Development has always played a major role in
ALCINE's philosophy. Rather than resting on its laurels, the Festival has
strived to move ahead, to look to the future and avoid stagnation. New sections are added and existing ones strengthened to the make it bigger and better each year. To this end a commitment has been made to
adopt a position combining innovation and reason, essential elements for solid and successful development.
Last year's Festival met a
new challenge, uniting our desires with not a few risks. The
National Short Film Competition was well established and recognized in cinematographic circles. The
Open Screen for New Directors section had been providing an unbeatable showroom for debut works for many years. What was missing was for the annual festival to become a
European reference, a barometer capable of measuring weather conditions in short filmmaking, not just in Spain, but in the rest of the continent as well.
The
European Short Film Competition took its first wobbly but bold steps. For the first time an international selection of films would enter the Festival's competition. The organizers sought to test the water and have it fit neatly into their philosophy. Twelve months later and after the initial presentation phase, the
European Competition confirms its position as the third major official section. It has now taken on a definitive format having moved on from a provisional trial period -just one award was made last year, the Audience Award, given to the Irish Film
'Not there yet'- and repeats the format of the National Competition.
Those in attendance will continue to be crucial, through the use of the
Euro-Pass. They will not however be the only ones charged with making awards. A
specialist jury will chose the three best short films, which will receive ALCINE awards worth 6000, 4000 and 2000 euros respectively. The European Short Film Competition has therefore reached adulthood and shown itself to be a
solid means of developing of the Festival.
ALCINE reaffirms its international commitment pushing back national borders and laying down a bold challenge for the years to come: to become an essential meeting point for European short filmmaking.
