The FICBUEU Residency is a training programme dedicated to the comprehensive development of short films in progress, in which a range of renowned professionals personally accompany and mentor each project. Held on the island of Ons, the residency aims to promote innovative projects that stand out for their distinctive authorial vision. It focuses on script development and the initial conception of each work from a directing perspective. Combining meetings and specialised training, the programme takes a multidisciplinary approach that encourages cross-disciplinary learning and opens up new pathways into film production.
The programme pursues two main objectives: to improve the quality and viability of the projects by strengthening their own vision, language and tone; and to provide participants with tools and resources that offer a comprehensive perspective on the production process.
To achieve these objectives, the FICBUEU Residency methodology is structured around three areas: personalised mentoring, specialised training sessions and practical activities (script development sessions and one-to-one meetings) that foster collaboration and highlight diverse perspectives.
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 2026
Fourth Edition – 13th-19th October 2026
Belén Funes will be the tutor for this edition and will guide the creative process of the selected projects.
She studied Fiction Directing at the Escola Superior de Cine e Audiovisuais de Cataluña (ESCAC), graduating in 2008. She subsequently continued her academic training at the International Film and Television School of San Antonio de los Baños (Cuba). Upon returning to Spain, she worked for a time as an assistant director, casting assistant and script supervisor.
Her first experience as a director came with the short film Sara a la fuga, which premiered at the Málaga Film Festival and won the Silver Biznagas for Best Director and Best Short Film.
In 2019, she premiered her debut feature, La Hija de un Ladrón, in the Official Selection of the San Sebastián International Film Festival, where Greta Fernández won the Silver Shell for Best Actress. That same year, the film won the Goya Award for Best New Director and three Gaudí Awards, among other recognitions.
Los Tortuga, her second feature film, premiered in the Centerpiece section of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Shortly afterwards, it had its Spanish premiere at the Málaga Film Festival, where it received the Special Jury Prize, as well as the Biznagas for Best Director and Best Screenplay. The film subsequently received two Goya Award nominations and three Gaudí Award nominations.
Belén is currently developing her third feature film, co-written with filmmaker Pilar Palomero.
She combines her work as a filmmaker with teaching and creative consultancy, and mentors other filmmakers throughout their writing processes.
Anxos Fazáns and Silvia Fuentes will lead the workshop Short Film Production: The Production Process.
The founders of Sétima Cooperativa Audiovisual will provide a detailed overview of the different stages involved in producing a short film, from the initial development of an idea through to its execution and completion, focusing on the most common challenges that may arise along the way.
Lucía Delgado will deliver the training session The Importance of Intimacy Coordination on Set.
Through this training, she will advise the residents on how to mitigate potential risks arising from the filming of intimate scenes (understood as encompassing more than just sexual scenes). The aim will be to highlight the importance of creating a network of trust, safety and protection for both performers and the production team.
Noemi Chantada will lead the training session The Casting Process.
Filmmaker and casting director Noemi Chantada will deliver a session exploring different strategies for finding actors and actresses. Chantada will adapt the training to the needs of the selected short films, proposing solutions and providing guidance for each specific project.
Gabriela Sellanes Fagini
A Uruguayan filmmaker and screenwriter based in Madrid, she develops intimate and sensory work centred on relationships, identity and human vulnerability.
At the FICBUEU Residency, she will work on Yo la veo guapa, a short-film project that adds to her body of work alongside other projects recognised by creative programmes and laboratories. Among them is Como Sylvia Plath, winner of the Detour Film Festival Screenplay Competition, Talento Madrid Emergente and Emergente Cine Lab, and currently in development as a Spanish-Uruguayan co-production.
Manuel Parada Martínez
A historian and screenwriter from Pontevedra, he holds a degree in Art History and specialises in writing audiovisual projects for different formats, creating stories for diverse audiences and addressing inclusive themes.
At the FICBUEU Residency, he will develop As estraperlistas, a short-film project that builds on his experience as a screenwriter on works such as Camiñar no Sitio and Let It Roll. His career also includes projects focused on cultural accessibility, such as Melodías sobre Lienzo, an audio-guide proposal aimed at bringing painting closer to people with visual impairments.
Noelia Sánchez
Trained in Audiovisual, Radio and Live Entertainment Production and in Audiovisual Communication, she began her professional career in the production department before moving into directing, working as an assistant director on several short films. In 2023, she premiered Doente, her first work as a director, screenwriter and producer. The film was selected for national and international festivals and received awards including Best Director at the Moonlight Online International Film Festival.
At the FICBUEU Residency, she will work on the development of Peixiños, while continuing to combine production and assistant directing with the development of her own projects.
Santi Rodríguez
A director and screenwriter trained in Audiovisual Communication at the Universidade da Coruña and at ECAM, he develops a cinematic perspective from El Bierzo focused on the transformation of rural areas and the memory of communities of workers at risk of disappearing.
At the FICBUEU Residency, he will work on the development of Donde la tierra descansa, a project that continues this line of research into territory and memory. Rodríguez was a member of the Young Jury at the 70th SEMINCI and part of the production team of ECAM’s Escuela de Oficios programme.
2025 RESIDENCY
Third Edition – 15th-21th October 2025
The person responsible for guiding the creative process in this third edition, in her capacity as mentor, was the screenwriter and director Celia Rico Clavellino.
In 2018, her debut film, Viaje al cuarto de una madre, premiered at the San Sebastián Film Festival, for which she won a Gaudí Award for Best Screenplay. Her second and third feature films, Los pequeños amores (2024) and La buena letra (2025), premiered at the Málaga Festival, where they received several awards. For a children’s audience he wrote the project Mironins (2022), which won a Gaudí Award for Best Animated Film.
Celia Rico Clavellino accompanied the participants throughout the week, offering individualised tutorials and collaborative working spaces.
Filmmaker Noemi Chantada ran the training course The Casting Process.
In collaboration with CREA, filmmaker and casting director Noemi Chantada developed a training course in which she will discuss the different strategies for casting actors and actresses. Chantada adapted the design of the training course to the needs of the selected short films, proposing solutions and offering advice in each specific case.
Throughout her career, Noemi Chantada has directed projects such as the documentary short films A muller invisible and Xoves de Comadres. In recent years, she has specialised in casting direction, working on films such as O Corno by Jaione Camborda and Romería by Carla Simón.
Lucía Delgado delivered the training The Importance of Intimacy Coordination on a Film Set.
Through this training, she advised the residents on mitigating the potential risks associated with filming intimate scenes (understood to be more than just sexual scenes). The aim was to highlight the importance of creating a network of trust, safety and protection for both the performers and the production team.
Lucía Delgado, an actress and pioneer in intimacy coordination in Spain through Intimact, a member of the AESCI (Spanish Association of Intimacy Coordination Professionals), specialises in diversity consultancy and psychological support on film sets. Furthermore, she focuses her work on raising awareness and providing training on consent and the representation of intimacy on screen.
Eva Gancedo, a composer specialising in film music, was in charge of the training course The Musical Creation Process.
In collaboration with Musimagen, the main national association of composers of music for audiovisual media, the third training course was held, focusing on composition design. This training was based on an approach to the basic processes and concepts of creating a soundtrack.
Eva Gancedo, a composer specialising in film music, has an extensive and recognised career, having been awarded a Goya Award for her soundtrack for La buena estrella.
Paula Costa
She studied Audiovisual Communication at the Carlos III University of Madrid and completed his training in Screenwriting and Cinematography at the Séptima Ars school.
She began his career as a production assistant at Aquí y Allí Films, collaborating on projects such as Magical Girl and As Neves with producer Pedro Hernández. As a filmmaker, in addition to directing and writing screenplays, he works in production, project development and as assistant director in film, advertising and television drama.
Paula Costa worked on A tu manera, a film that combines realism and science fiction to explore the relationships between various female characters.
Sara Ferro
She studied Classical Philology at the University of Santiago de Compostela and Textual Interpretation at the Galician School of Dramatic Arts.
In addition to her career as an actress, she has been writing for years, with several award-winning and published short stories. In 2023, she made the leap into screenwriting, co-writing the web series Nómades with Noelia González. Also with Noelia González, she wrote A outra escena, a short film recognised with the Luisa Villalta Award, which is currently in post-production.
Sara Ferro worked on Németo, a short film deeply rooted in Galician folklore.
Andrea Sánchez
She studied Cultural Heritage Conservation and Restoration at the Superior School of Conservation and Restoration of Catalonia, specialising in graphic documents. Subsequently, they completed a postgraduate course in Archive and Conservation of Audiovisual Materials at the Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola.
She works as a conservator on the restoration and refurbishment project for the archive of the San Sebastián International Film Festival. At the same time, she pursues her work as an audiovisual creator with personal projects such as Frialdad (2022) or RASTRES, which she co-directed with Laura Moreno Bueno.
Andrea Sánchez carried out her project Vengo de la plaza, a proposal that places mourning at the heart of the narrative.
Aura Sala
She studied Directing at the Escuela Superior de Cine y Audiovisuales de Cataluña (ESCAC), where they received a talent scholarship, and trained with filmmakers such as Carla Simón, Celia Rico Clavellino and Diana Toucedo.
She worked in directing and producing on feature films such as La sociedad de la nieve (J.A. Bayona, 2023), Te estoy amando locamente (Alejandro Marín, 2023) or El maestro que prometió el mar (Patricia Font, 2023). In addition, she combines these projects with the development of his own personal literary and audiovisual work, as part of the collective Injúries i Calúmnies.
Aura Sala developed Un lloc segur, a fictional short film in the drama genre that has transmasculinity as its main theme.
Sara Traba
She studied Art History at the University of Santiago de Compostela and subsequently completed film studies at Bande À Part in Barcelona.
As a filmmaker, in addition to directing and writing screenplays, she works as a camera operator and editor on documentary, fiction, music and video art projects. She is also involved in coordinating the Galician-Portuguese film cycle Women, Patrimonies, Society.
Sara Traba took part with her proposal As cárcavas, a work that reflects on communication, memory and the passage of time.
