A brand-new international film festival has started in Blanes, a town in Catalonia region of Spain. The Blanes Costa Brava International Film Festival will run from May 11 to May 18. The festival has received an overwhelming response. A total of 4,500 movies from 122 countries around the world have been submitted for the competition.
From these entries, a team of 80 people has carefully selected 140 short films and 40 feature-length movies. These chosen films will compete in the first edition of the festival. Jordi Hernández, the mayor of Blanes, expressed happiness about the huge international participation. He said it shows the worldwide interest in this new festival.
During the closing ceremony on May 18, a jury will announce 25 winners from the competing films. Along with the film screenings, the town of Blanes has planned many other exciting activities. There will be two art exhibitions – one by popular Spanish journalist Andreu Buenafuente and another by renowned designer Javier Mariscal.
Mariscal is famous for creating the Barcelona Olympic Games mascot in 1992 and other iconic designs in the city. On May 11, everybody is invited to join a fun ‘flash mob’ event organized by the city council. The next day, students will paint people’s faces for a lively ‘zombie walk’ parade.
The festival also includes a contest where filmmakers have to make a short film within 24 hours! Additionally, Blanes has organized a special concert featuring popular movie soundtracks.
