The Formentera Council's office of culture reports that from May 16 to 19, islanders can see short films, documentaries and video art as part of the sixth Formentera Film Festival. Festival screenings, which are free to attend, kick off at 8.30pm on Thursday May 16 in la Mola's plaça del Pilar and continue the next three days in Constitució square in Sant Francesc.
Fiction, animation and documentaries from around the world, Spain and the Balearic Islands
Sixty-six shorts have been submitted to this year's contest, with 26 competing in the official international contest, 21 in the children's category and 19 in a special selection of films presented in collaboration with the City of Soria's International Contest of Short Films and tailored to primary and secondary school students of the island.
Music
Playing funk and soul, Hot Hissi's Paul Powell will be on hand to get the party going from 8.00pm on May 17 and 18. The Balearic Islands symphonic orchestra will take over on Sunday and perform “Palma Brass Movie Themes”, a selection of featured songs from film soundtracks to open the awards ceremony and film screenings.
Formentera Film welcomes directors, producers, distributors and heads of other festivals. The panel of jurors includes Belén E. Rodríguez, Francesca Carol Rolla, Juanjo Giménenez and Pascual Fernández Palermo. Local artists Enric Majoral, Lorenzo Pepe, Sol Courreges Boné and Andrés Rodríguez have been brought in to come up with prizes. Winning short films will be announced at Italy's Lago Film Fest in July 2019. Formentera Film Festival's presenters are Xènia Fuertes and Viviana Carlet.
Extra Fest
On May 19 islanders will have a chance to see this year's off-festival material: two short films shot on the island as part of the first two Collective Signatures (a local cultural initiative commissioned by Francesca Carol Rolla), Arturo Bandinelli's Walls of Limerick and, written and directed by Gonçalo Almeida, Thursday Night.
Independent productions
An Italian collective made up Alessandro Grespanm, Stefano De Marco and Niccolò Falsetti, ZERO are back on the island fresh from their praise from 48 Hour Film Project (USA). After Clichè, which the team produced as part of last year's festival, they are ready for their latest challenge: write, shoot and edit a short film in 48 hours...and screen it in plaça de la Constitució the closing night.
Exhibit and workshop
From May 13 to 19, the Sala d'Exposicions will host Pilar Aldea's Semblen Cordes, a selection of Aldea's photography from 2010 to 2018. Then, on Thursday May 16, a video fashioned as part of workshops with the children of la Mola's primary school will be screened in la Mola's el Pilar plaza.
This year's poster was concocted by young Italian illustrator Marta Pantaleo. Pantaleo's work finds her collaborating with big-name magazines and publishing houses and during the festival she will mastermind a live production that, when complete, will remain on the island.
Festa Formentera Film
The festival's signature party—this year a tribute to Fritz Lang's Metropolis, will take place in plaça de la Constitució on Saturday May 18. Kicking things off is a blend of electronic music and video images from Alterphase (aka Formentera native León Convalia), followed by Ibizan DJ Ángeles Blanes Noguera (Lost Angeles) and Toni Planells (Untaltoni Dj set).
CiF support
Formentera Film Festival, a project of FormenteraArt (a nonprofit formed by Silvio Bandinelli, Monica Timperi, Viviana Carlet and Carlo Migotto), is supported by the Formentera Council and receives additional assistance from the Govern balear's Institut d'Estudis Baleàrics and local business owners.
For up-to-date information on the festival, visit: http://www.formenterafilm.com/eng/
Àrea de comunicació
Formentera Council
March 21, 2019