The Lanzarote International Film Festival (FICL) continues to reinforce its commitment to the environment with a new action from the "Proyecto Raíces de Cine" (Cinema Roots Project), an initiative that is part of the 2026 edition's Sustainability Plan and seeks to convert the festival's cinematographic legacy into a legacy for the territory as well.
The planting took place this Wednesday, July 1, at 09:00, on Vicente Vilas street in Arrecife, where five jacarandas dedicated to some of the most outstanding works of the last edition of the Festival were planted. Each specimen symbolizes the growth of a cinematographic project and, at the same time, will contribute to the improvement of the urban landscape and the increase of the plant heritage of the capital of Lanzarote.
The Minister of Culture of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, Jesús Machín Tavío, has pointed out that "the Lanzarote International Film Festival demonstrates once again that culture can be a tool for social and environmental transformation. Actions like this allow the recognition of artistic talent to transcend screens and leave a positive mark on the territory, uniting creativity, sustainability, and commitment to Lanzarote."
The mayor of Arrecife, Yonathan de León, who participated in this planting, highlighted the initiative of the Lanzarote International Film Festival as successful, for leaving its "green footprint" in the city with this symbolic planting.
For the mayor, "all citizen collaboration is welcome, and even more so in initiatives where the aim is to raise awareness to achieve many more green areas in Lanzarote." Yonathan de León remarked that Arrecife leads, together with the Ministry of Transition of the Government of the Canary Islands, an ambitious pilot project for urban renaturalization. "And these new trees in the industrial area of Argana are added to this great objective. Making Arrecife a capital with trees continues to be a priority objective for our municipal government," said the mayor.
For his part, the deputy mayor and councilor for Parks and Gardens, Roberto Herbón, stressed that today's planting, with the names of the winners of the contest, and the people to whom each new tree is dedicated, reinforce our municipal commitment to making Arrecife a tree-friendly city, where we want many more units to be planted each year, both directly by the Council, and by groups and volunteers.
The trees have been planted in the name of the winning short films from different sections of the Festival. The Mayores Sin Reparo award will be represented by "El Ropero", directed by Tomasi Doblecero; the Corto Exprés by "Ensayo de una revolución", by Guillén Bui; while the School Short Film Competition will have three trees dedicated to "De mujer a mujer", from the Pancho Lasso School of Art, winner in the Baccalaureate and Vocational Training category; "Después del timbre", from IES Las Maretas, winner in Compulsory Secondary Education; and "Ecos de un Futuro Pasado", from CEIP Capellanía del Yágabo, winner in the Primary Education category.
The action, developed in collaboration with the Arrecife City Council, continues a project conceived to grow edition after edition. Through "Jacaranda. Proyecto Raíces de Cine", the Festival aims to create a green heritage that commemorates the award-winning works while contributing to the environmental improvement of the municipality, reinforcing the link between audiovisual creation and environmental conservation.
A festival committed to sustainability
The planting is part of a broader environmental strategy promoted by the Lanzarote International Film Festival. The 2026 Sustainability Plan includes actions aimed at minimizing the environmental impact of the event through reduced paper consumption, the use of sustainable materials, digitalization of processes, proper waste management, and the promotion of responsible mobility among the organization and guests.
Added to this is the commitment to local suppliers, zero-kilometer products, ecological materials for the festival's production, and awareness-raising actions aimed at both the organizing team and collaborators and participants, consolidating a model of cultural event that is increasingly respectful of the environment.
With initiatives like "Jacaranda. Proyecto Raíces de Cine", the Lanzarote International Film Festival reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that each edition leaves a legacy that goes beyond screenings and awards, demonstrating that cinema can also actively contribute to building a more sustainable future for the island.