A small Spanish town is offering a unique prospect for emerging filmmakers. Castilblanco de los Arroyos will host its sixth annual short film contest, ‘Castilblanco y… ¡Acción!’, from February 27th to March 1st, challenging teams to create films entirely within city limits. The contest,now a significant cultural event for the province,aims to promote both cinematic creativity and the town itself as a filming destination.
A Spanish town is opening its doors to aspiring filmmakers! Castilblanco de los Arroyos is now accepting submissions for its sixth annual short film contest, ‘Castilblanco y… ¡Acción!’, offering young creators a unique opportunity to showcase their talent on location.
The contest, which began in 2020 at the initiative of a group of local filmmakers, is organized by the Castilblanco de los Arroyos Town Hall’s Youth and Culture departments, in collaboration with local production companies Americano Film and Garage Film. It has quickly become a significant event in the province, attracting increasing attention each year.
Organizers aim to both introduce the art of filmmaking to a wider audience and foster audiovisual creativity, while simultaneously promoting Castilblanco as an attractive filming location, highlighting its landscapes, heritage, and natural environment.
Participating teams will have 48 hours – from February 27th to March 1st – to shoot their short films entirely within the town limits, incorporating at least three recognizable outdoor locations. Submissions must range in length from 3 to 8 minutes.
This year’s contest will award a total of eight prizes, ranging from €150 to €600, along with six special mentions. The awards gala will be held on Saturday, March 7th, at the Teatro Municipal Miguel Fisac, and will be hosted by Carlos Campos and Ángel Gil, with a musical performance by Carla Monzubi.
Prizes will include awards for Best Short Film (First and Second Place), as well as a local prize for teams with at least two residents of Castilblanco. Additional awards will recognize Best Direction, Screenplay, Cinematography, and Sound Design.
The public will also have a say in the awards process through the People’s Choice Award, which will be given to the short film that receives the most “likes” on the ‘Castilblanco y… ¡Acción!’ YouTube channel, where all participating films will be published. This interactive element adds another layer of excitement to the competition.
Special mentions will be awarded for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Editing, Best Soundtrack, Best Making-Of, and Best Youth Team – recognizing groups where at least 50% of the members are under 18 and residents of Castilblanco.
Teams can consist of between two and ten people, with no age restrictions for either technical crew or actors. All team members must be listed on the registration form, available at castilblancoyaccion.com.
The contest was officially presented on Wednesday in Castilblanco de los Arroyos, after adverse weather conditions prevented organizers from holding the event at the Provincial House of the Diputación as originally planned.
