International film festival ready to roll

Joan Collins THE MFA International Film Festival in the Balearics, which will take place in Palma from March 13 to 18, will show 116 films from 30 different countries. The majority of the entries will be short films. In the opinion of the organisers this proves the universal character which the festival acquired after its remodelling. This year is the first after the fusion of the two short film festivals held on the island during the last two years, the Fonart founded in 2001, and the one promoted by the Majorca Film Academy (MFA), a cinematographic school with its headquarters in Palma, which organised its first competition in 2004. Joan Carles Añibarro, President of the Association resulting from the union of both festivals, the Afic-IB, explained yesterday in a press conference that the principal difficulty of combining the interests of both organisations had consisted of the combination of the original character of the selected productions, for which Fonart was known, and the wish of the MFA to give an international flavour to the contest. The result of the combination of both festivals has been the organisation of a festival with a 100'000 euro budget, with a specific section dedicated to the productions of the islands, entitled “Balearic Screens”. There are also categories for International Fiction, Documentaries, Animation, and Musical Videos. The 116 films, selected from a total of 285 entered, will vie for 17 prizes totalling 25'000 euros, and will be shown in the Sala Mozart in the Auditorium in Palma. The festival, which has the support of the Balearic Institute of Tourism (Ibatur), the Balearic Ministry of Culture and Palma Council, who are supplying 80 percent of the budget, includes parallel activities, such as the organisation of 11 educational workshops.