Once again this year, with the arrival of autumn, our town becomes a meeting place for lovers of the silver screen. From 1 to 10 October, our town will be brimming with cinema, culture and activities for everyone.
We are now celebrating the 13th edition of our Film Festival, a project that has grown and evolved over the years and which, year after year, surprises us with new ideas, content and activities…
Over these ten days, we’ll be able to enjoy a selection of feature films that will introduce us to acclaimed productions that have won awards at film festivals and/or from film academies. There will also be a spotlight on Spanish short films and, once again this year, our section dedicated to short films made in Castilla-La Mancha, showcasing the talent and creativity of our region.
But our festival is much more than just cinema. It is also about music, education, tourism and community involvement. It is an event designed for audiences of all ages and which also features an essential ingredient: our local associations and neighbourhood groups, which work hard and get involved throughout the year to ensure that each edition offers us new activities and new ways of engaging with the world of cinema.
And, of course, this year’s festival will pay tribute to a very special guest: J. A. Bayona, one of the great directors of contemporary Spanish cinema. A filmmaker capable of combining drama, emotion and spectacular visuals, who has been recognised with numerous awards for films such as *The Orphanage*, *The Impossible* and *Jurassic World*, amongst others.
This year’s edition also brings an important new development that we announced last June: the partnership agreement with Luarca, through which we are launching the network of film-loving towns, which we expect to grow with the involvement of new towns. This initiative will enrich our festival by taking our cinematic identity to these regions.
Because if cinema has one thing, it is that unique ability to take us on a journey, to move us, to help us discover other stories and to see the world through different eyes.
That is why we invite you to join us and enjoy this journey.
Isabel García Pérez
Councillor for Culture and the People’s University