On Friday 8 of June, in L'Eliana, The prizes for the second edition of the La Traca comedy feature film script competition will be awarded, organized by EDAV (Writers of the Valencian Audiovisual), the screenwriters association of the Valencian Community, in collaboration with the L'Eliana City Council. Luis Eduardo Pérez, president of EDAV tells us how this new edition has gone.
How has the response from the scriptwriters been in this second edition??
Fantastic. It's our second year and participation has grown: we have received 49 scripts, 17 more than last year. We have received works from all over Spain. It's great news because, despite being a young contest, In the Spanish scriptwriting scene there is already talk of La Traca by EDAV (Valencian Audiovisual Writers). We want to continue progressing and for that we have the support of many colleagues. Precisely this year we have a luxury jury and we are very grateful that they give us their time. The jury is made up of one of the most important authors in the country, Rodolf Sirera; Paco Lopez Barrio, screenwriter and script trainer; and the producer and screenwriter José Marín Rodríguez. That the La Traca jury has professionals of this stature is also an incentive for the contestants.. We are very proud. Finalists will be announced next 4 of June and 8 In June the award is presented at the L'Eliana Town Hall.
Is there anything new this year??
The main news is that we are still alive, which is not easy in these times. Seriously speaking, We must be grateful that the L'Eliana City Council has increased its commitment to us. We presented the contest at the Madrid Film Academy to achieve greater dissemination, The financial endowment is maintained and the awards ceremony will take place in the Plenary Hall of the City Council and then, besides, there will be a wine of honor for all attendees. We could demand limousines now, champagne and caviar trays, but we know that everything will come with time, especially caviar. They swear to us that they will bring it from l'Albufera.
Is the contest meeting the expectations you have placed on it??
Yeah. It is a contest that has practically just been born and we still have a lot of room for improvement. At EDAV we propose that, If there is a comedy script competition, that is, a place where you can send your creations, receive an award and have the possibility of a production company being interested in your script, that is already a triumph. When designing the contest, we decided that we should make every effort to ensure that the winning entry received the highest prize that a script can achieve.: let it be filmed. That's why we created The Wolf Snack, an event in which the winning screenwriters must present their work to a group of producers. Last year's winning script was bought by a production company and is on its way to becoming a movie. That expectation has been met in our first year, let's go for another.
What does the imminent opening of the new regional television À punt mean for Valencian scriptwriters??
The new television is great news for all Valencians and represents the possibility for hundreds of scriptwriters to practice their craft and tell stories.. It's work, progress and a creative incentive. We are very hopeful about the future, We know that it will not be easy and that putting together a program that attracts the public is not an easy task., but we trust in the talent of Valencian creators. It takes patience to build an audience and a lot, a lot of work. À punt must be a driving force for the audiovisual industry and also for associations. We know that you want to get involved to disseminate Valencian audiovisual creators and we are already working to carry out joint actions in the next edition of La Traca and in the One to One that we will carry out in the fall.
Despite technological advances, Carrying out an audiovisual project continues to be very complicated, What would be the ideal scenario to facilitate productions?
The easy and immediate answer would be: greater private investments and more public aid. But I think there is another way. It's longer, but also more interesting. This path is based on pedagogy, in valuing culture as one of the basic pillars of society because it helps us think and be freer. A valid path even for those who only consider economic productivity. It has been proven that the cultural industry can be very profitable: generates many jobs, creates a brand image with great value and provides feedback to other sectors. A few weeks ago I was in the Basque Country and there they were still amazed by the number of people who had gone to see the settings that appear in the last season of Game of Thrones. There are many European countries that are betting on their audiovisual industry and obtaining great social rewards.. As they say, It's a matter of political will. Culture is necessary to overcome fear, We only need rulers who do not want to put it into our bodies.
