We are working with enthusiasm on the XII Edition of the Calzada de Calatrava Film Festival with a firm purpose: to give visibility and value to the cinematographic effort that is developed both nationally and, in a very special way, in our land, Castilla-La Mancha.
After eleven years of exciting trajectory, the Organising Committee decided to give a new direction to the Festival, specialising in short films. We consider this format to be a fully-fledged artistic work, capable of condensing ideas with precision, transmitting intense emotions and generating social awareness. We thus vindicate the short film as a cinematographic language of equal value to the feature film, deserving the full support of the industry.
The 12th edition is not limited to the National Short Film Competition -in collaboration with Corto España and the prestigious Fugaz Awards- nor to the already consolidated ‘Made in Castilla-La Mancha’ section, which this year brings together more than 70 works in competition. The Festival goes a step further with the I Showcase of Feature Films Winners at prestigious festivals, such as the Cannes Festival (France) or the Malaga Festival, bringing to the public some of the most outstanding film productions of the current film industry.
Faithful to our social commitment, this edition hosts a Solidarity Act with the screening of the feature film Te protegerán mis alas, inspired by the migratory drama of the Strait of Gibraltar and the work of the Salesian Mission.
In the heart of Campo de Calatrava, culture stands as a driving force against depopulation, promoting inland tourism and boosting the local economy. This edition incorporates proposals such as the tribute to ‘Las vecinas de La Paca, mother of Pedro Almodóvar’, the Ruta de la Tapa and the Desayunos de Cine, the Cata-Maridaje of wines from the Campo de Calatrava D.O., the Ruta Turística Pedro Almodóvar and various film workshops.
The Festival is also open to education, with activities in the schools of Calzada de Calatrava. The official presentation at the Eduardo Valencia Secondary School and the sessions aimed at children and young people reinforce our objective of bringing the seventh art closer to the new generations, nourishing their critical spirit and their freedom of thought in full intellectual development.
From kilometre zero of the Pedro Almodóvar Film Route, we celebrate in this edition the 40th anniversary of the production company El Deseo, with an exhibition dedicated to his first films. With this, we continue to transform Calzada de Calatrava into what it already is: A Film Town.
Gema García Ríos
Mayor – President