Actor Miguel Rellán receives the 'Skyliner 2024' for his career and his contribution to the short film at the opening of the VIII Skyline Benidorm Film Festival

Yesterday Benidorm hosted the opening gala of the eighth edition of the Skyline Benidorm Film Festival, an event that once again brings together the best of the national and international short film industry and that over a week will feature workshops, meetings with creators, screenings of short films and a host of parallel activities aimed at promoting the exchange of ideas and the development of new talents.

The inauguration took place in a packed City Hall Assembly Hall with the presence of the mayor, Toni Pérez; the Councilor for Culture, Jaime Jesús Pérez, and members of the municipal corporation, as well as María Fuster, deputy director of Audiovisuals and Cinematography of the Valencian Institute of Culture.
At the event, the 'Skyliner 2024' award was presented to actor Miguel Rellán in recognition of his prolific career in Spanish cinema and his “enormous contribution to the short film sector” as indicated by the contest director, Beatriz. Hernandez. The gala ended with the performance of the comedian from Alcoy Xavi Castillo and his monologue 'Spoiler: Una obsessió de cine'.

Mayor Toni Pérez pointed out the “great relationship between Benidorm and culture”. He described the festival as “intergenerational and very inclusive, which makes it possible for everyone to enjoy it.” Pérez concluded by thanking “everyone who makes the contest possible and all the people who create.”
María Fuster, for her part, highlighted that the Skyline "is consolidated as one of the most attractive and important in the Valencian Community and enriches its training content with new proposals."

Miguel Rellán received the award from his friend, actor Antonio Hortelano. About the award he said “I already have 51 awards and I don't know if I deserve them. But they gave this one to me for my contribution to the short film. I make short films whenever I can. That's why I deserve this award,” he said to applause.

In this eighth edition, which will be held from April 13 to 20, in addition to the Official Section in which 26 short films compete, there will be space for parallel sections and special activities. Specifically, and as detailed by the organization, the festival presents two international sections with the best of the Ibero-American and European short film scenes. Likewise, a special space has been reserved for young filmmakers, about works of social interest that address topics such as gender equality and integration.

The festival has maintained its hallmark since the first year: the selection payment of 200 euros for each of the short films that compete in the Official National Section. In addition, the winners of the best Fiction, Documentary and Animation short will receive 500 euros.

On the other hand thanks to an agreement with DAMA, the festival will also award this year a prize of 1,500 euros for the best short film script, to which 15 finalists are eligible, chosen from among the 328 who had registered. And, once again, there will also be a prize for the best 'Shortpitch', or short film project in development, a section in which 12 other finalist works compete and which will provide a prize in kind to make filming viable, which is valued at 15,000 euros.

Inclusive Cinema

One of the great novelties that this eighth edition of the Skyline Benidorm Film Festival will feature is the offer of 'Cinema for All', an initiative that marks a milestone in terms of accessibility, to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities. visual disability. It will be carried out in collaboration with ONCE and consists of offering screenings with audio descriptions and adapted activities to allow even more people to access movie theatres.

Programming

After yesterday's opening gala, today, Sunday, April 14, at 6 p.m., within the 'On Occasions I See Featured' program, the film 'UnCancelled', by Luke Eve, will be screened in an event in which the presence is planned of the cast and part of the technical team. It will take place at Fundación Mediterráneo Auditorium, located at 17 Alameda Street.

Monday, April 15, at 10 a.m., it will be the turn for 'Audiodescribed Cinema', an activity run by ONCE that will immerse attendees in a blind screening, putting them in the place of a person with a visual disability, in the Mediterranean Foundation Auditorium. Likewise, from 12 to 1:30 p.m., the conference 'Women of the World' is scheduled. A journey through the image of women in world cinema', by Samuel Sebastián, director of the film and the Socialmed festival, Festival dels drets humans de la Mediterrània, in the Torrejó municipal building. Finally, at 7 p.m., the screening of short films from the European Section will take place in the Fundación Mediterráneo Auditorium.

Tuesday, April 16, at 11:30 a.m. the Roundtable will take place: 'Copyright management in film festivals and cultural events', in which DAMA, SGAE, PANTALLA, FESCICOM and specialized lawyers will participate. It will take place in the Torrejó Building. In the afternoon, at 6 p.m., the Skyline will travel to Sella with the special screening of the winning short films of the seventh edition of the festival. At 9 p.m., there will be a special screening on VOSE of the European Section, at the Dynastic Hotel.

On Wednesday, April 17, it will start at 11 a.m. with the screening of the short films from the Young Directors Section and the short film 'Why Do Girls Cry?', by Claudia Ortega, at the Fundación Mediterráneo Auditorium. At 6 p.m. the short films from the Ibero-American Section will be screened in this same space, after which at 8 p.m. the screening of the first session of short films in competition in the Official National Section will take place, with a subsequent discussion of the directors.

On Thursday, April 18, starting at 10:30, the workshop 'But what is sustainability? An introduction to the audiovisual industry, by Julio Blas from Echar a Rodar, at the Benidorm Plaza Hotel. It will be followed at 12:30 in this hotel by the presentation to the jury of the finalist 'ShortPitch' projects, whose awards ceremony will take place at 6:00 p.m. in the Fundación Mediterráneo Auditorium. Next, the second round of selected 'short films' will be screened in the Official National Section with a subsequent discussion between the directors, a session that will also be inclusive of audio descriptions adapted to audiences with visual and hearing disabilities. Finally, at 8 p.m., the screening of the third selection of short films in competition will begin, also with a subsequent discussion.

On Friday, April 19, at 10 a.m., a conference titled 'Paco Sáez, 30 years drawing stories' is scheduled, to which will be added the screening of his new short film 'Estimada Ángela', at the Fundación Mediterráneo Auditorium. At noon the round table 'Media and its relationship with film festivals' will be held, in which Paco Alonso (RTVE), Andrea Bermejo (Cinemanía), Valentín Fina (NEXA FM), Rosalía Mayor (APPA President) will participate. ), Jorge García (Cadena Ser) and Samuel Alarcón (RNE), with Alfonso Caro (El Palomitrón) as moderator It will be at the Benidorm Plaza Hotel.

Subsequently, at 6 and 8 p.m., there will be the fourth and fifth screening sessions of short films from the National Official Section, with a subsequent discussion by the directors; in both cases, at the Mediterráneo Foundation.

Finally, on Saturday, April 20, at 7:30 p.m., the closing ceremony of the festival and awards ceremony will be held, which will take place in the Benidorm Town Hall Assembly Hall.