Pocket theater, a theater format with a maximum of 15 minutes per staging, returns to the municipality of Tías with the celebration, from October 16 to 19, of the V International Pocket Theater Festival, directed by Alexis Mendiola. Over the next few days, at 8:00 p.m., 7 works with different themes and groups from Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife will be performed.
"We received many proposals, also from Barcelona, Madrid, Palma de Mallorca, and Valencia, but we decided to prioritize the area and the talent of the territory that welcomes us, to recognize and showcase the great professionals we have in the area," Mendiola stated during the festival's presentation.
The mayor, José Juan Cruz, congratulated the organizers "for offering a platform to emerging companies that keep the essence of theater alive." Cruz was accompanied by the first deputy mayor, Nicolás Saavedra, and the Councilor for Culture, Pepa González, who were joined by theater directors Mendiola, Baltasar de León, Salvador Leal, and Carmen Nieves Pérez as the festival's presenter.
The jury for this edition, coordinated by Baltasar de León, is composed of José Pedro Carrión, National Theater Prize winner; Manuel Ortiz, musician and oral storytelling storyteller; Hanna Falkowska, professional dancer and dance teacher; Anmy Rodríguez, dancer and choreographer, and Juan Rafael Bailón, actor and philosopher.
Salvador Leal and Antonio Naharro
During the different galas that will take place these days at the Municipal Theater of Tías, the selected micro-theater works will be performed, and the Dedication Award will be presented to screenwriter, actor, and theater director Salvador Leal; and the Honorary Award to screenwriter, actor, and theater and film director Antonio Naharro.
Salvador Leal, with an extensive professional background related to theater, stands out for the creation, together with Elena Guadalupe, of the company Losótroh. His extensive curriculum includes comedies, black theater, and protest works such as Asco, Iván el imbécil, La leyenda de isla quemada, Tortuga y el mar, Julia Eva y los gemelos, Bienvenido señor de la Fuá or El abuelo loco, as well as performances of other authors such as Aquí no paga nadie, by Darío Fo.
Antonio Naharro is primarily known for Yo, también, a film released in over 40 countries. His first awards came for his work in the short film Invulnerable, which he wrote, directed, and starred in. This short won the 2nd Prize in the SGAE Versión Española Competition, the Audience Award at the Toronto and Krakow festivals; and Antonio Naharro won 7 acting awards for this work at festivals as important as those in Brest (France), Brussels, and Alcalá de Henares.
As a director, he received his first Goya Award nomination in 2003 for his short film Uno más, uno menos, which also won 3rd prize at the SGAE Versión Española awards.
With his feature film *Yo también* (Me Too), he earned a nomination as best new director. Produced by Julio Medem, *Yo también* won two Silver Shells at the 2009 San Sebastián Film Festival for best actress (Lola Dueñas) and best actor (Pablo Pineda), as well as the Audience Award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival, and four nominations and two Goya awards. The film was also selected at Sundance.
