Know your Almodovar from your Amenábar? Then now is the perfect time to visit the beautiful ancient city of Girona, as the 23rd annual Girona Film Festival takes place from the 2nd to the 4th December.
The three day event promises to showcase the very best of independent Spanish cinema. With categories including documentary and fictional shorts, the festival acts as an excellent platform for both seasoned directors and aspiring new-comers.
Making up the judging panels are some of the most talented names in the European film industry. Directors Jordi Teis and Francois Boutonnet will be picking the winner of the Documentary section, whilst screenwriter Teresa Crespo and director Lluis Hereu will be judging the fictional shorts. An exciting addition to this year’s programme is the section entitled Cinema 35mm, which is a collection of shorts picked for entry by Miguel Angel Escudero, Director of the Spanish Short-Film Agency.
Aside from the competition entries, there is also an ‘OFF Festival’ section which screens prominent works across the four days simply for entertainment’s sake. This year the non-competitive programme includes ‘Chilean Cinema’, ‘Cinema from the North of Catalonia’ and the chance to watch all the entrants in the 2011 International Festival of Gay and Lesbian Film of Barcelona.
Complement the film festival with a visit to Girona’s Museum of Cinema (Colleciò Tomàs Mallol) for a closer look at all things cinematic.
Seen some great Spanish-language films lately? We’d love to hear from you!