Festival Data:

• Established: 1997
• Genre: General
• Total Number of Films Submitted: 1425
• Total Number of Films Screened: 235
• Accreditations: ECFF

• Competitive
• Online Festival

Festival Website:

Festival Description:

Every year, the Ourense International Film Festival presents a selection of the most innovative and challenging feature films, documentaries, animated films short fictions and new media from all over the globe. The Ourense International Film Festival is one of the leading cultural events in Galicia, and aims to actively support independent filmmaking from around the globe. The great impact of the Festival in the media is not only due to the screenings of the competition films, which are presented by their creators, directors, producers and cast. It is also due to the discussion panels, the professional training workshops, co-production meetings and the market place attended by many of the best European / American experts, a space for reflection and promotion of the audiovisual culture and industry. The Festival offers a selection of the most innovative and experimental international cinema, including every year a showcase with the best films produced in Galicia.

Ourense is a land of filmmakers thanks to pioneer local directors such as Carlos Velo and Antonio Román. In the mid 70s Ourense welcomed the pioneer “Xornadas de Cine” (Cinema Series), a true reference for the history of cinema in Galicia. The spirit of the series was recovered in 1996, when the first Ourense Film Festival (OFF) was created by filmmaker Eloy Lozano, who opened the door to the promotion of Galician cinema and to the screening of European and international films. The definitive impulse for its development came from the Ourense local government and was completed in 1998 with the creation of the Ourense Film Festival Consortium. Later, the Festival expanded its institutional spectrum with the help of associated institutions such as the Galician Government and the ICAA, the Spanish Film Institute of the Spanish Ministry of Culture, incorporating also private sponsors and partners. The Festival is currently one of the avant-garde film events for the development of Galician and Spanish audiovisual products, with a great Latin American, European and international participation.

The Ourense Festival Concourse has three official sections: feature films (60 minutes or longer), short films and documentaries. Within the short film concurse there is a specific section, denominated as "Eixo Atlántico" ("Atlantic Axis"), in order to promote the movies that were produced in Galicia and Portugal. Besides the contest, the Festival will include non-competitive sections and cycles to promote the diffusion and the study of the cinematographic art.

Awards given include:

FEATURE FILMS AWARDS
Grand Calpurnia Award for Best Film: 15.000 euros
Calpurnia Public Award for Best Film: 5.000 euros
Calpurnia “Carlos Velo” Award for Best Director: 4.000 euros
Special Award of the Jury: 3.000 euros
DOCUMENTARIES AWARDS
Grand Calpurnia Award for Best Documentary: 5.000 euros
Calpurnia  Award for Best Documentary Director: 1.000 euros

SHORT FILMS AWARDS
Grand Calpurnia Award for Best Short Film: 5.000 euros
Calpurnia Public Award for Best Short Film: 2,000 euros
Calpurnia  Award for Best Short Film Director: 2.000 euros
The the Ourense International Film festival will present a lifetime achievement award to a figure of the professional, artistic or technical panorama of cinema whose life has been dedicated to film.

Ourense is the capital city of the province with the same name, which is placed in the North West of the Iberian Peninsula, within the region of Galicia, bordering on Portugal. The city of Ourense was founded by the Romans, who called it Aqua Aurente (Waters of Gold or either Golden Waters), a name from which the current one is derived. Ourense has an outstanding historical richness due to its Roman and Medieval roots.

Film Submissions:

• Accepts direct submissions
• Submission formats: Beta-SP, 35mm, DVD, DVCam
• Call for Entry: http:/ / www.ouff.org/ 2011/ index.php/ content/ view/ 4890/ 348/ lang,english/