, they stressed the importance of not stopping working
and making noise, encouraging new talents not to give up on their path as directors.
The climax will come on Saturday night
Taking advantage of the presence of jurors from the national cinematographic scene, the Lanzarote International Film Festival organized a meeting with the actresses Blanca Portillo, Irene Escolar, Marta Etura, Ruth Armas and the actor Juanjo Artero on Saturday morning at 12:00 noon at CIC El Almacén. A talk where they talked about the difficulties presented by the acting profession and the great quality of this year's official section.
For Blanca Portillo, one of those in charge of evaluating the short films in the International Section, the short film cannot be considered a cinematographic sub-product, she declares: "when you sit down to see all the works you realize the value that this genre has in itself" and "true jewels are made, the short film allows an intensity that is not found in a feature film"
The actress Irene Escolar highlights the amount of talent she was able to observe in the National Short Film Selection, in just two afternoons. For Marta Etura, jury of the Documentary Section, it has been especially difficult to assess so much quality: I have had to assess a theme with rigor Tangente Digital 2024 and a punctual aesthetic, and she points out that this is still cinema. For the actress and director of the Lanzarote International Film Festival Ruth Armas: "more and more things are being produced in the Canary Islands" and "I am left with the Lanzarote look that the short films shot on the island have"
All the members of the jury were very happy to be in Lanzarote, for Irene it has been her first time on the island and she declares "it's a real blast" Ruth Armas remembers her childhood in Playa Honda when the neighborhood was not even paved yet.
An event that has served to whet the appetite before the main course: the Closing Gala and Awards Ceremony, which will take place at the Víctor Hernández Gopar Theater "El Salinero" at 8:30 p.m. As usual, it will feature the presentation of Nacho Peña and Emilio González, and will be enlivened by the Rock band Marius John Band.
Anyone interested in purchasing their ticket for the gala on Saturday night can do so through the website www.ecoentradas.com and to not miss any future festival events, they can find it on Instagram as @festivalcinelanzarote and on Twitter(X) as @cinelanzarote. For more information, visit all the information at www.festivaldecinedelanzarote.com.
