THIS PORTUGUESE INSTITUTION HAS BEEN WORKING SINCE 1948 FOR THE DEFENSE AND DISSEMINATION OF THE FILM HERITAGE.
THE AWARD WILL BE PRESENTED ON JUNE 5TH AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE FESTIVAL, WHICH WILL FEATURE PORTUGAL AS “COUNTRY OF HONOR”.
The Pepe Escriche Award of the 54th Huesca International Film Festival will go to the Portuguese Cinemateca, an institution with over 75 years of history that has not ceased in its commitment to keep alive the legacy, heritage, and value of the seventh art in favor of all sectors of society. Their work is equally fundamental to “create cultural bridges between countries across the continent” as points out Estela Rasal, director of the Huesca event, highlighting one of the hallmarks of this award.
Members of the Cinemateca’s management committee will be present on June 5th at the inaugural ceremony of the Huesca festival to receive the award, a trophy designed by Isidro Ferrer in the shape of a knife inspired by Luis Buñuel’s famous film Un Perro Andaluz (Un Chien Andalou), with its edge created as if it were a fragment of celluloid. Additionally, due to this award, the Huesca festival will screen a special session of Portuguese short films that have marked the history of Portuguese audiovisual media, curated by the Cinemateca’s programmer, Portuguese filmmaker and critic Ricardo Vieira Lisboa; Ricardo will also be part of the jury of the official competition section of the festival, another milestone added to the celebration of Portugal as “Country of Honor” of this edition.
The Pepe Escriche Award was created in 2009 as a tribute to the memory of the founder of the Huesca event, José María Escriche; along with the Huesca City Carlos Saura Award and the Luis Buñuel Award, they form the trio of tributes that the HIFF presents each year. Since its creation and thanks to the Oscacine association, it has recognized the work of La Escuela de San Antonio de los Baños, the Morelia International Film Festival, the Spanish Film Archive, the Ibermedia program, the Spanish Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences, the Bergman Chair of the Autonomous University of Mexico, the Association of Women Filmmakers and Audiovisual Media (CIMA), the Cervantes Institute, Ventana Sur, the Clermont-Ferrand Festival, and the Venice International Film Festival last year.
The Huesca International Film Festival is currently receiving short films (until February 12th), a period in which works from around the world arrive hoping to be part of one of the three competitions and thus be eligible for one of the coveted Danzante Awards, qualifiers for the Hollywood Oscars.
SAFEGUARDING AND DISSEMINATING FILM HERITAGE SINCE 1948
The Portuguese Cinemateca-Museu do Cinema was created in 1948 by one of the pioneers of European cinematecas, Manuel Félix Ribeiro, and became an autonomous institution in 1980. Since 1956, the Cinemateca has been a member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF), created in 1938 with the aim of promoting the conservation and knowledge of film heritage, joining the efforts of the most important archives in the world, and currently has over 150 affiliates from 77 countries. Also in 1956, the Cinemateca’s own screening room was inaugurated, dedicated to its exhibition activity. The year 1996 marked another milestone with the opening of its own conservation center on the outskirts of Lisbon, currently the base for all its preservation, technical research, and access activities, including the use of new technologies.
This national body is currently directed by Rui Machado (director) and Nuno Sena (deputy director) and is part of the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports. Its main mission is to safeguard and disseminate film heritage, based on three fundamental values: cultural respect, technical excellence, and primacy of public service.
The Cinemateca has played a key role in building cultural bridges at a continental level, has been a decisive figure in the creation and development of the network of European institutions dedicated to the conservation of European film heritage, being a co-founder of the European Association of Cinematecas (ACE) and participating in various programs, such as: LUMIÈRE Project (European Media I Program, 1991-1995, based in Lisbon); ARCHIMEDIA – European Training Network for the Promotion of Film Heritage; «Urgent: Nitrate Can’t Wait» (Raphael program); European Film Gateway (2008-2011) and, more recently, the international educational project CINED, launched on the Cinema-Education axis and supported within the framework of the «Creative Europe» program (EU MEDIA Program), which the Cinemateca has led since 2020.
The Pepe Escriche Award joins other awards received by this institution, among which is the Medal of Cultural Merit from the Government of the Republic of Portugal, presented by the Minister of Culture, Graça Fonseca, in 2018.
