Bueu, July 8, 2025 – Before presenting the 18th edition of FICBUEU, we look back at the intense activity we developed during the first half of the year, with an extensive programme and multiple collaborations with cultural events and national and international festivals.
At FICBUEU, we work throughout the year to achieve greater visibility, both nationally and internationally, with the aim of showcasing short films and positioning FICBUEU within the international film landscape. To that end, we continue expanding a network of collaborations with festivals and cultural events that grows each year, strengthening the exchange and promotion of cinema.
For the second consecutive year, Bueu was the Spanish host of Shortcutz Amsterdam, a global event with screenings in cities such as Edinburgh, Berlin, Budapest, Lisbon, Rio de Janeiro or Montevideo, through which the Dutch festival’s International Audience Award is granted. The session took place at the Centro Social do Mar, where a selection of international short films was screened and the audience served as a popular jury, voting for their favourite among the Dutch selections.
FICBUEU also took part in the international jury of the Alexandria Short Film Festival (ASFF), one of the most established festivals in the Middle East. Our co-director, Manuel Pena, travelled to Egypt to serve on the jury of the international section, sharing responsibilities with figures such as Egyptian filmmaker Yousry Nasrallah; Clermont-Ferrand ISFF programmer Camille Varenne; Kazan Muslim Film Festival executive director Milyausha Aituganova; and Egyptian actress Shery Adel.
As part of the Athens Hispanic Film Festival (FeCHA), FICBUEU organised a special session of Galician short films at the Instituto Cervantes in Athens, presented by FICBUEU’s co-director María Ruiz-Falcó Tejeda, accompanied by filmmaker Eloy Domínguez Serén. The selected films showcased the diversity and quality of today’s Galician cinema:
- Habitar, by Anxos Fazáns, a documentary on identity construction
- Ulises, by Félix Brixel, a sensory piece where image takes precedence over dialogue
- Rompente, by Eloy Domínguez Serén, an honest and realistic portrayal of coastal precariousness in Galicia
- Sandwich Cat, by David Fidalgo, which blends surreal humour with social critique
Continuing with the internationalisation of our catalogue, FICBUEU took part in the Adriatic Film Festival in Italy, presenting the short film Frialdad by director Andrea Sánchez, which was part of the Official Selection in the last edition of our festival.
Additionally, María Ruiz-Falcó Tejeda also participated in the short film sessions at Cinema Jove, in the roundtable Panorama of International Festivals, part of the Curt Creixent section. This space was key for analysis, critical thinking, and exchange among audiovisual professionals. She shared insights with Carlos Ríos from D’A Festival Cinema Barcelona; Pilar Almenar from the International Film and Human Rights Festival of Valencia; and Andrea Diéguez from the Medina Film Festival. The roundtable, moderated by Beatriz Hernández, director of the Skyline Film Festival, addressed topics such as professionalisation, training, visibility, and common challenges within the short film festival scene.
FICBUEU also collaborated in programming a special focus on new Galician cinema at the Tramway Film Festival (Poland), further reinforcing the international promotion of our short films.
The semester closed with two collaborations focused on increasing visibility for the LGTBI+ community. On one hand, FICBUEU once again participated in Ambienta, the International LGBTIQA+ Film Showcase of Pontevedra, by programming a short film session for the closing of the 2025 edition. The films screened were:
- Big Boys Don’t Cry, by Arnau Delmarle (France)
- Solo KIM, by Javier Prieto de Paula and Diego Herrero (Spain)
- Three, by Amie Song (United States)
On the other hand, the festival joined the municipal programme Visibiliza Bueu pola Igualdade, promoted by the Bueu Town Council, with a day dedicated to advocating for tolerance, equality, and dignity for LGTBI+ people. FICBUEU curated a screening session that included the following short films:
- Victoria, by Daniel Toledo Saura (Spain)
- Maurice’s Bar, by Tom Prezman and Tzor Edery (Spain)
- Dang Wo Wang Xiang Ni De Shi Hou, by Shuli Huang (China)
- Yulia & Juliet, by Zara Dwinger (Netherlands)
Additionally, through FICBUEU’s Social Area, we launched a collaboration with Fundación Menela, an organisation that supports people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Over the course of a week, we worked with students from the Employment Inclusion Support Service (SAL) in a filmmaking workshop that covered all stages of short film production. This workshop was supported by the Diputación of Pontevedra.
These first six months of activity reaffirm FICBUEU’s commitment to promoting and supporting short films. We will continue working to boost the festival’s presence—and that of the works it presents—across key audiovisual spaces both nationally and internationally.
