Alicante is set to host RetroKult Fest, a retro film celebration that unveils its first edition from May 24 to 29 inside the Alicante Town University venue at UA, featuring talks, colloquia, and screenings. The Mediterranean Foundation will close the festival with the screening of the winning videos, and a compact social-media short film competition—under three minutes—will run concurrently.
The festival aims to become a meeting point for enthusiasts, professionals, and audiovisual broadcasters involved in cinema and production from the second half of the 20th century, with a special focus on B-movies and genre cinema. The event will celebrate and explore retro and cult cinema from the 1960s, inviting attendees to sample the source material and the era’s distinctive styles.
The RetroKult Fest is organized by the Imajoven association, a group focused on cinema. It is not to be confused with UA’s Get Feedback on Culture program, which pairs with Communications and Creative Industries studies. The festival will also include talks on animated Japanese cinema, with attention to Hayao Miyazaki. It will host discussions that touch on titles associated with studio Ghibli, including Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and other milestones in anime history, as well as insights from graphic designers and illustrators who discuss the visual language behind these works. The program will be set under the watchful eye of curators and educators who will provide context for these influential pieces.
Video contest up to 3 minutes
Although the festival peaks at the end of May, the deadline for the short audiovisual competition is May 15. Videos in any suitable format—whether shot for TikTok, Reels, or YouTube—will be accepted. The theme is open, but entries should incorporate some element of retro culture, whether through reference, expression, aesthetics, or production design, including music and sound that evoke the era.
Participation requires meeting all stated criteria. Applicants must be 18 years or older, works must be original, and each participant may submit only one entry. Any individuals or private entities appearing in the videos must consent to their appearance. Content that targets a group or promotes discrimination or defamation will not be accepted.
The contest prizes include: the Best Audiovisual Piece for Social Networks (300 euros), the Best Track, the Best Audiovisual from the Province of Alicante (200 euros), and trophies for Best Interpretation and Best Directing.
Talks and movies
Before the festival, a preview on May 16 will explore the graphic universe of Hayao Miyazaki, one of the most influential creators in Japanese animation and founder of Studio Ghibli. Miyazaki’s titles, including Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, will be examined as part of a broader discussion about visual storytelling, art direction, and the evolution of anime. Graphic designer and illustrator Cristina Bertomeu, also known for her work as an illustrator, will review Miyazaki’s oeuvre at the UA Faculty of Economics and Commercial Sciences.
The remaining programming, coordinated by professor Luis Lopez Belda, includes five films that share a common thread: stories that descend from the everyday horrors of romance cinema to the unsettling psychology of sociopathic characters. The lineup features Baby It’s You (1983) by John Sayles and Harvey Keitel’s character in Fingers (1978) by James Toback, both screening at UA Headquarters on Calle San Fernando in Alicante on May 24, with López Belda providing commentary.
Horror cinema will be represented by Dario Argento’s Dark Red (1975), presented by Francisco J Ortiz, a professor and Mayo Negro co-editor, on May 25. Stephen King’s Black Humor collection, directed by George A. Romero and known as Reptile Show (1982), will be highlighted on May 26 by a film and television screenwriter who specializes in comedy. Diego Sanjose, co-creator of the popular series Vote Juan and other works, will be featured to discuss the craft behind developing genre entertainment. He will discuss Come on Dear, starring Javier Cámara, and provide insights on contemporary genre storytelling. On May 27, Ivan Escoda, a film broadcaster and editor of Ediciones Alarmantes, will present and comment on the latest Cronenberg work, Chromosome 3, offering expert context on its place within cult cinema.