The Seville European Film Festival, an initiative of the Seville City Council, which will once again take place from 7th to 15th November in one of the most cinematic cities on the continent, is opening the registration process for its 22nd edition. And it does so with one major new feature: the incorporation of a competitive selection of European live-action and animated short films. The Official Section, which includes both premieres and productions featured at the world's most important festivals, will not only maintain its commitment to the best European cinema, but also extend its commitment to new talent and the discovery of new voices in European audiovisual media.
For the first time in its 22-year history, the Seville Festival will feature short films in its largest competitive section, which will include two important awards: Best Live Action Short Film and Best Animated Short Film. The deadline for submissions is 5th September at midnight for feature films and 22th August, also at midnight, for short films. The works submitted will be considered for inclusion in the selection of stories - around 170 - that will be screened at the various venues of the autumn festival. The commitment to new talent is combined with the collaboration, now in its second year, with Future Frames. This European Film Promotion programme, which has Seville and Hamburg as collaborating festivals, selects ten short films by graduates from film schools across Europe to be presented at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Czech Republic). Five of these ten young filmmakers will attend the Seville festival to present their short films to the industry and the public, while also participating in a tailor-made programme: exclusive masterclasses, training, networking, and promotional activities to help them make their way onto the international film scene.
These announcements mark the start of the countdown to the beginning of a competition whose mission is to bring the best European cinema to film lovers and new audiences, as well as to industry professionals and the specialized press, who every November turn the city into a meeting point for culture and an epicenter for reflection on the challenges facing the industry. As explained by its director, Manuel Cristóbal, “last year we presented an edition that put Seville at the center, with new talent and internationalization as the priority. In this edition, we are excited to inaugurate an official short film section for the first time in the history of the festival.” “A festival should show respect for established professionals, but also offer opportunities to new ones, and the sooner they get to know both the festival and the city, the better,” he added. For her part, the Seville City Council's delegate for Tourism and Culture, Angie Moreno, emphasized the inclusion of short films in the Official Section: “This is a very important step that reaffirms the Festival's vocation as a platform for discovering new European talent. For the first time, short films will occupy a central place in the programme, and that is excellent news for both the industry and the public.” The City Council “continues to be committed to a lively and creative Seville, open to culture, innovation and young talent,” added Moreno.
Commitment to new talent and perspectives from the margins of distribution
The main focus of the 22nd Seville Festival is built around six competitive sections: the Official Section (European films that stand out for their cinematic quality and for being open to different aesthetic and narrative sensibilities, and live-action and animated short films), Rampa (dedicated to emerging new filmmakers who come to Seville with their first and second films), Alumbramiento (films not distributed in Spain), Panorama Andaluz (audiovisuals produced by Andalusian companies and/or directed by Andalusian filmmakers) and EFA (in collaboration with the European Film Academy, feature films and short films that have been pre-nominated for the European Film Awards in the same year as the corresponding edition).
Rampa and Alumbramiento are already well-established sections that promote emerging talent and position the Seville Festival as a platform for opening up the market and the public to films not distributed in Spain that tell stories from outside the industry's radar. The final map is completed with Embrujo, a section that takes over from Las Nuevas Olas and will showcase the most unique and innovative perspectives and voices in contemporary European cinema. “A festival is a celebration of cinema in cinema, and Embrujo seeks out those films that surprise and enchant the viewer in a world where almost everything seems to have already been done,” reflected its director.
It is worth noting that among the non-competitive sections, the productive meeting with Puerta Europa is being reissued, focusing on works whose European participation is minor but fundamental in connecting the cinematography of our continent with other cinematographies in a world of permanent creative alliance. Likewise, there will be no shortage of nods to recent classics and the cultural and audiovisual heritage represented by Esenciales Europa. The digital restoration of iconic films ensures that the works that marked an era remain accessible in cinemas and continue to be a reference point for both the public and the new creative voices of tomorrow. Under this premise, there will be a new opportunity to see unforgettable feature films that marked a before and after for several generations of film lovers on the big screen. In addition, the 2025 edition will include a carefully curated selection of special screenings, tributes and retrospectives that will continue to build our collective cinematic memory. All this without forgetting those sections designed to foster a love of cinema in the viewers of tomorrow and conceived with a triple educational objective: to familiarize new audiences with audiovisual narrative, to educate in values through the seventh art and to awaken future vocations and cinematic talents. To this end, the 22nd Seville Festival will feature Cinéfilos del Futuro (European feature films of special interest to young audiences), Europa Junior (European feature films of special interest to children), and Ventana Cinéfila (an online section of films aimed at young audiences).
The rules for participating in the 22nd edition of the Seville European Film Festival can be found here.
