The Sant Joan d’Alacant Film Festival reaches its twenty-third edition this year, strengthening its status as one of the oldest and most established short-film competitions across borders. The festival will run from April 29 to May 6, and on Friday its program was unveiled. During those days, 25 works have been selected for the official competition, alongside opening galas, the awards ceremony, and a broad selection of parallel events designed to engage audiences of all ages and interests as the city dedicates itself to cinema in many forms.
Sant Joan Film Festival selected 25 short films for the competition
The Cultural Counselor of Sant Joan, Javier Yebes; the festival director, Toni Cristóbal; and Guillermo Alcalá-Santaella from Marallavi Films, a jury member and coordinator of various parallel activities, shared the news of this year’s edition. The cultural official emphasized that the festival remains the driving force behind Spanish short cinema, a cornerstone for the city’s creative life. The wider municipal effort is evident, with participation from the Culture Department, the Mayor’s Office, and the Tourism and Trade Department. The mayor highlighted the dedication of more than twenty team members across different departments, all aligned with the Viridiana Audiovisual Culture Association, whose work has helped widen access to the events, making all planned activities free for residents of Sant Joan and nearby towns. The mayor expressed hope that the program, including galas, screenings, and the broad parallel agenda, would benefit the local community.
Festival director Toni Cristóbal underscored the festival’s mission to serve as a welcoming arena for both established and emerging directors, while offering a space for diverse and original storytelling. He noted that more than a thousand short films have been registered for seven years, and that the 25 official selections represent a high caliber across styles and subjects. Special attention was drawn to works submitted to the non-competition section, which enriches collaborations and strengthens ties with educational and cultural entities. Students and teachers from IES García Berlanga highlighted renewed collaborations, marking the year with a poster designed by Cristina Aguilar, a former García Berlanga student, crafted for the festival’s 60th anniversary celebration of the Alfred Hitchcock classic Birds, Cristóbal explained.
Guillermo Alcalá-Santaella, a juror, praised the quality of the parallel events, including a photography project titled English Files by José Luis Carrillo, director of Mistos School, which explores the UFO phenomenon in Spain. The exhibition, which also has a documentary version, opens at the Casa de Cultura on Friday, April 28 and runs through May 6. Additional offerings include a master class on Cinematography led by Juan Fran Giménez, CEO of Wayaba, on May 2 at 5 p.m. in the Amelia Asensi Bevià Public Library, and a workshop on Community Cinema, a collective creation approach presented by documentary filmmaker and cameraman Daniel Martínez Quintanilla on May 3 and 4 at the same library.
Public galas
On Saturday, April 29 at 20:00, the Sant Joan d’Alacant House of Culture Auditorium hosts an opening gala featuring Maniquí Teatre, Art Corpore, and La Paz Musical Society. The ceremony will present the official competition awards and the Honorary Golden Ficus, awarded this year to Alicante director Domingo Rodes. A film concert celebrating musicals is planned by the La Paz Music Association on Sunday, April 30, conducted by Joan Espinosa with the University of Alicante Choir. The closing gala and awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 6, featuring the Jazz Quartet of Maniquí Teatre, the Naracé School of Dance and Musical Theatre, and the Vila de Sant Joan Conservatory Aula de Música Moderna.
There are prizes
The festival awards include the Ficus de Plata Cultura Sant Joan for the best animation work; the Ficus de Plata Nos Movemos for the best social-themed work; the Ficus de Plata UMH for the best student project from film schools; the Silver Ficus for best screenplay; the Silver Ficus for best interpretation; the Ficus de Plata for best director; and the Ficus de Oro for best short film. Winning entries will qualify for the Goya Awards and may advance to the Academy Awards at other qualifying festivals without further selections.
Below is the lineup of 25 works that competed in the national short-film competition of the 23rd Sant Joan d’Alacant Film Festival in pursuit of the Ficus de Oro Sant Joan d’Alacant: happy and olé, works by Clara Santaolaya; connected by Carmen Cordoba; emotional architecture by Leon Siminiani; love, share by Lara Maltz; wires by Estibaliz Urresola; nits by Jane; train of joy by Jordi Boquet; Humbug Mansion by Juan Carlos Mustard; shell by Leire Apellaniz; Explosion by Jose San Michael and Juanma Vargas; can of sardines by Antonio Llaneza; the worst thing that could happen by Elena Tara; Look Boy by Sergio Avellaneda; death of a character by David Lopez; Death in Torrevieja by Adriana Arratia; mussol by Juanjo Gimenez; god level by Cesar Tormo; ANYONE by Maria Montreal; constant happiness by Jesus Luengo and Sofia Esteve; Jordan Point by Pol Miro; cat sandwich by David Fidalgo; sushi by Ivan Morales; mystical tiger by Marc Martinez Jordan; empty by Margalida Adrover; and Wooden Mirror by Exhibition Sanchez Animation short selected as the opening short for the opening gala on April 29.