1st Edition Southern Cinemas Festival

The first edition of the Granada Festival, Southern Cinemas, represents the culmination of a project that the Andalusian Regional Government has firmly supported since its inception. It aligns with the regional government's initiatives to establish strong foundations for cooperation and dialogue with countries of the South.

We are thus responding once again to the urgent need to create meeting spaces that facilitate this increasingly vital dialogue between civilizations. We operate from the firm conviction that culture can foster effective communication networks, laying the groundwork for fluid international relations. It is both a strong desire and an obligation stemming from a shared history and future.

For some time now, the South has transcended its geographical definition to become a concept, a sensibility to which we dedicate this new audiovisual event. The definitions of this ethereal South speak to us of a particular way of understanding life. This is perhaps what interests us most: to compile a collection of profoundly Southern perspectives.

The South also exists, and one of the objectives of this Granada Festival is to assert that existence, which is not always perceptible in the major hubs of Western culture. We aim to gather films from Africa and Asia, works that represent a stance, a point of view. It will be enriching to experience their cinematic perspective on both our developed world and their own.

No city is as suitable as Granada for hosting a Festival of Southern Cinemas. The history of the last capital of al-Andalus blends legend and reality to tell us about its past of coexistence and respect. Yet, it is the present that shows us vibrant, diverse streets filled with people from all continents, intermingling with Granadans who are, by definition and spirit, southerners themselves.

This new Festival, which chooses the best time of year – the beginning of summer – to unfold across the city, belongs to them. Granada embraces its role as both host and spectator of the cinema that is surprising critics and audiences worldwide. We no longer refer to the great directors from China, Egypt, Iran, or Korea as 'emerging'; it's no surprise that actors and actresses from the South showcase their immense talent and skill on screen.