The Las Palmas International Film Festival takes place from April 25 to May 4. It’s one of the city’s most significant events, and at LOCK & enjoy!, we want to be there with you during those days. If you’re a movie enthusiast, we encourage you to keep reading to discover all the activities happening in conjunction with this event.
We would like to highlight that since the year 2000, it has become a reference point in the city. The reason is its commitment to innovative films that are far from the mainstream circuits, making it a platform for new filmmaking talents.
Programme of the Las Palmas International Film Festival
The festival’s programme is known for its wide variety of sections but always focused on auteur and independent cinema. Authors and their works are not yet known, although submissions have already closed. However, the sections that make up the entire event have been confirmed.
Official Section
This is the most important part of the Las Palmas International Film Festival. Here, international films of great artistic quality compete. For this, a series of works are pre-selected for their originality and their capacity to innovate. Both feature films and shorts compete in the official section.
The jury is made up of renowned professionals from the film industry. Moreover, the awards given are for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Performance.
Canarias Cinema
The Canarias Cinema section is one of the festival’s most special; reason is that it focuses on films made in the Canary Islands and also by Canarian filmmakers. Goal is to promote local talent and give visibility to productions that reflect the unique Canarian identity.
Banda Aparte
Do you like different and daring cinema? If so, you can’t miss the films shown in this category. It involves risky and avant-garde themes, thus challenging the traditional norms of cinema as you know it.
The shorts and medium-length films in this category are characterized by essayism, virtuality, geography, and anthropology, among other features.
Déjà Vu
In this festival event, only great classics of cinema are shown, hence its name. However, these films have been restored or remastered to offer viewers a rediscovery of the origins of film history.
It’s about going back to the past and, for a few moments, letting yourself be carried away by films that were shot before the turn of the century.
Panorama
The Panorama section focuses on films that have been screened at international festivals as famous as Berlin, Cannes, or Venice. It’s important to note that these are not necessarily blockbuster films, as some were not even commercialized in cinemas.
Efecto Cinema
The films shown in this space are exclusive premieres, but in collaboration with other renowned festivals and streaming platforms.
It’s a magnificent opportunity to enjoy premieres before anyone else!
MECAS (Market of Almost Finished Cinema)
This section of the festival does not feature film screenings because it is a networking and funding space for projects that are in the post-production phase.
At MECAS, filmmakers and producers meet to present their works still in development and thus secure funding sources.
Where is it Held?
The Las Palmas International Film Festival is not held at a single location, as most events and activities are organized at various venues throughout the city.
Multicines Monopol are the epicenter of the event as they host the majority of the films from the competing sections. The reason is that these cinemas are equipped with state-of-the-art technology, thus providing an ideal environment to enjoy top-quality cinema.
Furthermore, the Caja de Canarias Initiative Center (CICCA) also plays a very important role in organizing the festival. In this building, the most culturally oriented part is celebrated (special screenings, round tables, interviews with filmmakers, etc.), as well as MECAS.
The famous Teatro Guiniguada also hosts screenings and special events. It is the perfect place for documentary presentations, as well as enjoying meetings and interviews with the most relevant film directors of the festival.
The Elder Museum of Science and Technology, one of the icons of the cultural offer in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, has been chosen for the acts of the Efecto Cinema section. We would like to highlight that, very close to this cultural center, we have our lockers at Las Canteras so that you can leave your backpack or suitcase while enjoying any of the festival’s activities.
And lastly, the Alfredo Kraus Auditorium. It is not confirmed, but in previous editions, the closing gala has been held here. It is one of the most exciting moments, as the awards to the winning films are presented.
Come and enjoy the Las Palmas International Film Festival! And remember, book one of our lockers in Las Palmas to enjoy any of the tourist activities in Las Palmas.
Sevilla