Alicante Film Festival Marks Twenty Years with a Madrid Special Edition
The Alicante Film Festival is celebrating two decades of cinema with a special Madrid edition. The event showcases the festival’s twenty-year journey and lays out plans for the edition to be held in Alicante from June 3 to June 10. The program will review past milestones and reveal the lineup and themes for the upcoming edition, highlighting how the festival has evolved since its inception. A collaborator from TAI Art School joined the presentation, alongside representatives from several competing films, underscoring the event’s commitment to emerging talent and cross-institutional partnerships.
Key figures involved include director Javier Veiga, who is known for Until Friends Die, Mario Hernandez, Juan Jose Amor, and Oliver Reza, whose films Can or Can’t is among the featured titles. They were joined by accompanying cast members Josma Villaroel, Silvia Molla, and Eduardo Recabarren, with additional appearances by actors Force, Carla Nieto, and producer Rosa Garcia. The gathering emphasized the festival’s broad participation from directors, actors, and crew across diverse projects.
The opening gala was attended by notable collaborators such as Sonia Big, a costume designer who has long worked with Woody Allen’s productions. She spoke about the role of costume design as a powerful narrative force, asserting that it should be celebrated for its contribution to storytelling. The special section of the festival will include screenings that spotlight exceptional wardrobes, along with talks and public sessions at the Alicante Contemporary Art Museum.
During the event, the Music Award for Image was highlighted by Big Son and Mounts of Zeltia, who announced that the director Alejandro Amenábar, Karra Elejalde, and Nathalie Poza would be honored guests at this year’s opening. The festival’s organizers recalled Amenábar’s filmography and noted a special retrospective cycle that will begin on June 2 with a screening of Deep Sea, a film that turns twenty years old this year. Amenábar and several cast members will participate in the projection, with Belén Rueda among the lineup of attendees.
To commemorate the 20th anniversary, a number of festival veterans have been invited to participate in the celebrations. Among those taking part are Juanjo Puigcorbé, Antonia San Juan, Fernando Colomo, Fele Martínez, Belén Rueda, Fernando Tejero, and Pedro Casablanc, among others. The Paseo de las Estrellas will open in the city, with its first five stops paying homage to these industry veterans.
Alicante is strengthening its festival program this year by expanding both the official competition and the short film sections. The short film strand is designed to celebrate the festival’s roots while inviting new voices. The festival will present national fiction shorts (18 titles), international fiction (12 titles), Mediterranean shorts (10), animation (12), LGBTI (10), and short documentaries (12). A new category for local talent, Alicante Cinema, will feature 28 works focused on regional creators. The organizers emphasized that the short film competition is a launching pad for emerging filmmakers and a cornerstone of the event’s evolving identity.