Goya’s winner Seeing salt in a dream, Alfredo Navarro, director of Skyline Benidorm Film Festival, Beatriz Hernandez, and producer and director Noelia Fluxa form a three-member jury for Gastro Cinema, the film and gastronomy competition that began this Wednesday and runs until September 18.
The jury, selected by the organizers for their strong ties to the Alicante film industry, will determine the best short film with a gastronomic theme from the 12 titles chosen for this fifth edition, which has drawn 75 submissions in total. On Tuesday, the jury members were received by the Cultural Council Member of the Alicante City Council. Nayma Beldjilali. On the 18th, the award will be presented at the closing gala, hosted by comedian and actor Pablo Carbonell, who will also present his own film. The tuna and chocolate program concludes on September 17 at 18:00 at MARQ, with free admission.
Gastro Cinema 2023 offers a comprehensive screening program focused on gastronomy. The festival features about twenty films in competition, guest feature releases, tastings, and various short-film contests. The finals can be watched on Wednesday the 13th, with titles including Ceviche, Sharp and loud, Glass, paper, organic, Last coffee, Center of the universe, and Intolerance. On Thursday the 14th, audiences can enjoy Joan, Lentils, Crumbs, Stirred, Go if I loved you, Sota le mans at MARQ, starting at 20:00 with free admission.
Gastro Cinema Jury
The panel includes a member of the Spanish Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The juror has worked across various video and television production houses, taking on roles in camera operation, shooting, and editing. Currently, the individual blends production and directing work with creative direction for corporate campaigns, advertising, music videos, documentaries, and television projects. International recognition as a screenwriter has followed, including a scholarship award from the 11th Ibero-American Film Project Development Course in 2013 for a feature script. Notable achievements include a Goya Award for Best Documentary Film for Salt Dreams, which earned acclaim as a director and screenwriter. The juror’s next feature, Novelda-Japan, was planned for release in 2023 and is an international documentary shot across Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Russia, and Japan.
Beatriz Hernández serves as producer and cultural manager, directing the Skyline Benidorm Film Festival since its inception in 2017 and leading the Spanish Short Film Coordinatorship since July 2022. In recent years she has overseen multiple cultural and cinema events. With experience as a film production director since 2014, her projects have been selected for more than 300 national and international festivals, earned 14 awards, and cleared preliminary selection rounds for the Goya Awards.
The co-creator and audiovisual producer at Juno Media oversees the creative components of each project. Her first short film, God Bless You Mary, was directed with Julie-Estel Soard and filmed in Alicante. A passion for art, photography, light, music, stories with a message, and compelling characters defines her work. She has balanced professional and personal life between France and Spain for seven years.