Alicante Smartphone Film Festival celebrates short films captured entirely on mobile devices. The festival’s second edition runs from November 21 to 25, expanding on the momentum of the inaugural event. The competition has drawn a large slate of entries, with more than 150 submissions received and about 35 projects advancing to showcase. A prize pool of 2,500 euros will be distributed among the winners. Throughout the festival, hands-on animation workshops will take place in Aguas de Alicante, while introductory cinema sessions are scheduled at Balmis General Hospital to engage participants of diverse backgrounds.
The program was announced by the festival’s director, a member of the Employment and Development Council, alongside local representatives. The event also featured remarks from medical professionals in Alicante, including the head of the Pediatric Service at Balmis General Hospital, who has authored a notable book series on cinema and pediatrics, now at its twelfth volume.
As one of the few international competitions focused exclusively on short films shot with mobile phones, the Alicante Smartphone Film Festival has seen growing national and international interest. The previous year’s festival highlighted work by a performer-director who earned top honors in the best short fiction category with a piece created during lockdown.
The organizers emphasize that mobile filmmaking makes talent visible through an affordable, accessible tool. They describe the festival as innovating within cinema technology and presenting a playful yet serious format that highlights the intersection of film and modern digital tools.
Amid the talks, the festival’s aim is explained as turning hospital classrooms into creative sets that offer a window of light and fresh air for hospitalized minors and adolescents, enriching their daily experiences through cinema. The second edition features a broader range of works and categories, including fiction, comedy, animation, international programs, regional shorts from Alicante Province, climate change themes, and a unique hospital-film segment.
Programming
On Tuesday the 21st and Wednesday the 22nd, the festival hosts a climate action initiative in collaboration with Aguas de Alicante, featuring animation workshops that use recyclable materials. These activities aim to highlight the role of the municipal water company while promoting environmental awareness. The exhibition will take place at the Alicante Water Museum and includes a central presentation by Sama Natsheh and Arly Jones, whose work has earned multiple international accolades and a Goya nomination.
On Thursday the 23rd, within the scope of the Alicante Futura Congress, thirty-five short films are scheduled, with screenings beginning at 12:30 PM at Kinépolis cinemas in Alicante.
On Friday the 24th, the Movie Hospital section will host a film-launch workshop focused on hospitalized children and young people. This program is led by a renowned cinema enthusiast and author of the Doctor Balmis General Hospital Pediatrics Service Oncology unit series, now in its twelfth volume. The workshop will be led by a Goya-winning director who completed a notable project titled Seeing Salt in a Dream.
Saturday the 25th will feature the festival’s closing gala at Kinépolis cinemas, with a presentation by a prominent Alicante actress and a total prize fund of 2,500 euros distributed across the contest categories.
The Alicante Smartphone Film Festival receives support from the Alicante Municipal Council, the Alicante Provincial Council, Aguas de Alicante, Coca Cola, and a range of collaborating companies.