SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 23 May. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The Canary Islands International Environmental Film Festival (FICMEC) grows this year with two extensions and almost 30 feature films from May 26 to June 19.
Thus, in addition to the 29 feature films that can be seen at the festival, 25 short films will also be screened within different sections and shows.
At the presentation press conference, the president of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Pedro Martín, highlighted the importance of FICMEC as a festival “that began to talk about the environment when no one did” and recalled that it is a product of the Low Island , but that “it should be extended to other territories as it is doing”, stressing that he “likes to think that it is a proposal from Tenerife and the Canary Islands towards the rest of the world”.
David Baute, director of the event, broke down the program and spoke of the fact that although the festival starts this Thursday it will be until October due to itinerancy in the Canary Islands.
In this way, he highlighted the value of the films competing in the official section –three feature films in the fiction and animation category and seven in the documentary feature film– and also spoke of ‘Ecoislas’ as FICMEC will celebrate Canary Islands Day with Canarian authors.
Clara Gámez, director of Social and Cultural Action of the CajaCanarias Foundation, stated that the program for this edition is complete and addresses all the necessary areas within a film festival. “Our alliance has always been stable and for another year we will focus on education,” she said.
The mayor of Garachico, Heriberto González, recalled that he has been mayor for eleven years and this festival celebrates ten in Garachico.
“We have walked together on a path that has not been easy, especially at the beginning. We have done everything we could and I think the festival has come out stronger,” he said.
THE FESTIVAL “GOES TO MORE”
José Antonio Valbuena, Minister for the Ecological Transition of the Government of the Canary Islands, stressed that the festival “is always going further, becoming an international benchmark, crossing borders and creating a breeding ground for awareness in society through its multiple activities”.
In addition, this year Guía de Isora and Tegueste join the festival and Buenavista del Norte will celebrate its third year, which endorses the need to celebrate this film festival that makes everyone aware of the importance of conserving the environment.
In this way, Buenavista del Norte will continue to have ‘FICMEC Adventure’ with the novelty that this 2022 a prize will be awarded for the best film of this sample, which will be from June 3 to 5.
As for Guía de Isora, ‘FICMEC Oceans’ will be the film show related to the sea that will be screened in the coastal area of Playa San Juan from June 10 to 12, and Tegueste will host ‘FICMEC Soil’ with projections related to agriculture and the earth from June 17 to 19.
The twenty-fourth edition of ‘FICMEC’ will feature six national premieres in different categories and venues.
‘Beyond the White’ (Germany), ‘The Snow Leopard’ (France), ‘Keep Running’ (China), ‘Tales of a toy horse’ (Ukraine and Estonia), ‘Last days at the sea’ (Philippines and Taiwan), ‘River’ (Australia), ‘The mushroom speaks’ (Switzerland), ‘The soil’ (Poland) and ‘The spark’ (Switzerland) are the national premieres that will be enjoyed at the film competition.
As for the jury for the official section, this 2022 will include Josefina Maestre, a RNE journalist specializing in the environment; Rolando Díaz, filmmaker and Vanesa Fernández, director of ZINEBI-Bilbao International Documentary and Short Film Festival.
FICMEC COMES OFF THE SCREEN
The ‘Environmental Education’ program is maintained and will be educating Primary and Secondary students for another year, completing the ninth edition.
There will also be time for more specific training with the seventh edition of ‘Vulcanalia’, with a nod to La Palma, with the days of Playing in Green, Photosynthesis and #Pasasinhuella.
Added to all this are the first days of Sustainable Cinema, the participation of the members of the IsLABentura film laboratory and the union of ‘Creadoc’ to carry out their usual activity around five previously selected projects.
Another of the cinematographic novelties of this edition is the first edition of ‘ECORueda’, an express filming contest that is coordinated by the Festivalito de La Palma and that will take place in Buenavista del Norte.
