The FICCAB, which will be held from 10 to 17 October at the House of Culture of Arroyo de la Honey, has presented the poster of this edition and the first details of its programming
The humorist and actor Leo Harlem will receive the Una Vida de Cine Award in the 25th edition of the International Benalmádena Film Festival (FICCAB), which will be held from 10 to 17 October at the Casa de la Cultura de Arroyo de la Honey. The recognition, supported by Caja Rural de Granada, will distinguish a trajectory of more than two decades dedicated to humor and developed in the stage, radio, television and cinema.
The Council of Culture, Jésica Trujillo, presented the first details of this edition with the co-directors of FICCAB, Jaime Noguera and José Ramón Martínez. The official image of the festival, the origin of the works presented to the competition section and the jury responsible for assessing the selected short films have also been made known during the event.
Trujillo has emphasized that achieving the 25th edition is "a milestone for a festival that is already part of the cultural history of Benalmádena and that during all these years has kept intact its commitment to cinema, to new creators and to bringing the film culture closer to the public."
Jaime Noguera He also highlighted the choice of Leo Harlem to receive the One Life Film Award. "It is a recognition more than deserved to one of the great names of the humor of our country, an artist greatly loved by the public who has been able to move his personality and his particular way of doing comedy from the stage to the big screen," he said.
A trajectory marked by humor
Leonardo González Happy, known artistically as Leo Harlem, began his career in humor in the early 2000's and reached great popularity thanks to 'El Club de la Comedia'. Since then, his particular way of observing daily life and converting recognizable situations in comic matter has allowed him to connect with several generations of spectators.
Its incorporation into the cinema later occurred, becoming over the years a regular face of Spanish comedy and participating in some of its greatest commercial successes.
He debuted on the large screen with "Torrente 5: Operación Euroveas' (2014), by Santiago Segura, and later he has intervened in titles such as' Villaviciosa from the side ',' The best summer of my life ',' Losing the East ',' Until the wedding separates us', 'Superagent Makey', 'Every train. Destination Asturias,' As God commands', 'Summer Holidays' and 'The Beneton family', in addition to participating in the successful saga 'Father there is only one'.
Especially significant was his leading role in 'The Best Summer of My Life' (2018), directed by Dani de la Orden, which surrounded the million spectators in the Spanish rooms.
The FICCAB's recognition is in addition to the Humor Miguel Gila 2025 Award of Honor, awarded to Leo Harlem for his entire career.
A festival with an important international dimension
The 25th edition of FICCAB has recorded high international participation in its short film competition, with proposals from countries such as China, Russia, Norway, Iran, Mexico and Thailand, among others.
In addition to this international dimension, the organization has highlighted the important registration of Andalusian short films, reinforced by the agreement between the festival and the Radio Televisión Pública de Andalucía (RTVA).
"We want FICCAB to continue to be an open window to film talent inside and outside our borders and, at the same time, a space especially committed to Andalusian and Malagasy creators," Trujillo said.
From the agreement with RTVA, the festival will have a prize for the best Andalusian production, composed of the statuilla El Dilema and the issue of the winning short film in Canal Sur.
The competition section will also include a first prize with 2,000 euros; a second prize of 1,000 euros, sponsored by Emabesa public company; the Best Malaysian Short Film Award, sponsored by the Cine Club Más Madera; and mentions to the best direction, interpretation and script.
The final list of selected short films will be released in mid-September.
A sea horse stars the image of the 25th edition
The official poster of this edition, a proposal designed by David Grimaldiwhich fuses the marine universe and the Mediterranean identity of Benalmádena with different elements linked to film language.
The central element is a colorful sea horse composed from the RGB colors —red, green and blue—, while different film strips surround the figure and reinforce the link of the image to the seventh art.
For the councilwoman of Culture, the poster "manages to unite two elements that perfectly represent this edition: the identity of Benalmádena and the passion for cinema that has accompanied FICCAB during these 25 years."
Trujillo has invited neighbors and visitors to participate in a "very special edition for everything that means reaching a quarter of a century of history" and has advanced that in the coming weeks new content of the festival's programming will be released.
"The FICCAB replaces Benalmádena as a meeting point for film lovers. We want to celebrate these 25 years looking at the history of the festival, but above all looking to the future, supporting talent and getting the cinema back to filling the House of Culture from October 10 to 17," the edile concluded.
