Start the course and movie libraries. They curate a selection that ranges from rescued titles and timeless classics to new releases that have not yet reached local theatres, stepping away from the mainstream circuit. This quarter, Alicante’s Institut Valencià de Cultura Filmoteca has already launched its programs. On most Thursdays the Sant Joan d’Alacant venue will host screenings, and from October, Akdeniz Cinematheque will begin its Monday screenings from October 17 through December.
With a focus on the genius of silent cinema, the IVC film library program at Theater Arniches offers a loop featuring five feature films and three Charlie Chaplin shorts. After the initial screening, a Parisian actress will present on September 29 at 19:30. Golden Chimera (1925) is regarded as the British director’s masterpiece and includes the iconic moment in which Charlot bites his own boot. Following this, October 6 marks Cinema Day with a program of three notable shorts – To the Sun (1919), Dog Life (1918) and Payday (1922) – continuing on October 13 with Circus (1928), Chaplin’s final silent-era feature and one of his best-loved comedies. On November 17, Boy (1921) will be shown, introducing a charming pairing with the child actor Jackie Coogan, and Pilgrim (1923), where Charlot appears dressed as a priest.
In addition to the Chaplin loop, the IVC Movie Library offers three feature films that did not premiere in Alicante. The program starts on Thursday with Sama (2019), a British documentary about a young mother’s five years amid the war in Aleppo, Syria. The sequence continues with La Gomera (2019), a Romanian thriller awarded best screenplay at the Seville European Film Festival, and South Korean drama Running Away Woman (2020), which earned the Best Director Award for Hong Sang-soo at Berlinale.
The Mediterranean Cinematheque presents a flamenco-focused program as part of the sixth edition of this singing and dancing cycle at the festival. The program, curated by the Mediterranean Foundation, includes seven documentaries, three directed by Carlos Saura, and others that explore key figures in the history of this art form.
The flamenco series opens on October 17 with Earthquake. Documentary (2022) pays homage to the legendary singer Fernando Fernandez Monk. October 24 features Nine Seville (2020) by Gonzalo García Pelayo, highlighting new flamenco releases from Rosalia to Niño de Elche; Sevillanas (1992) by Carlos Saura explores the dancers and rhythms of the region. On November 7, It’s Wild. Baby Story (2021) spotlights the flamenco king’s rumbas, while November 14 celebrates Flamingo, Flamingo (2022) by Saura, blending multiple genres. November 21 presents Phosphorite, a Flamingo Story (2021) by Alexander Fernandez, and the cycle concludes on December 5 with Flemish (2022), another Saura work.
Sant Joan Film Library, sponsored by the city’s Council, blends classic cinema with a literary film forum. The period also features multilingual sessions with four films tied to literary adaptations and subsequent discussions, including Pasqualino: Seven Beauties (1975, Italy) and Fire Horses (1964, Ukraine), plus a program commemorating Film Day with songs inspired by postwar cinema from Salamanca filmmaker Basilio Martín Patino.
The first cineforum screening takes place October 3 with an anti-war drama, Johnny Got His Gun (1971), written by Dalton Trumbo, followed by a joint session on nuclear holocaust. October 10 presents War Game (1966) by Peter Watkins, and Dock (1962) by Chris Marker.
Other highlights include the melodrama Circo about a widow’s romance with her gardener, It’s Heaven Known? (1955) featuring Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson; a Halloween night screening of the horror classic Nosferatu (1922) by FW Murnau; and a sequence of special programs that mix genre variety and historical cinema.
November opens with Lament for a Spanish Peasant (1985) by Francesc Betriu and continues on the 14th with Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982) by Alan Parker. Japanese surrealism shines in Idyllic: Dying in the Country (1974) on the 21st of November, while December features a crime drama starring Harvey Keitel, The Bible According to St. Matthew (1964) by Pasolini, and a program of provocative cinema running through the month, including The Promise and Other Works by Portuguese director Anselmo Duarte.
All Filmoteca de Sant Joan sessions offer free access with screenings starting at 19:00, while Cinemateca tickets are 3 euros and also begin at 19:00. The IVC Filmoteca events begin at 19:30 with standard ticket pricing of 3 euros.