On Thursday, Valladolid rolled out Unicaja’s blue carpet to mark the 71st edition of the Valladolid International Film Festival (Seminci), which will take place from this Friday, 23 October, until 31 October. The initiative, which once again brings the financial bank’s corporate colours to the city centre, symbolises the continuity of its support for one of Spain’s leading film festivals.
The carpet-laying ceremony was attended, on behalf of Unicaja, by the North-West regional manager, Manuel Rubio, and the head of Stakeholder Relations and Protocol for the Centre and North, María Ramos, as well as the mayor of Valladolid, Jesús Julio Carnero; the councillor for Tourism, Events and City Branding, Blanca Jiménez; and the co-directors of Seminci, Mariona Viader and Javier H. Estrada.
The financial institution has been collaborating with Seminci for over two decades, a relationship that reflects its ties to Valladolid and Castilla y León. With this sponsorship, Unicaja helps to support a cultural event that promotes the city’s image, brings cinema closer to the public and fosters interaction between creators, industry professionals and filmgoers.
A commitment to culture and the region
“Seminci is part of Valladolid’s cultural identity and serves as an open window onto cinema talent, creativity and dialogue between cultures. For Unicaja, supporting the festival year after year is a way of contributing to the cultural life of Castilla y León and of backing initiatives that generate value for the region and its people,” said Manuel Rubio.
The Unicaja representative also noted that “our commitment to culture goes beyond sponsoring a specific event. We believe that culture enriches society, encourages participation and contributes to the development of cities. That is why we are delighted to continue being part of Seminci’s history and, once again this year, to bring our colours to the streets of Valladolid”.
For his part, the mayor of Valladolid highlighted the excitement with which the 71st edition of Seminci is getting underway, an event which, he said, is taking place “with all the magic, all the excitement and all the enthusiasm for watching good cinema”. Following the first walk down the blue carpet, accompanied by the festival’s co-directors, Javier H. Estrada and Mariona Viader, and representatives from Unicaja, he emphasised that this year’s edition features 208 films, more than a hundred of which are premieres, and expressed his confidence that it will offer a “unique and exclusive” cinema programme for Valladolid.
The mayor also paid tribute to José Luis Cienfuegos, director of Seminci until last year, to whom he dedicated a tribute on behalf of all those who love cinema and the festival. “All of us who love and cherish cinema and Seminci carry José Luis Cienfuegos in our hearts,” he said, before highlighting the work of his successors at the helm, who have managed to “take up the baton he left behind so prematurely”. On the eve of the official opening, he summed up the current state of the festival with a single sentence: “It’s all about to begin; it’s all about to be screened.”
The blue carpet, one of the most recognisable symbols of this collaboration, will be on display at venues linked to the festival and on Calle Santiago, one of the main pedestrian streets in the centre of Valladolid. Guests and professionals involved in the galas and the various activities of the festival will walk along it, alongside the many visitors who come to enjoy the programme.
An edition featuring 208 films and 121 premieres
The 71st edition of Seminci will offer a programme of 208 films, comprising 71 short films and 137 feature films, with a total of 121 premieres: 88 Spanish, 30 world premieres and three European premieres. The Official Selection will bring together 22 feature films competing for the Espiga de Oro, featuring works by filmmakers from different countries and offering perspectives on contemporary reality.
Hungarian filmmaker Lili Horvát will open the festival with ‘My Notes on Mars’, whilst Mexican actor and director Gael García Bernal will close it with ‘Hombre al agua’, his third feature film as a director.
The programme will also highlight talent from Castilla y León, featuring eight films linked to the region through their filmmakers, stories, filming locations or production. Added to this will be ‘Seminci Noche’, which will play a prominent role in the collective tribute to José Luis Cienfuegos, a key figure in the festival’s history.
With its sponsorship, Unicaja reaffirms its commitment to culture as a force for social cohesion and economic revitalisation, and to initiatives that help showcase the talent and identity of the regions in which it operates.
