The Vila-seca International Short Film Festival (FICVI) has brought its tenth edition to a close with a gala hosted by journalist Samanta Villar. This year’s festival, marking its 10th anniversary, enjoyed an outstanding response from audiences. With 3,564 attendees, it consolidates its trajectory and reaffirms the public’s growing interest in short films and in this key cultural event in Vila-seca. Over ten days, the Celler de Vila-seca once again filled its screenings, hosting film showings, parallel activities, and workshops open to the public.
With more than 1,100 short films submitted from 56 countries, FICVI screened 47 titles in the official competition, in addition to the sections FICVI Jove, DO Catalunya, Shorts&Wine, and the In Situ workshop. The festival continues to be recognised as a qualifying event for the Goya Awards, further strengthening its role as a platform for emerging filmmakers.
During the closing gala, the winning short films of this tenth edition were announced. The Award for Best National Fiction Short Film went to El Otro, by Eduard Fernández, while the Award for Best International Fiction Short Film was given to Jane Austen’s Period Drama, by Júlia Aks and Steve Pinder. In the documentary category, the Award for Best National Documentary Short Film went to La Fenêtre, by Lucas Ortiz, and the Award for Best National Animated Short Film went to Buff et Paraíso, by Santi Amézqueta and Héctor Zafra.
The DO Catalunya Award was presented to El Príncep, by Àlex Sardà, while the In Situ Awards, recognising projects created during the festival, went to Com a casa, enlloc, by Pep Domènech Gil, which won first prize, and Crimen de autor, by David Martínez, which received second place. The Audience Award went to The Aquarium, by Gianluca Zonta.
One of the most memorable moments of the edition took place during the opening gala, with the presentation of the Honorary Award to Emma Vilarasau. The actress received a standing ovation and praised the short film format as “a space of freedom for creators, increasingly necessary and increasingly valued.”
The festival’s new artistic director, Agustí Argelich, expressed his great satisfaction with this year’s edition, highlighting “the diversity of themes, the quality of the selected works, and the audience’s engagement,” and expressed his hope that FICVI “will continue to be a benchmark for professionals and a space of discovery for audiences.”