FICARQ 2017: Santander once again combines cinema and architecture in a unique festival

In this edition, which will take place from July 4 to 8, the 2017 “Bridge between the Arts” Award will be received by Patricia Urquiola and Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón.

The V International Film and Architecture Festival (FICARQ) will once again be held in Santander from July 4 to 8.

FICARQ 2017, for the fifth consecutive year, seeks to deepen the connection between architectural and audiovisual discourse from an artistic, rigorous and creative field. Architecture relies on cinema as the basis for its creations, while cinema uses architecture so that the director can play as he pleases with space, time and movement.

The organizing committee of the festival has decided to award the 2017 “Bridge between the arts” prize to Patricia Urquiola and Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón. These awards, which FICARQ presents annually, reward the career of those creators who, from the architectural or audiovisual perspective, have managed to transcend their own languages, thus making a significant contribution to the world of culture and the arts.

Urquiola will receive the award for his excellent work in the fields of design, architecture and creative direction, which have placed him at the top of the international ranks. For its part, the festival highlights Gutiérrez Aragón's impeccable work as a scriptwriter and writer and the role that his figure represents in the audiovisual history of Spain.

The presentation of these awards, as well as the various awards from the official sections, will take place at the closing ceremony that will take place in the Paraninfo and Palacio de la Magdalena, on Saturday, July 8.

FICARQ will have in its programming a total of 40 screenings between fiction and documentaries in competition and out of competition, from more than 20 countries.

The Official Competition Section in its two calls: Art in the Seventh Art, official fiction feature film competition section, and Filmed Architectures, official documentary competition section, offers a selection of the best works presented, with a total of 29 films in competition.

The Festival will take place in several emblematic spaces of Santander due to its history and tradition, where the bulk of the film exhibitions, presentations and opening and closing galas will be held: Ricardo Lorenzo Space of the Official College of Architects (COACAN), as the main venue, the Botín Center Amphitheater (Renzo Piano Building), with night screenings, the Higher Technical School of Nautical, the Groucho Cinemas and the Paraninfo and Palacio de la Magdalena.