A Constantly Evolving Festival The Almería International Film Festival (FICAL), like the audiovisual sector of the province, is continually evolving. The big film event of the province has decided to take a step forward by committing to feature films and “Operas Prima” or film debuts, which are currently at the top of the agenda on the national scene. This firm commitment by Almeria Provincial Council with feature films and new directors is being made at the cost of the short films’ prominence. The Festival is also, and has always been, committed to emerging talent. We must never forget FICALs roots and the importance of such a genre as short films, which is the great “school” of filmmakers. Its importance is such within the Festival that nearly 2,000 works from all continents have been submitted. 36 short films have been selected and almost 420 minutes of short films will be projected. Almeria’s light, landscapes and locations will also continue to shine through the “Almeria, Land of Film” Photo Contest. This is now firmly part of program with the participation of amateur and professional photographers, and fans, arriving from all over Spain. New this year; not only has the Festival changed its name but the dates have too. The idea is to buck the tourist season constraints. From 13th to 19th November, two whole weekends, film lovers, tourists and Almerians alike will have an extensive cultural agenda in the province of Almeria and will also be able to experience a festival that is growing at the same rate as its schedule. Almeria Provincial Council’s commitment to film also includes the revitalization of the film industry and cinematographic tourism. Hence, in recent years, it has opted for the creation of a Provincial Film Office (FILMING ALMERÍA) as a useful organization that facilitates producers’ choice of Almería as the destination for their filming. Almería is currently the natural setting that most filmmakers and television and advertising companies choose to film their series, feature films, commercials and photo shoots. The province’s roads, the desert of Tabernas, the Alpujarras and the two natural parks in the province bear witness to that, traveling farther and farther afield through screens, magazines and the Internet. The natural evolution that FICAL is undergoing would not have been possible without the decisive support, provided since last year, by entities such as RTVE, State Lotteries or the Obra Social La Caixa, who are repeating as sponsors of the event. I do not want to say goodbye without also thanking each and every one of the collaborators, as well as the media, for their participation so that the Almeria International Film Festival may continue to evolve and increase in splendour on the international film scene GABRIEL AMAT AYLLÓN President of the Diputación de Almería 2 Un Festival en continua evolución El Festival Internacional de Cine de Almería (FICAL), al igual que el sector audiovisual de la provincia, está en continua evolución. La gran cita de la provincia con el cine ha decidido dar un paso adelante apostando por el largometraje y por la ópera prima, que vive un gran momento en el panorama nacional. Esta apuesta decidida de la Diputación Provincial de Almería por el largometraje y por los directores noveles se está haciendo sin que el cortometraje pierda su protagonismo, ya que la apuesta por los talentos emergentes ha sido siempre la máxima del Festival. Jamás debemos de olvidar cuáles son las raíces de FICAL y la importancia de un género como el corto, que es la gran ‘escuela’ de los cineastas. Su importancia es tal dentro del Festival que se han presentado casi 2.000 trabajos de todos los continentes, se han seleccionado 36 cortometrajes, y se van a proyectar casi 420 minutos de cine en corto. La luz, los paisajes y localizaciones de Almería van a seguir brillando también a través del Concurso de Fotografía ‘Almería Tierra de Cine’ que se consolida en la programación con la participación de fotógrafos aficionados y profesionales llegados de toda España. Como novedad este año, el Festival no sólo ha cambiado de nombre, sino también de fecha con el fin de lograr el objetivo de desestacionalizar el turismo. Del 13 al 19 de noviembre -dos fines de semana-, los amantes del cine, turistas y almerienses tendrán una extensa agenda cultural en la provincia de Almería y podrán conocer un Festival que crece al mismo ritmo que su programación. La apuesta de la Diputación de Almería por el cine también incluye la dinamización de la industria y del turismo cinematográfico. De ahí, que en los últimos años se haya apostado por la creación de una Oficina Provincial del Cine (FILMING ALMERÍA) como organismo útil que facilita a las productoras la elección de Almería como destino para sus rodajes. Hoy por hoy, Almería es el escenario natural que más cineastas, televisiones y empresas de publicidad eligen para el rodaje de sus series, películas, anuncios y sesiones fotográficas. Así lo atestiguan las carreteras provinciales, el desierto de Tabernas, la Alpujarra y los dos parques naturales de la provincia que viajan cada vez más lejos a través de las pantallas, revistas e Internet. La evolución natural que está viviendo FICAL no hubiera sido posible sin el apoyo decidido que, desde el pasado año, nos prestan entidades como RTVE, Loterías y Apuestas del Estado o la Obra Social La Caixa, que repiten como patrocinadores del evento. No quiero despedirme sin agradecer también a todos y cada uno de los colaboradores y a los medios de comunicación su participación para que el Festival Internacional de Cine de Almería esté en continua evolución y pueda aumentar su esplendor en el panorama cinematográfico internacional. GABRIEL AMAT AYLLÓN Presidente de la Diputación de Almería 3 The year 2016 will go down in Almerian film history as the year the “Almeria International Film Festival” (FICAL) was born. It is a long-term project that takes pride in its heritage, but eventually intends to become a benchmark to support the audiovisual resurgence of our province. FICAL will turn Almeria into one of the reference points of the Spanish film industry. During the event, planned as a long-term project, each new festival will be enhanced, beginning with the renewal of its image, to adapt to a broader vision of film and go far beyond a symbol, to become a real hallmark. It is an ambitious project: both alive and constantly evolving. With activities taking place throughout the year, as we have discovered in recent months with the Opera Prima cycle or the successful “Almeria, Land of Short Films” initiative. Bringing forward the Festival date and recovering the Cervantes Theatre as an emblematic space for projections are more important news, which will help the city live the experience of the Festival even more. The short film competition; “Almeria en Corto” (Almerai in Short) has been a great international benchmark and remains the cornerstone of our programming, with some of the best productions recently filmed. The 1697 entries received from around the world, of which we selected 36 from 13 countries, bear witness to this. The international commitment in the field of short films continues with the collaboration with the INCAA, which will screen Almerian shorts in Argentina very soon and bringing the best of their ‘harvest’ to our festival. This year an agreement with the German Goethe Institut for “Almería in Cortito” (Almeria in Shorty) has also started. The third National Feature Film Competition “Opera Prima” looks very promising, with five films in taking part, some of which are already emerging as candidates for the Goya Awards. The cinematographic possibilities of the Festival are also growing, including special screenings, which opens a window for documentary films or “ FICAL para niños” (for Kids) with the projection of “El Lazarillo de Tormes”. As with last year we are committed to having prestigious juries for all the sections, which also gives prominence to each and every one of them. We are still committed to improving quality in the various contests, with changes in photography section designed to increase the levels of participants’ professionalism. Workshops, concerts, course, exhibitions, advocacy against gender violence, in addition to traditional partnerships with already established programs, complete this great festival of film for the discovery of new talent. The union between public institutions and companies is becoming stronger, incorporating new sponsors and helping FICAL grow. So, I would like to conclude by reiterating my thanks to all those people who make this festival (especially that great team at America Provincial Council) and above all the audience that fills the halls and are the main reason for our work. ENRIQUE IZNAOLA Almeria International Film Festival Director 4 2016 pasará a la historia de la cinematografía almeriense como el año en que nació el Festival Internacional de Cine de Almería (FICAL), un proyecto a largo plazo que toma orgulloso la herencia del pasado, pero que intentará convertirse con el tiempo en un referente para apoyar el resurgir audiovisual en nuestra provincia. El FICAL convertirá a Almería en uno de los centros de atención de la industria española durante su celebración, planteado como un proyecto a largo plazo, que cada nueva edición se irá enriqueciendo, empezando por la renovación de la imagen del mismo, para adaptarla a una visión más amplia del cine y que vaya más allá de un símbolo, a ser una auténtica marca identificativa. Se trata de un proyecto ambicioso, vivo y en constante evolución. Con actividades que se suceden a lo largo del año, como hemos podido descubrir durante estos meses con el ciclo Ópera Prima o la exitosa iniciativa “Almería, Tierra de Cortometrajes”.