Bueu, February 9, 2026 – The International Film Festival of Bueu (FICBUEU) closed the year with a balance marked by the consolidation of its relationship with the professional sector and by the continuity of actions aimed at the international circulation of works through direct participation in festivals and collaborations with cultural agents from different territories.
Continuing the work carried out during the first half of the year, the festival maintained throughout the year a line of action focused on the creation of spaces for exchange with the national and international audiovisual sector, strengthening its role as an active platform beyond the dates of its annual celebration.
This set of actions developed over the course of the year aimed to reinforce the external visibility of the festival as a project specialized in short films, to foster professional exchange with other festivals and cultural institutions, and to contribute to the circulation of Galician and national cinema in international contexts.
Among these actions, the presence of María Ruiz-Falcó as a member of the jury at the Tramway Film Festival (Poland) stands out, in addition to her participation in a meeting with the festival audience on the occasion of the historical focus dedicated to Novo Cinema Galego, curated by Manuel Pena. At the international level, the festival was also present at the Chaktomusk Short Film Festival – CSFF (Cambodia), with the participation of Manuel Pena as a member of the international jury.
María Ruiz-Falcó also took part in the Crear Pontes conferences, organized by the Provincial Council of Pontevedra, as a member of the panel of experiences Residencies as a platform for professionalization and development; a space aimed at professionals in creation, cultural management, and research, focused on the analysis of artistic residencies as drivers of innovation, collaboration, and cultural and social transformation.
Beyond the development of the festival itself, FICBUEU carried out throughout the past year various actions in the field of professional training, participating in round tables on the audiovisual sector, delivering masterclasses on film programming, and collaborating as an evaluator in university short film competitions, thus strengthening its role as an active agent in the training and professionalization of the Galician audiovisual sector. In this context, Manuel Pena, co-director of FICBUEU, took part in a meeting with students from the University of Vigo through a masterclass focused on programming in film festivals, addressing the film selection processes and the design of the activities that make up the festival’s programming throughout the year. In addition, María Ruiz-Falcó, co-director of the festival, was part of the jury responsible for selecting the short film winner of the A Canteira Fcom-Augal award, aimed at recognizing the best work produced by students of the Faculty of Communication during the last academic year.
At the local level, and in collaboration with the Bueu Town Council, FICBUEU also developed the project Bueu en Imaxes, an initiative aimed at compiling old photographs of the municipality to create a municipal photographic archive that preserves and highlights the collective memory of the town. Likewise, throughout the year, different film screenings aimed at local residents were held.
With this set of actions, FICBUEU consolidates a line of work based on collaboration with the professional sector, the creation of networks, and the international projection of the country’s cinema, reinforcing its role as an active cultural agent beyond the dates of its celebration. This trajectory reaffirms the festival as a platform for meeting, exchange, and dissemination of contemporary cinema and as a benchmark cultural agent in the field of short films, with a real capacity to generate international circulation and visibility, promote professional exchange, and produce a sustained social impact throughout the entire year.
