Huesca International Film Festival

Huesca International Film Festival
LocationHuesca, Spain
Founded1973
DirectorsJosé María Escriche (1973–2008)
Estela Rasal (current)
Websitehttps://www.huesca-filmfestival.com/

Huesca International Film Festival is a film festival in the Spanish city of Huesca, province of Aragon. The event is dedicated to short meter films. Established in 1973, as of 2024 it is a qualifying festival for the Goya and the Academy Awards.

History

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Agustina Gatto at the Huesca International Film Festival, 2023

Huesca International Film Festival was established in April 1973 as a project of Peña Recreativa Zoiti cinema club.[1][2]

For more than 30 years, the festival was headed by José María Escriche who was driven by the idea to promote the short meter genre which is usually perceived as the ‘younger brother’ of full meter cinema.[3][4] Escriche passed away in 2008, leaving as a legacy a festival that had grown from a small local initiative into a prestigious international gathering.[5]

With time passing by, the festival demonstrated a constant growth.[6] The 39th edition of the festival (3–11.06.2011) featured a program of 109 short films from 41 different countries, while the management received more than 1500 applications. The edition's prize fund exceeded €58.000.[7] Every year the team receives more than 2000 applications. At the 52d edition in 2024, the program exceeded 50 scheduled events and attracted an audience 20% bigger compared to the previous year.[8]

In 2022, Rubén Moreno stepped down as the event's director and was succeeded by Estela Rasal.[9]

In 2022, to celebrated the 50th anniversary edition of the festival, one of its co-founders Ángel Garcés released a book Huesca de cine: 50 años del Festival Internacional de Cine de Huesca (Huesca in Cinema: 50 years of the Huesca International Film Festival), dedicated to the event and covering 50 years of its history.[10]

The 52d edition of the festival was marked with an attendance of 166000 visitors and 4000 industry professionals.[11]

Profile

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Teatro Olimpia, 2015

Huesca is a qualifying festival for the Goya and the Academy Awards.[12][8]

Huesca Film Festival features three official competitions: the Latin-American, the Documentary and the International.[13] The program also includes sections for special prizes 'Pepe Escriche' and 'City of Huesca'.[8][14][15] Every year, more than 24000 euros are distributed in prizes.[16]

The festival's main venue is Teatro Olimpia,[17] however, its vast program includes numerous events in other locations. An initiative dedicated to the elderly people and persons with disabilities runs special sessions and covers all the city's facilities and residential centres.[8] In 2018, the Youth Film Festival was inaugurated as a part of the Huesca fest, it selects works by first and second years students and judged by a jury composed of students.[17] Every edition includes special events such as tributes to prominent auteurs, open talks, professional.[7] In 2024, the festival launched an initiative ‘Cinema Festival in the Classes’ and carried out film screenings at numerous schools and universities.[8]

The event is sponsored by several official bodies – the Government of Aragon, Provincial Council of Huesca, Huesca City Council, and independent associations Fundación Anselmo Pié, La Caixa, TUHUESCA, Renfe and the Aragonese Institute of Women.[17][8]

References

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  1. ^ "Huesca Film Festival". Instituto Cervantes de SIDNEY. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
  2. ^ "Huesca International Film Festival 2014". AC/E. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
  3. ^ "La Academia de Cine, premio Pepe Escriche del 46º Festival Internacional de Huesca". Heraldo. 2018-03-20. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
  4. ^ "José María Escriche". Festival Internacional del Cine en Morelia A.C. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  5. ^ Galán, Diego. "José María Escriche, director of the Huesca Film Festival". El Pais. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
  6. ^ Monserrat, Concha (2005-06-03). "El Festival de Huesca se rinde ante el cine de André Téchiné". El Pais. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
  7. ^ a b "El Festival de Cine de Huesca bate récords de participación con 109 cortometrajes". Aragon Digital. 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "The Huesca Film Festival attracted 20% more spectators". Heraldos. 2024-07-09. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
  9. ^ "El festival de cine de Huesca abre una nueva etapa bajo la dirección de Estela Rasal". El Periódico de Aragón. 2022-09-21. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  10. ^ "Un libro recorre los 50 años del Festival de Cine de Huesca". El Periodico de Aragon. 2022-10-26. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  11. ^ "El Festival de Cine de Huesca da a conocer el nombre del primer premiado de este año". Heraldo. 2024-03-20. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
  12. ^ "El Festival de Cine de Huesca podrá preclasificar para los Óscar los documentales que se presenten". Heraldo. 2018-04-05. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
  13. ^ Rivera, Alfonso (2019-06-17). "Three feature-length Spanish projects announced at Huesca". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
  14. ^ "Los Premios Danzante del Festival de Cine de Huesca vuelan hacia Irlanda, México, Irán y Reino Unido". Heraldo. 2024-06-15. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
  15. ^ ""Competir en el Festival de Huesca es como jugar en la Primera División del cine"". Heraldo. 2024-09-06. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
  16. ^ "Cadis colabora con el Festival de Cine de Huesca con dos filmes premiados en los Goya 2024". Heraldos. 2024-06-11. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
  17. ^ a b c "El Festival de Cine de Huesca se inaugura con 77 cortos a concurso". Heraldo. 2018-06-06. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
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