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Background and History

The place - A brief history - The prizes - Media coverage - The organisation - For film makers - The many sections - The town - Statistics - Simply the best...

The place

The Valladolid International Film Festival is held in the lively capital
of the region of Castille and Leon some 120 miles north west of Madrid.

"One of the best organised European fests and the year's most popular Spanish event"

Variety

A brief history

Since it began in 1956, the Valladolid International Film Festival has introduced to Spain directors and cinematography which were previously unknown there. Spanish audiences became acquainted with names such as Ingmar Bergman, Luis Buñuel, François Truffaut, Andrzej Wajda, Federico Fellini, Ermanno Olmi and Yilmaz Gürney from the launch-pad offered by Valladolid. The works of film-makers of the standing of Roberto Rossellini, Stanley Donen, Max Ophüls, Ken Loach, Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujiro Ozu and Aardman Animations could be enjoyed and studied in the sections dedicated to their major works, many on view for the first time in Spain.

The 1950s and 60s were hard times in Spain thanks to the existence of a dictatorship with an iron control on all forms of expression, including the cinema. Valladolid, through various loopholes in the state censorship, was able to present films that otherwise would have been impossible to see in Spain. An award or an enthusiastic reception from the audience and the critics meant, on numerous occasions, that the official state bodies gave the go-ahead to certain films which Franco's regime considered out of line with their ideology.

Much the same occurred with distribution on the arts circuit at the end of the 60s - a film could be placed more easily if it had previously done well at Valladolid (and indeed that continues to be the case today). Even after the death of Franco in 1975, Valladolid continued to be the "testing ground" for film which had been banned. For example the premiere in Spain of Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" at the 1975 festival is still recalled as a landmark.

As one of Europe's oldest festivals, Valladolid has always been characterised by its willingness to take risks and to innovate in its programming. It has also been keen to critically examine each new school or movement as it has arisen, whether it be (for example) German, Polish, Chinese or Canadian. With a genuine concern for the art of cinema, for film-making and film-makers rather than the more obvious commercial or glamorous aspects of the industry, the festival has built up an identity of its own - equally attractive to enthusiasts, professionals and the media.

Since a new team came to the festival in 1984, the range and scope of the festival has continued to grow, so that fiction and documentaries play alongside animations and shorts; from the most recent examples of world cinema to retrospectives; from the work of featured film schools to the latest series for Spanish television - the range of film on offer each year continues to be impressive.

The prizes

Amongst its many sections and sidebars, The Official Section is a panorama of current international cinema with 16 to 20 features and an equal number of shorts in competition, the prize wining feature being awarded 3 million pesetas to its Spanish distributor, so guaranteeing its distribution in Spain. 1 million pesetas is awarded to the Best New Director and million pesetas (presented by Spanish Television - TVE) to the best short film. The prize winning documentary in the Time of History section receives 1 million pesetas provided by the regional daily newspaper El Norte de Castilla. For the first time, in 1996 Valladolid will be one of the small group of festivals to which FIPRESCI will send a jury of critics from different countries to present one of their prestigious awards.

Media coverage

It is Spain's major showcase for new international films, and receives extensive daily coverage in all of the national and local press.

By far the best festival held nowadays in Spain.

El Pais

...the most prestigious festival held in Spain...

ABC Madrid

Open press conferences for visiting celebrities and industry figures are held several times a day and regularly broadcast on television. The closing ceremony and prize giving (interspersed with clips of films in competition) is broadcast nationally by Spain's leading tv channel.

Spain's critics, producers, distributors and the growing number of nternational visitors... know full well that they're going to one of the best organised, unpretentious and yet rewarding film festivals in Europe.... Valladolid has significant industry knock-ons. Spain's leading national daily newspaper critics are predisposed towards the Festival. Their press coverage is abundant, giving distributors... the chance to use Valladolid as a launching pad for nationwide distribution...

Moving Pictures

The festival is covered by many other European papers and journals and
is a useful point of contact for South America.

For us cinefiles, Valladolid occupies the position of the best festival of cinema in Spain.

Jornal Do Comercio Rio De Janeiro

...recognised by the country's professionals as one of the best in Spain...

Le Film Français

What is most surprising about this festival is the interest of the public and the media coverage, including that of television, with daily information, reports and write-ups.

Kino, Prague

The organisation

...well organised, efficient and friendly; prompt decisions. Having a film selected means one can rest assured that our films will get the best attention.

Heather Playford-Denman
Film Four International

...I have no hesitation in recommending Valladolid to British film-makers.

John Cartwright
British Council

For film makers

The festival is also a meeting point for film makers who value its seriousness, friendliness and lack of industry hype.

I have never been more pleased to have been invited to a film festival, nor enjoyed myself more.

Arthur Penn

...a perfect festival for any film-maker. I consider my friends there to be very important to the encouragement of my career.

Atom Egoyan, film-maker

...one of the best organised festivals I have attended (and I am getting to an age where I have attended many). It was also very well covered by the media... a truly valuable experience.

Paul Driessen, film-maker

The many sections

Meeting Point is a non-competitive and extensive selection of recent world cinema; another regular sidebar is the screening of almost all the Spanish films (with English subtitles) of the preceding 12 months; every year the work of a national film school is featured ; Time Of History features documentary films.


The National Polychromatic Sculpture Museum

The town

The home for the festival for the past forty years, the city of Valladolid was the capital of Spain in the reign of Philip II, and has a long and impressive history - Cervantes, Columbus and Fernando and Isabella all made it their home. As well as some impressive architecture it boasts excellent restaurants, world famous wines and many interesting and lively bars. It is a university town with a large student population, many of whom are among the festival's well informed and enthusiastic audience. Admissions regularly exceed 80,000 out of a population of 400,000 and many attend the open press conferences and forums.

Statistics

Other festival statistics are equally impressive, for in just nine days it shows about 200 features, shorts and documentaries in 300 screenings in 9 venues, with an average of 33 screenings per day.

Simply the best...

The combination of a genuine enthusiasm for film and its makers, the warmth and generosity of its hospitality, and its position as "...the most exciting and best organised festivals in Spain." (Variety) makes the 41st Valladolid International Film Festival unmissable.

Would I go again? You bet!

David Sproxton
Aardman Animations