Elche Film Festival: 46th Edition Expands Awards and Adds Feature-Film Competition

The Elche International Independent Film Festival (FICIE) celebrates its 46th edition with a robust lineup of prints and a renewed competition structure. The Dean short film competition from the Valencian Community remains a key feature, and a dedicated category continues for feature films that premiered in the previous edition. A notable change this year is the expansion of awards across the three principal short-film categories: fiction, documentary, and animation, elevating recognition for diverse storytelling.

To honor merit, the festival increases the prize pool this year to 3,000 euros for the Fundación Mediterráneo award for the best fiction short, and 3,000 euros for the Ciutat d’Elx prize for top documentary and animation shorts. Winners in the fiction and documentary categories will qualify for the Goya Awards shortlist, linking Elche’s stage to Spain’s premier national film event (as noted by festival organizers and sponsors).

Elche Film Festival selects eight titles for the new feature-film competition

Short films and emerging fiction features can continue to be submitted through the festival’s registration window, closing on April 30. The festival, organized by the Fundación Mediterráneo, will run from July 14 to July 21, with screenings at Hort del Xocolater, the Los Arenales beach, and the Odeón Cinemas in Elche. This year’s edition preserves a 16,000-euro total prize pool and introduces a dedicated competition for directors presenting their first feature, with eligible works produced after January 1, 2022 or premiered after January 1, 2023.

For short films, multiple screenings are permitted, provided the works were produced after January 1, 2021. The festival emphasizes quality and consistency, aiming to balance quantity with artistic excellence, as stated by organizers familiar with past editions.

Awarded at the last FICIE held in Elche in 2022. adrian brainstorm

Registration is described as simple and can be completed through the festival’s official portals, Movibeta and Festhome, under the umbrella of the Fundación Mediterráneo. The festival’s leadership emphasizes a strong cultural mission: a commitment to regional heritage and the arts, with a history of many successful editions and a continued focus on supporting local and international creators (Source attribution: Fundación Mediterráneo).

Louis Boyer, president of the Fundación Mediterráneo and a leading figure in the Akdeniz Foundation, states that the team has long dedicated itself to culture and regional identity. He notes the pride in sustaining Elche’s festival for 46 years and the achievement of maintaining life-long cultural events, a sentiment echoed by festival partners across the community (Source attribution: Fundación Mediterráneo).

Vincent Sanchis, the festival’s director, explains that the team works to strengthen the festival through improved submission rules and a higher standard of competition. The aim is to elevate the overall quality of the works submitted while refining the selection process. This year’s finalists are expected to be more tightly curated, reducing duration in the Official Selection to improve pacing and audience engagement (Source attribution: Fundación Mediterráneo).

Jury selection and qualifications will be undertaken by Fundación Mediterráneo members, the Elche Film Club Luis Buñuel, and professionals across production, directing, photography, university, and design fields. Final decisions will be announced at the closing gala on July 21, marking a festive capstone to the festival.

Elche Film Festival celebrates 45th edition with significant participation

The festival has historically attracted a broad slate of cinematic works, inviting a mix of feature films and short pieces to compete in various official sections. A dedicated jury will determine the most suitable works for each category, with results announced during June.

The awards for this edition include several prestigious recognitions:

• FUNDACIÓN MEDITERRÁNEO AWARD FOR BEST FICTION SHORT FILM, featuring 3,000 euros and a Lady Trophy.

• CIUTAT D’ELX AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM, 3,000 euros and a Checkers Award.

• ANIMATION AWARD, 3,000 euros and a Lady Trophy.

• FUNDACIÓN MEDITERRÁNEO AWARD FOR BEST SPECIAL FILM “OPERA PRIMA,” open to editing and Spanish nationality, 2,000 euros and a Lady Trophy.

• EUROPEAN AWARD for any category within the European domain (excluding Spain), 1,000 euros and a Lady Trophy.

• IBERO-AMERICAN AWARD for any category including Latin America and Brazil, 1,000 euros and a Lady Trophy.

• FES CURT AWARD, 500 euros and a Lady Trophy. Eligible to works produced by Valencian Community writers or Valencian-based production companies, preferably in Valencian or with subtitles in that language.

• CINECLUB LUIS BUÑUEL NOVEL AUTHOR AWARD, 500 euros and a Lady Trophy, available to Spanish and international writers with at least their third short film.

• MOBILE FILMMAKER PRO AWARD, 500 euros and a Lady Trophy for a third short film, either fiction or documentary, open to both Spanish and international creators using high-end smartphones and with at least three short films to their credit.

• HORT DEL XOCOLATER PEOPLE’S AWARD, 500 euros and a Lady Trophy for a short film in the Official Selection, voted by festival attendees during screenings from July 14 to July 20 at Hort del Xocolater.

At the Closing Gala on July 21, additional joint collaborations and awards will be announced, including the Best Short Film on Human Rights for works connected with the Mediterranean coast outside Spain, in collaboration with SocialMed Valencia – Mediterranean Human Rights Festival, awarding 1,000 euros and a Lady Trophy.

• The CIMA award will honor the Best Filmmaker with the statuette and a one-year membership to the Association of Women Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media (CIMA).

• The Mobile Filmmaker Pro Award winner becomes a direct finalist at Cinephone Smartphone Film Festival in the 2023 edition.

• The Mostra de Cinema Jove d’Elx winners from 2022 and 2023 editions gain direct entry into the festival’s Official Selection of Short Films for this edition.

Viewers attending Hort del Xocolater in its latest edition reflect ongoing community interest in this culturally vibrant event, as noted by festival photographers and attendees (Source attribution: Festival archives).

Ultimately, the festival is organized and sponsored by the Fundación Mediterráneo, in collaboration with the Elche City Council and the Elche Luis Buñuel Cinema Club, confirming a shared commitment to sustaining regional film culture through a year-long calendar of activities and a celebratory festival each July.