‘Tobacco Barns’ will start the 28th edition of Granada Film Fest, from 25th to 30th October.

Film in Granada cooperates with the organisation of the II Industry Conference, for local professionals and companies

Granada City Council hosted this Wednesday the official presentation of the 28th edition of the Granada Film Fest, which will start on October 25th at Isabel la Católica Theatre with the projection of the film ‘Tobacco Barns’, after its world premiere at the San Sebastián International Film Festival (SSIFF), where its director Rocío Mesa won the Dunia Ayaso 2022 Award. The shooting of this film stirred up the villages of the Vega de Granada last summer and Film in Granada collaborated in the casting.

The first vice-president and provincial deputy for Culture and Historical Memory, Fátima Gómez, has reminded that Granada Film Fest “has always been a priority for the Provincial Council, which has been supporting and co-organising it since its first edition in 1993”, and has emphasized that the institution has increased its contribution by 65% with respect to last year.

Furthermore, she pointed out that in this edition, the Palacio de los Condes de Gabia, headquarters of the Provincial Council’s Culture Delegation, will host “more activities than in previous years”, both in the previous as during the week and also in the days after it. “It will become the House of Cinema, a place where the people can discover the most recent cinema, which is the essence of this Festival that, in spite of its age, presents a young and updated schedule”, she stated.

On Thursday 27th, the documentary “Val del Omar: Poeta Audiovisual”, directed by Jesús Ponce, will premiere at the Palacio de los Condes de Gabia. A Magnetika Films production with the participation of Canal Sur, and the collaboration of the Provincial Council’s Film in Granada office and the Val del Omar Archive, which claims his figure through the eyes of numerous artists and experts in his work.

With the aim of supporting Granada’s audiovisual sector, the second edition of the Industry Conference “Film in Granada”, organised by Film in Granada as an annual meeting for Granada’s audiovisual professionals and companies, will take place on the morning of Saturday 29th. This year’s speakers will be two important Spanish film producers who have shot projects in the province of Granada and whose experiences will be shared with the attendees. There will also be a round table of professionals, coordinated by Ateca Granada. Attendance at the conference is only for professionals and companies from Granada’s audiovisual sector.

On the same Saturday, at 6 p.m., there will be a Meeting with Women Filmmakers, with three special guests: Carla Simón, director of Alcarràs, Oscar nominee and winner of the Golden Bear at Berlin, the first Spanish film to win the Golden Bear in 39 years; the also director Meritxell Colell, who has also released her second feature film, Dúo, this year; and the film editor Ana Pfaff, nominated for the Goya Awards for Verano 1993. Admission is free with the registration form available on the festival’s website. Limited places available.

Three women whose talent represents the human and artistic dedication of a new generation of Catalan filmmakers who are changing Spanish cinema, and to whom the festival pays tribute with a preview screening of some of their latest films, reclaiming the place of film editing among cinematographic thought.

The Ana Pfaff Focus will begin on 6 October with Alcarràs, as part of the activities in celebration of Spanish Cinema Day. The projection will be in original version with Spanish subtitles. On Saturday 15th October, Dúo, directed by Meritxell Colell and winner of the Silver Biznaga Award for Best Director at the Malaga Film Festival, will premiere in Granada. Finally, on Thursday 20 October, Espiritu Sagrado will be projected with the presence of its art director, Leonor Díaz, and its director, Chema García Ibarra. All sessions will take place at the Palacio Condes de Gabia at 20h. Admission is free until seating capacity is reached.

For his part, the Mayor of Granada, Francisco Cuenca, defined the event as “Granada’s greatest festival for the world” and highlighted “its contribution to the projection of this city in terms of creation and cinema”. For the councillor, “the success and consolidation of this festival is demonstrated by the fact that more than a thousand entries from ten different countries have been submitted, which indicates that right now it is one of the festivals that receives the most submissions. This requires an enormous selection process, but facilitates the presence of many emerging talents, a talent that we are going to enjoy in Granada between the 25th and 30th October when, in addition, the city will be filled with cinema, music, activities and life”.

Excited after receiving the city’s insignia from the Mayor, Rocío Mesa confessed that she was looking forward to this day to “give back to the province and to Granada everything it has given us. The filming of Tobacco Barns was a beautiful process to bring me closer to my homeland from another place. It will be a night to open our hearts, to share and learn”. The director wanted to have a few words of affection for the festival because “it has a wonderful schedule that is close to the avant-garde. It was the right place to share the film”.

Finally, the artistic director of the 28th edition of Granada Film Fest, Antonio Miguel Arenas, wanted to recall that “the example of Rocío Mesa is paradigmatic of what a film festival should be. We want to create audiences and filmmakers. She attended first as a spectator and now as a director she is giving us this gift. We are very grateful and happy”.

The twenty-eighth edition of the Granada Film Fest is organised by the Granada City Council, Granada Provincial Council (Delegation of Culture and Historical and Democratic Memory) and the AguaGranada Foundation. In collaboration with Hammam Al Ándalus, Seat Vigilsa, University of Granada, La Madraza, Facultad de Comunicación y Documentación, Junta de Andalucía, Youth Council, Granada City of Literature UNESCO, Film in Granada, ESCAV, FILMIN, AAMMA, Alianza Francesa from Granada, Pipas Granaínas, Cervezas Alhambra, Mondo Sonoro, Restaurante Botánico and Orodeal.