The Cans Festival ( gl, Festival de Cans) is an annual

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

festival held in the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

of Cans (

O Porriño O Porriño (historically known in English as ) is a municipality in Galicia, Spain in the province of Pontevedra. An industrial town, in the Vigo metropolitan area, it is an important economic dependency. One of its main industries is granite p ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

) that coincides with the near-homophonous

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

. The festival is organized by the Arela Cultural Association and coordinated by the scriptwriter Alfonso Pato. The festival takes over the whole village; Barns and basements change their normal uses to become cinema screens and the audience are ferried by locals to and from the screenings on two-wheel tractors, known locally as '' chimpíns''. Other free activities are also available to the public: concerts, parades and hiking routes.

Background

The Cans Festival is celebrated every year in the parish of Cans (

, Pontevedra Spain), which has an official population of 400 inhabitants although during the festival that number rises to more than 10,000 people. Its symbols of identity are the peculiar cinema rooms: sheds, basements, empty houses, wine cellars and even henhouses transferred altruistically by their owners who devote themselves to the festival and collaborate in everything they can.

Short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

is the genre par excellence in Cans, and every year the festival official section shows the best Galician productions of the season. But Cans is something else than a short film festival: it has documentaries and full-length films premiers, a video clip contest, talks with prestigious filmmakers, presentations of experimental productions like web series, training programs for AV students, etc.

History

Cans Festival was born in 2004, as a kind of joke. The phonetic similarity between Cans (which also means dogs in Galician language) and

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. T ...

was in the mind of some visionaries from a long time ago. In that year they decided to join forces and ideas and set in motion an event that would coincide in time with the glamorous Cote d'azur festival: Cannes. But that was a long time ago and from this funny word game a serious film festival emerged. Nowadays, Cans Festival is in the epicenter of the worldwide filming earthquake that takes place in May, with or without the consent of its French half- brother Cannes. It has also red carpet and movie stars, but unlike Cannes, here actors, actresses, filmmakers or scriptwriters mix with a heterogeneous public who can easily address them. Filmmakers, film directors, musicians, actors and actress like Isabel Coixet,

Juanma Bajo Ulloa Juan Manuel Bajo Ulloa (born 1 January 1967) is a Spanish film director. Biography Juanma Bajo Ulloa was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, on 1 January 1967. His parents mortgaged their house to fund Bajo Ulloa's film beginnings. His first feat ...

, Fernando León,

Manuel Martín Cuenca Manuel Martín Cuenca (born 30 November 1964) is a Spanish film director. He directed more than ten films since 1990. Selected filmography * ''The Weakness of the Bolshevik'' (2003) * '' Hard Times'' (2005) * ''Cannibal Cannibalism is t ...

, Patricia Ferreira,

Luis Tosar Luis López Tosar (born 13 October 1971) is a Spanish actor and musician from Galicia. He is one of the most recognizable and versatile actors in Spain, best known for performances in films such as '' Cell 211'', '' Take My Eyes'', '' Sleep Tig ...

Tristán Ulloa Tristán Ulloa (born 6 May 1970) is a Spanish actor, writer, and director. Career He was born in Orléans and lived with his Spanish grandparents exiled in France. He spent his teenage years in Vigo, Galicia. His mother, Esther San Román, lives ...

, Mabel Rivera,

María Pujalte María Pujalte Vidal (born December 22, 1966 in A Coruña) is a Spanish actress. She studied singing, drama and self-expression through movement in Santiago de Compostela and at the Scuola Internazionale dell'Attore Comico from Reggio Emilia ...

José Sacristán José María Sacristán Turiégano (born 27 September 1937), better known as José Sacristán, is a Spanish film, theatre, and television actor. At Gijón International Film Festival in 2015, he received the Nacho Martinez, Nacho Martinez Awar ...

, Xoel López,

Kiko Veneno José María López Sanfeliu (born April 3, 1952), better known by his stage name Kiko Veneno, is a Spanish musician. Biography He was born in Figueres, where he was brought up in a military home, and later grew up in Cádiz finally settling do ...

Iván Ferreiro Iván Ferreiro Rodríguez (born 15 August 1970) is a Spanish singer-songwriter born in Vigo, Galicia. He was the voice, leader and composer of the popular pop-rock band Los Piratas. Career After Los Piratas split, by late 2003, Iván kept p ...

, Coque Malla, Javier Krahe, Manuel Rivas, Lucía Echevarría, Suso de Toro,

El Gran Wyoming José Miguel Monzón Navarro (15 May 1955, Madrid), better known as El Gran Wyoming (''The Great Wyoming''), Wyoming or Guayo, is a Spanish television presenter, actor, musician, director and humorist. He graduated in Medicine and was a doct ...

, Teté Delgado, Antonio Durán "Morris", Julián Hernández or

Emma Suárez Emma Suárez Bodelón (born 25 June 1964) is a Spanish actress. She has won twice the Goya Award for Best Actress, namely for her performances in '' The Dog in the Manger'' (1996) and '' Julieta'' (2016). Biography Emma Suárez Bodelón was born ...

have been in Festival de Cans as guests, rewarded or speakers. In 2009 it received the Premio da Crítica Galicia, in the section of Cultural Initiatives. In 2011 Pontevedra Provincial Council gave the festival the Premio Provincial á Cultura in the category of Innovation and Avant-garde. In 2013 it received the Premio Internacional Ateneo de Ourense.

Awards

* Honorary Pedigree Award * Best Fiction Short Film Award (Jury) * Best Animation Short Film Award (Jury) * Best Fiction Short Film Award (Public) * Best Animation Short Film Award (Public) * Best Fiction Short Film Award (Locals) * Best Actress Award (Jury) * Best Actor Award (Jury) * Best Screenplay Award (Jury) * Best Videoclip Award (Jury) * Best Videoclip Award (Public)

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Festival de Cans Short film festivals in Spain Recurring events established in 2004 2004 establishments in Spain Tourist attractions in Galicia (Spain) May events Galician culture Galician cinema