‘Palmero’, by Víctor Hubara, and ‘Punto G’, by José Manuel Marrero, win the Star of the XIV Festivalito

The Special Prize for Distribution goes to 'Check Out', by Octavio Guerra, and the Audience Star goes to 'Amarás al prójimo', by Vasni Ramos.

The short films palmer of Victor Houbara, y G-spot of Jose Manuel Marrero They rose this weekend with the Star of the XIV Festivalito, the highest distinction awarded by the contest, in a ceremony held at the Teatro Circo de Marte in Santa Cruz de La Palma, converted for the occasion into a meeting point for Canarian cinema and which featured the director Juan Antonio Bayona as a luxury guest.

With each edition the Festivalito gains maturity and consistency but manages to preserve the fresh and rebellious spirit of its origins. The closing gala, presented with his usual self-confidence by Luífer Rodríguez, left hilarious and emotional moments. The main awards were presented by Juan Antonio Bayona himself; the Minister of Tourism of the Cabildo of La Palma, Alicia Vanoostende; the mayor of Santa Cruz de La Palma, Sergio Matos; the Councilor for Culture of Los Llanos de Aridane, Charo González Palmero, and one of the managers of the Teatro Cine Chico, Fernando Tena.

The Roberto Rodríguez Star in the professional category, called Andromeda, went to the short palmer, the adventure of a man who travels to La Palma to spread the ashes of his dead father, which takes him on a long journey through the spectacular landscapes of the island. A story of reconciliation and reunion devised by Carlos Pedrós and directed and starring by Víctor Hubara himself, whose unexpected ending connects with the purest line of absurd humor of the Abubukaka group.

In the Lyra category, which recognizes amateur short films, the Star went to G-spot, by José Manuel Marrero, a witty dialogue between two men (played by David Sainz and Antonio Velázquez) that reflects the doubts and anxieties of one of them regarding his first love date with a sexologist and its possible physical consequences.

Another of the most coveted awards is the Special Prize for Distribution, which went to Check Out, of Octavio Guerra. The short, starring Óscar Peyrou who plays himself when faced with the decision to end his days, is a magnificent culmination to the feature film In Search of the Óscar, a film presented in this edition of the Festivalito (where it was partly filmed) after its premiere at the Berlin Critics' Week.

The Public Star, which from this year will be named after Miguel Brito, pioneer of cinema in the Canary Islands, went to You will love your neighbor, directed by Vasni Ramos. This dialectical encounter between a mysterious stranger and a priest whose principles are questioned also won the award for the short film with the most outstanding social content.

In the acting section, the recognitions went to Adrián Torrijos, for his incarnation of a young man in love and eccentric in search of his ideal partner in Mariposas, and for Lorenza Machin, Estrella Pilar Rey for the most outstanding actress for her overall work in the different short films in which she has participated, no less than fourteen in this edition, which include titles such as Y se llama adiós, Alas or The seconds they took away from us.

Technical awards

The technical awards recognized the short films Twelve Mass, by the musical design of Carlos de León, also director of the piece, and Salad twice to La Vega Sound for the sound design and Ruth Angielina G. Fuentes, director in turn, for the most outstanding photography.

The jury awarded three special mentions in La Palma Wheel to It’s time to roll, by Juan Francisco Díaz, for showing a way of life outside of society; Motto, by Marcos Lorenzo, for his fight in favor of integration; and Timeline, by Tomás A. Whilhelm, for the creative use of visual effects.

Futuro, by Roger Campanera, won the Festivalito wasting time, from the collective Secuencia 27, a denunciation of the addiction that mobile telephony creates.

In this same category, sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Industry, Commerce and Knowledge of the Government of the Canary Islands, they have obtained special mention Learn to love yourself, by Claudia Ramos, Raúl Alonso and Hugo Pérez, for its audiovisual concept; What if, by José Barranco and José Alejandro Ramón, for its visual effects; and In the blink of an eye, by Elmo Rodríguez Pérez and Carla Hernández Martín, for its editing.

In total, 101 works have been submitted to the competition in the different categories Andromeda, Lyra, Cinema with ICT and XR. The jury was made up of Guadalupe Arensburg, director of the Short Film Acquisition department at Movistar Plus; Iván Martín from the University of the Mid-Atlantic; Nicolas Differding, of the NightLight Group Luxembourg; and the filmmaker and screenwriter Benjamín Reyes.

The Festivalito, La Palma Star Film Festival, is an initiative of the production company Chukumi Studio. Its main promoter and main sponsor is the Cabildo of La Palma, through the Ministry of Culture and Historical Heritage and the Ministry of Tourism. They are joined by the sponsorship of the Government of the Canary Islands and the town councils of Los Llanos de Aridane and Santa Cruz de La Palma.

It is also worth noting the participation of Canarian institutions and companies such as the University of the Mid-Atlantic and the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and other palm trees such as the El Paso City Council, Casa Cabrera, Consorcio de Servicios de La Palma, Bodegas Llanovid, Transportes Insular La Palma, Hotel Hacienda de Abajo, Cajamar, Heineken and Viajes Oasis.