The Pyrenees Mountain Film Festival presents the 21 short films in competition in its official section

A total of 21 short films from a dozen countries in Europe, America and Africa will compete in the next edition of the Pirineos Mountain Film Festival which will bring together the best works on mountains, climbing, base jumping, freediving, BITT, skiing or kayaking.

The Olimpia Theater (Huesca) will host from February 19 to 24 plus the free sessions where the works that are eligible for 6,000 euros in prizes will be seen. The film event, after passing through the capital, will begin its tour of the provincial venues, a step prior to its national leap.

David Asensio, director of the festival, highlights that "we have very diverse cinematography, from South Africa to Argentina, passing through Finland, Colombia, France, Spain, Mexico or the United States. Works that reflect the spirit of the festival and manage to attract the large audience that attends each year."

The Festival works its internationalization and expands its network of collaborators by signing an agreement with CINECO, the International Film and Ecology Festival of Elche and Alicante, by which one of the selected films can be seen in its competition programming and vice versa.

South Africa, Argentina, Finland, Colombia, Mexico, the United States and Spain are some of the territories of origin of the works, but also settings for their filming; The Pyrenees will be represented with several productions of various nationalities. An amalgamation of themes and landscapes that reflects the spirit of the contest on and off the screen.

The chosen productions cover animation, fiction and documentary showing themes such as mountains, climbing, base jumping, freediving, mountain biking, skiing or kayaking. A high-level selection, but one that has required a meticulous process of viewing and deliberation, as Asensio highlights. “We have surpassed the number of films received in the previous edition, reaching new countries as diverse as Vietnam, Australia, China, South Africa and Finland.”

The Olimpia Theater will once again be the official headquarters of the competition sessions; free screenings between Monday, February 19 and Wednesday, February 21. A specialized jury will be in charge of agreeing on the final winners' list, which will be revealed on Thursday, the 22nd; Five members will distribute an amount of 6,000 euros among all the awards: Award for Best Short Film (3,000 euros), Award for Best Adventure and Sports Short Film (1,500 euros), Award for Best Culture and Nature Short Film (1,500 euros), Award for Best Animated Short Film, Award for Best Script, Audience Award and Award for best Ibero-American Short Film.

The culmination of the competitive part will be the exclusive presentation of the national tour of the Pyrenees Mountain Film Festival on Saturday, February 24 at the Huesca Conference Center. A special program made up of some of the best works presented and that after passing through the capital, will begin their tour of the rest of the provincial venues, and then begin their national tour throughout 2024.

Festival expansion

The Pyrenees International Adventure, Mountain and Nature Film Festival continues working on its internationalization and expands its network of collaborators thanks to a agreement signed with CINECO, the International Film and Ecology Festival held every December in Elche and Alicante. The agreement between both cultural initiatives allows one of their selected works to compete for the top awards in the other competition directly, an exchange that amplifies the impact of this production and opens the door to new audiences.

This symbiosis has already borne its first fruits thanks to the transfer of the PMFF exhibition 'Somos Tierra' last December. Scientists, filmmakers, conservation associations and the general public have already been able to enjoy the photographs during the last edition of this Valencian event organized by the University of Alicante with the support of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) and the Generalitat Valenciana.

The Pirineos Mountain Film Festival is organized by the Huesca International Film Festival Foundation with the support of the Provincial Council of Huesca, Huesca City Council, Government of Aragon, TuHuesca, Aramón, the Young Sports Foundation of the Higher Sports Council, the Aragonese Women's Institute, the Ibercaja Foundation and Peña Guara as organizer of sports activities in Huesca.