Feature films, shorts, filmgoers, fans, directors, actors and actresses, producers, industry, sponsors, institutions, organizers, volunteers, businesses, schools, zombies… The Sitges-International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia is a face with many expressions, where everyone plays a key role to finally put together a unique and special Festival. At the threshold of its 50th anniversary, taking place next year, the Festival maintains its genuine character as a true manifestation of genre cinema –with a very relevant role on behalf of the fans– while at the same time making a commitment to the most innovative tendencies from the audiovisual world.
Sitges 2016 opens the doors to virtual reality, making it possible to show the new productions in this format, which are here to stay. This year’s Festival confirms last year’s commitment to becoming an industry magnet: the Sitges Pitchbox piques the interest of both talents and industry, the Blood Red Carpet attracts promising actors and actresses who see Sitges as an excellent platform, and this year the village created to complement the activities offered to the general public is expanding its benefits, services and interest on behalf of different companies to be present there. All of this data confirms that the Sitges Film Festival –along with the growing attendance of genre movie producers to screen their films and see presentations of new movies– is prepared to be a magnet for the film industry, allowing the Festival to grow.
Sitges is a town that’s especially festival-oriented. We have them of all different types, profiles and content and recently added an advertising and new communication festival. And all of them with the Film Festival as the undisputed benchmark and model to follow. Since 1968 when Sitges created what was then the International Fantastic Film Week, which soon afterwards would focus a large part of its attention on the field of horror (in Sitges there are still people who call it the “Horror Movie” Festival), the Festival has played a crucial role in the town’s dynamics. For a long time, the Festival closed out the tourist season and now it is the most outstanding repercussive manifestation the town has. Businesses, restaurants, hotels and the entire town experience the Festival as ten intense days when everything takes place differently, authentically and genuinely, as is fitting for the number one fantastic film festival in the world.
Welcome one and all to Sitges: enjoy our town and its services and, especially, everything the Festival has to offer you, which is more and more year after year.
