- The panoramic terrace of La Tetería del Califa will host the private screening of Broken Poet, by Emilio Ruiz Barrachina, one of the great Spanish filmmakers, who recently received the specialised press award at the Cannes Film Festival. It will take place on 4 September at 22:00.
- Ahora es corto will be attended by celebrities such as the director Barrachina, the actress Assumpta Serna and the actor Antonio Dechent.
Vejer is much more than whitewashed streets, gastronomy and history. It is also synonymous with culture and cinema. This is demonstrated by Ahora es Corto, the Vejer International Short Film Festival to be held from 3 to 11 September.
Short films, courses, concerts and even a competition that will challenge the creativity of the participants. A real party dedicated to the seventh art that will end on 11 September, with the awards ceremony at the Teatro San Francisco in Vejer. Among other categories, James Stuart, CEO of the Califa Group, one of the companies sponsoring the event, will present the prize for the best short film according to the votes of the public. The winner will be able to enjoy two nights at the Hotel La Casa del Califa and two gastronomic experiences at El Jardín del Califa. The final touch will be the gala dinner to be held at the emblematic restaurant of Vejer, El Jardín del Califa.
“The philosophy of Ahora es Corto is to focus on quality films, both low and high budget: an independent event that knows that small films tell great stories,” explains Amanda Díaz, the festival’s director.
On Saturday, 4 September, the festival’s screenings kick off with a programme that includes, among other initiatives, a private screening of Broken Poet, a film that has not yet been released in Spain.
Broken Poet is a film by director Emilio Ruiz Barrachina about a rock star presumed dead in the 1970s who reappears in Paris. It is a striking investigation into the meaning of success, rock stardom and freedom itself. Once again Barrachina surprises with his narrative and peculiar way of telling a story. The screening is free and invitations can be collected at Califa Vejer at the end of August.
La Tetería del Califa 
“A world without culture is a world without a future. How would be a life without movies, theatre or tv? We have seen it during the pandemic. We have been able to watch TV, but this does not allow us to see human expression and closeness to the public. You can go to the cinema with friends, listen to the reactions of the people sitting around you or share your own with friends and strangers. In fact, at the Califa Group we have created experiences that go beyond sleeping in a hotel or dining in a restaurant, it is also a cultural experience. Each Califa hotel or rental house is able to offer an authentic experience. Each restaurant, bar or café conveys different emotions. It is art and architecture, in an incomparable setting such as Vejer. Everything has a story to tell. It is a multicultural journey without leaving the town. Culture means so much!” says James Stuart, Califa’s CEO.
Celebrities from the world of cinema such as the director Emilio Ruiz Barrachina, the actress Assumpta Serna and the actor Antonio Dechent will be in Vejer. All three belong to the jury of this 5th edition of Ahora es Corto.
Emilio is one of Spain’s most internationally acclaimed filmmakers: Proof of this is his recent success at the New York Film Festival where his film Trissteser has won him the two most important awards for best film and best direction, as well as other prizes for best cinematography and acting. And as if this were not enough, his documentary Buñuel, un cineasta surrealista (Buñuel, a surrealist filmmaker) has just received the specialised press award at the Cannes Film Festival, making it the only Spanish film to have won a prize at the festival.
Catalan actress Assumpta Serna has a long professional career. She is president of AIECAU (International Association of Ethics in Culture and Audiovisuals) and of the First Team Foundation. In addition, she has 42 TV titles, 115 film performances, 27 as the main character, in 20 countries and in 6 languages. He has won 25 acting awards at international film festivals and has been on the jury at more than 20: Chicago, Karlovy Vary, Mar del Plata, Mexico, Venice, Montreal, San Sebastian.
Finally, the Sevillian actor Antonio Dechent is one of the most recognisable faces in our cinema, with a hundred films behind him as well as television series and plays.
Women’s Day, with the actress Assumpta Serna
On 7 September, the festival will celebrate Women’s Day. An initiative organised by THEHIVE, which has prepared for the occasion a programme of creative activities related to cinema, under the slogan #ahorametocaami. Among them is ‘Creating my character’, where for one day the participants will recreate and interpret the character of an iconic actress of the film world, through styling, make-up, hairdressing and photography workshops.
The afternoon will begin with the screening of short films made and directed by women of different ages, followed by a conference given by Assumpta Serna (member of the festival jury and of the association Familia de Cine), on the power of actresses to improve the audiovisual industry.
After the screening of the short film Te lo digo a mí una historia del banco Mediolanum, there will be an intergenerational discussion on the message of the film and the reality of each woman, ‘Creando tu realidad’ (Creating your reality).
As a finale, the concert ‘Mujeres de Cine’ (Women of Cinema), offered by Mechén Álvarez and Laura de los Ángeles, will be held. The artists come together to perform a particular tribute to some of the most important women in international and national cinema, including Lola Flores, Rita Hayworth, Audrey Hepburn, Sofía Loren, etc. And they do it through an audiovisual experience.
For the occasion, La Tetería del Califa has created the #ahorametocaami cocktail, inspired by these female icons of the audiovisual world. The tea shop will also be offering other ‘cinema cocktails’ where vejeriegos and visitors can feel like agent 007 himself.
programme
September 3rd
17:00h: Presentation of Vejer Express Section to the participating groups (Library).
22:00h: Opening Cinetones Concert (San Francisco Theatre) 5€.
September 4th
09:00h: Vejer Express filming. Handing out of credentials (Library)
19:00h: Screening of the film “Morente” by Emilio Ruiz Barrachina (San Francisco Theatre) Free of charge
22:00h: Screening of the film “Broken Poet” Emilio Ruiz Barrachina (private screening of a film not premiered in Spain, Tetería del Califa) Free.
September 5th
09:00h: End of Vejer Express shooting. Editing and delivery of the short film.
19:00h: Tribute to Brutus Pomeroy (San Francisco Theatre) Free
22:00h: Session Andalucía en Corto (Teatro San Francisco) Free of charge
September 6th
10:00h: Course Aula de cine adolescentes Narrativa audiovisual (Institute) Free of charge
22:00h: Vejer Express Gala (San Francisco Theatre) Free
September 7th
10:00h: Course Aula de cine adolescentes Narrativa audiovisual (Institute) Free of charge
10:00h: Presentation of the Day for Women Creating cinema and workshops Creating my female film character (San Francisco Theatre) 25€.
17:30h: Women’s day The Hive Creating cinema #ahorametocaami (San Francisco Theatre) Free
22:00h: Women of Cinema Concert (San Francisco Theatre) 10€.
September 8th
10:00h: Course Aula de cine adolescentes Narrativa audiovisual (Institute) Free.
22:00h: Presentation of the Official Section “La ética en el cine” by Assumpta Serna and 1st screening of the finalist short films (San Francisco Theatre) 5€.
September 9th
10:00h: Course Aula de cine adolescentes Narrativa audiovisual (Institute) Free of charge
11:00h: Children’s screening (San Francisco Theatre) Free of charge
17:00h: Beginning of a course on acting in front of the camera and directing actors with Carla Calparsoro (Theatre)
22:00h: Presentation of the Official Section “Y después del corto ¿Qué?” by Emilio R. Barrachina and 2nd screening of the finalist short films (Teatro San Francisco) 5€ 5:00h.
September 10th
10:00h: Course on acting in front of the camera and directing actors with Carla Calparsoro (Theatre)
10:00h: Creative play for teenagers (Exteriores Vejer) Free.
21:00h: Youth Gala (San Francisco Theatre) 2€.
September 11th
10:00h: Course on acting in front of the camera and directing actors with Carla Calparsoro (Theatre)
13:00h: Film talk (Bodegas Gallardo) Free of charge
20:00h: Final Gala and awards ceremony (San Francisco Theatre) 10€.
Ahora es corto
An international short film festival that was created in 2016 to offer the region of La Janda a cultural space to promote film art through the viewing and creation of short films. All this with the commitment to reach the younger population, offering them educational possibilities of audiovisual literacy and a safe space for expression and experimentation.
The Festival was born in the village of Zahora. Four editions under the title “Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes Zahora en Corto”, which had a progressive evolution in terms of participation, audience and diffusion.
A festival that pays tribute to cinema and Vejer. The icing on the cake for the final stretch of the summer in Cádiz.
More info at https://ahoraescorto.com.
