IESFF - Not your regular IE event
Throughout the days of February 13th and 14th, the Film & Television Industry Club had hosted its’ very first IE Short Film Festival (IESFF). The posters on the corridor on campus might have appeared it to be the next small event by the students for the students, but it was much more than that.
The selection committee composed of industry professionals from 6 different countries has received short films from all over the world to review since October and the selection process has taken exactly a month. We have asked Pepe Lopez- Rúa, one of the organizers and the Head of Outreach to unfold some details about that long route.
“The selection process was a huge thrill. This was only our first edition and our selection committee reviewed around 1300 films from virtually every corner in the world. It’s a testament of the extent to which movies make us relate to one another.”
“What has blown my mind about this whole process is that despite not understanding every word of a given film, the stories we were presented with made so much sense. It’s the common ground we all humans share - this ability to comprehend one another’s longings, fears or aspirations. It’s all about empathy and I think that’s a beautiful lesson.”
After reviewing what was about 157 hours of content, the committee settled with 23 short films from 10 different countries like Iran, Ukraine, Argentina or Australia. It has been then passed on to judges, the experts in the field of film and entertainment, including Álvaro Longoria, a film director and founder of Morena films, or Alvaro Curiel, the Executive Director of Marketing and Communication at Warner Bros Spain.
From all the candidates, the winners turned out to be:
Award for the Best Picture, Best Script and Best Directing – “Toasted” (France)
Award for the Best Editing – “My First Kiss” (Australia)
Award for the Best Cinematography – “Tight Spot” (United States)
The festival has gained the sponsorship of IE Foundation, Yelmo Cines and HBO España, and has taken place at Cine Ideal near Plaza del Sol. The very end of the event, a formal, red carpet – style gala was at Cine Callao.
We asked Pepe to elaborate on how they managed to get their first event at such a known venue.
“Getting the festival into Yelmo, as well as receiving help from all of our amazing sponsors, was a team effort that I feel very proud of. It really was a matter of persistence and being ready go get a thousand NOs before getting the first YES.”
“Organizing an event at such a large scale involves meticulous planning and budgeting. One must approach potential sponsors with very clear ideas, showing your passion for whatever, the event is about. I really think we were able to transmit our love for movies. Sponsors liked that we were doing this as a tribute to film rather than to make profit.”
The two important lessons from Pepe for anyone who would like to organise such big of an event while still at university: persistence and dedication are key. Before you decide you want to undertake a new challenge, be ready to sacrifice hours of your time so that you get where you want to be. Don’t give out promises you won’t keep, and once you do, give it your 100%.