THE COUNT OF REPRESENTED CINEMATOGRAPHIES IS ON THE VERGE OF ITS PEAK, WITH AN INCREASE TO 92 COUNTRIES, LED BY SPAIN AND FRANCE
THE NUMBER OF ARGENTINIAN FILMS (THIS YEAR’S HONORED COUNTRY) EXCEEDS ONE HUNDRED WORKS AND IS THE THIRD MOST REPRESENTED COUNTRY, FOLLOWED BY GERMANY, MEXICO, COLOMBIA, AND BRAZIL
THE NUMBER OF DEBUT FILMS HAS RISEN TO 654 PRODUCTIONS
The 51st edition of the Huesca Film Festival sets a historical record for short films received, with 2,228 works registered for the Huesca event. This total represents almost 200 more works than the previous best figure obtained in 2019 (2,084). The number of represented countries is 92, which represents an increase from last year and nearly reaching the maximum achieved in 2020 (93). These are “exceptional” figures for the festival director, Estela Rasal, and they “once again speak of the importance of having a solid and professional team, as well as demonstrating the international prestige and respect of one of the best-known events in the sector,” she concludes.
51HIFF – TOP 10 por países
Spain is the country with the highest number of films submitted, with a total of 780, followed closely by France with 178. In third place is Argentina with 109 productions, an exponential increase from previous years (36 in 2022) fueled by its status as the honored country. This recognition, in addition to a series of related activities, will also entail several travel grants for its directors in case of possible final selection thanks to the Ministry of Culture of this country.
Other international heavyweight countries such as Germany (91), Mexico (81), Colombia (80), Brazil (72), Canada (56), Italy (52), and Poland (51) also exceed the fifty-film mark. It is worth noting the reception of proposals from countries such as Ukraine, Togo, Lebanon, Cambodia, Tanzania, the Philippines, or Kyrgyzstan.
51HIFF – División por concursos
Another piece of data to be highlighted is the increase in debut films, which goes from 593 to 654 in one year, almost a third of the total. This fact is in line with one of the key attributes that have shaped the Altoaeagonese festival’s identity from its origins, “The role of Huesca as a launchpad for new talent has always been crucial, and its ability to attract talent to the area is key” explains Rasal. Along with debut works, there are also 269 works from film schools and universities.
The pre-selection committee, which has had to be reinforced due to the high number of entries, is currently in the viewing phase to form the official selection that will be seen in Huesca from June 9 to 17. A process where they will have to analyze 1,023 films in the Ibero-American category, 801 in the international category and 404 in the documentary category. Almost 36,000 minutes of footage which provides an interesting overview of the industry worldwide; this is the first step for short films to compete for the Danzante Award (the highest award of the Huesca event) endorsed by the Academy of Hollywood for the Oscars and the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain for the Goya Awards, in addition to awarding 5,000 euros in cash to its winner.
