The organization of the XV Lanzarote International Film Festival made its Official Competition Section public this Wednesday. This year there will be one hundred short films competing for the awards for Best Animated Short, Best National Fiction Short, Best International Fiction Short and Best Documentary Short.
More than 1,780 short films, submitted from 104 countries, competed in the International Fiction Short Films category. "With so many short films we find everything, but the technical quality in many cases is impeccable, better every year", explains Eva Rosendo, who is a member of the Festival Selection Committee, and who also highlights the high interpretive level. Loneliness, fear of rejection, family relationships and current affairs, treated from the irony and satire of comedy, will be some of the predominant themes in the 25 short films in this section.
Twenty Documentary Short Films, selected from a total of 349, make up a section that arouses progressive interest. The level of Spanish documentaries "has risen dramatically. The difference compared to last year is abysmal," says Óscar Pérez. Social drama and the "description of unique trades" are two recurring themes. 'Walls' and 'The Last Embrace' stand out, candidates for the 2015 Goya Awards.
The crisis, protagonist in the National Shorts category
Of the 485 works presented to the National Short Films category of Fiction, 25 short films have also been selected, many of them starring actors from Spanish cinema or the small screen. "Most come from film schools or private production companies, many are financed by autonomous communities," says Airam González. The crisis is the 'leit motiv' of the section. "The theme is very varied, but evictions, job insecurity and inequality take the cake," he adds.
As for Animated Short Films, the quality has been very variable, according to members of the organization. "There have been all kinds of works: bad, regular, good and excellent. But the 30 selected could, without a second thought, compete with those of any other festival in the world. They are magnificent and the jury is going to have a very difficult time," explains Alejandro Aguilar, a member of this selection committee.
All the short films were shot in 2014 and will be screened in the original version subtitled in Spanish and English, at the Teatro Insular de Lanzarote. The screenings will take place during the second week of the FICL, from March 23 to 28, in four daily screenings (5:00 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 8:00 p.m., and 9:30 p.m.).
To choose the 100 participants in the official competition section, the FICL2015 Selection Committee began viewing in September 2014. This year the team has been formed by Eva Rosendo, Iñigo Castanedo, Pablo R. Montenegro, Jordi Trías, Mikel Esnaola, Sergio Martín, Airam González, Mariate Díe, Javier Alonso, Óscar Pérez, Mario Ferrer, Elena Betancor and Alejandro Aguilar.
