Emiliano Allende, director of the Medina del Campo Festival: “the short is in a splendid moment”

From March 13 to 21, Medina del Campo (Valladolid) celebrates its Film Week with one of the most recognized short film festivals nationwide. Its director, Emiliano Allende, reveals the main aspects that mark this cinematographic event and his vision of the moment in which the short film is experiencing.

An interview by Rodrigo Espinel
ProduccionAudiovisual.com

Emiliano Allende is the director of the Medina del Campo Film Week, which these days celebrates its 28th edition. It is undoubtedly one of the most recognized short film festivals nationwide and has managed to earn the respect of the industry. A festival that can boast of having been, on many occasions, the first to bet on young talents who would later become great figures of our cinema.

What do you think makes the Medina festival different?

There are several aspects that make it different. The public award, the Golden Roel, the highest award given each year by the Festival. The amount of quality auteur cinema that covers the shorts in various cycles. The number of awards destined for both national and international short films and the new short projects that must be filmed in Medina. The awards to young directors linked to the festival since its beginnings. The presentation of the Roel of honor to one of the greats of cinema, etc.

What are the criteria for a short film to be selected for this festival?

The quality and originality of the story, the technical workmanship, the level of interpretation... We really do not have a preference for any theme. We are looking for new and good short films.

Once again the Festival wanted to support cinema made in Castilla y León by screening ten short films in a special screening. Is there really an audiovisual industry in the region?

We are working to create an industrial fabric. A few months ago the Audiovisual Platform of Castilla y León was signed and the QUERCUS Project has been underway for years, promoted by the Coordinator of Film Festivals of Castilla y León (FECCYL) with the collaboration of the Government of Castilla y León. A project that brings together the best short films from the community in a DVD catalog and distributes them to national and international markets.

Beyond recognition, what does it mean for a director to win the Golden Roel at the Medina del Campo Festival?

The beginning of a tour of the most important festival circuit in the world. But above all, Roel is in many cases the beginning of a great career. The list of winners is full of directors who later established themselves in Spanish cinema.

From your point of view, what is the situation in the world of short films in Spain today? Are we living in a kind of golden age?

Without a doubt, the short is in a splendid moment. Quantity and quality. The scripts have started to improve. There are a variety of styles and themes. The technical invoice is impeccable. I think it is the great moment of the Spanish short.

What is the average budget of “professional” short films shot in Spain?

It varies a lot. But we could say that the budgets are between approximately 20,000 and 40,000 euros.

By the way, why do you think distributors and exhibitors don't believe in short films as a business?

The short one is looking for a good life alone. Commercially it has an important tour through festivals and is the director's business card. The commercial exhibition of short blocks has not worked. It could be supported if there was rotation before a length thanks to a law. But the exhibitors don't bet on it.

Finally, let's talk about the Internet. What do you think of the online short film festivals that have emerged lately? Are they a threat to more traditional festivals like the one in Medina?

Online festivals should not be a threat to festivals like this one that fulfill a different function. Being able to see a film in the best quality and size, and also shared with the rest of the spectators and the protagonists who access the screening, is something that can never replace the Internet, which nevertheless serves to access the selection or even the first viewing.