The Festival Internacional de Cinema Independent d’Eivissa, which starts this Friday its eighth edition, is consolidated as an event committed not only to the island but also to auteur cinema and the screening of national and international films.
In total, according to the festival directorxavi Herreroin this new call will be screened until 132 titles over the next ten days. Films that can be seen for free in almost all municipalities of Ibizay on the Filmin platform. Another objective is to “promote activities aimed at professionals in the audiovisual industry”.
In addition to the audiovisual projection, there will be parallel activities such as a masterclass of the director Laura Ferréswinner of the Espiga de Oro for ‘La imatge permanent’, and of Ion Sosaauthor of ‘Mamántula’, two films that can also be seen during these days.
Herrero highlighted that up to five premieres will be screened exclusively in Spain, in terms of feature films, and another 80 in the short film section.
These films, which participate in the Panorama section, and which will be shown for the first time in Spain, are ‘Radiant‘, debut of Konrad Kultys, one of the emerging filmmakers of Polish cinema; ‘Light Falls‘, the fifth feature film by cinematographer Phedon Papamichael; ‘Photophobia’the new film by Slovak filmmaking duo Ivan Ostrochovský (‘Servants’) and Pavol Pekárík (‘Silent Days’); ‘Patagonia‘, the debut of Simone Bozzelli, one of the new talents of Italian cinema, who won with his first feature film the Ecumenical Award at the Locarno Film Festival, and ‘Vista Mare‘, the result of the journey that filmmakers Julia Gutweniger and Florian Kofler undertook into the engine room of tourism.
In addition, Herrero highlighted the feature film ‘Goodbye Julia‘, debut feature by filmmaker Mohammed Kordofani, the first Sudanese production to participate in the Cannes Film Festival, where it also won the Prix a la Liberté. Also the film of the opening session, ara la llum cau vertical‘, by Greek director Efthymia Zymvragaki.
In this case, the opening of the festival, which will take place this Friday at Can Jeroni, will feature the director of the film, who will star in a meeting with the audience, followed by a concert by the composer of the film’s soundtrack, Cretan musician Giorgos Xylouris.
Both the insular director of Culture, Miquel Costa, and the director of Tourism, Juan Miguel Costa, valued the eight years of the film initiative and the “commitment of the festival with culture and with the island. An “honest” festival, said the head of Culture: “it allows the viewing of films that we do not have the opportunity to see here.
Tourism promotion
The head of Tourism, for his part, pointed out the need to continue working so that the “cultural and audiovisual product” has the weight it deserves, within the promotion of tourism.
The presentation, which took place at the THB Los Molinos hotel, was attended by the five councilors of Culture of the different municipalities, a fact that Herrero thanked as it has the support of all administrations.
“A festival of author, committed, sensible, free and diverse,” said the head of Santa Eulària, Marisol Ferrer, a statement with which the other councilors agreed, noting that the Ibizacinefest comes to “enrich” the cultural activity of all the municipalities of the island.
The festival program can be consulted on the Festival’s website.