Of the 1 al 7 of October, Valencia has a special appointment. This is the FICIV, the Valencia International Children's Film Festival. With four editions behind it, FICIV is establishing itself as one of the most solid bets within the cultural offer that Valencia has for the little ones. Born from the ashes of the closed Mostreta (do you remember her?), FICIV takes up the role of being a showcase for the best national and world children's cinema. On the occasion of its inauguration, we were chatting with his director, Marcos Campos, with whom we shared dreams, ambitions, the many difficulties, but also the satisfaction of seeing how this project gets up and begins to walk with autonomy.
For those who don't know it yet. What is FICIV?
The FICIV is a children's film festival that was born in the year 2015 with the purpose of bringing cinematographic culture closer to children and building, from Valencia, a cinematographic platform to promote, on the one hand, the animation being done here, y, for another, the city itself, which I believe is a wonderful film set and which, for its gastronomy and climate, It could help us bring a lot of people to a week of celebration.. The second objective that I believe differentiates us is that we dedicate efforts every month of the year to carrying out activities. There are no festivals that have a route like the one we have had in the 2017, where more than 2000 children have done film workshops with the festival. We have done workshops for foundations, town halls, we do premiers, previews. In 2017 we premiere Cavemenand the year before we did the first preview with The Little Prince. The idea is that it serves as a reference for the world of animation and that people from the professional audiovisual market come to want to present and promote their work..
How did the idea of organizing FICIV arise?? What is the origin?
Bueno, I think that having done festivals in my professional career. I participated in La Mostra with three different directors, with Solomon, with Escribá and with Jorge Berlanga who was the first one to sign me. After, I was working with Vicente Seva at the Alicante festival for a couple of years or three. As I told you, I think Valencia is a wonderful cinematographic platform. This is what Luis García Berlanga also believed., ¿no? We cannot compete with festivals that are seventy years old, not even twenty, but we can compete with the programming that we have for the entire year and with having a selection of feature films for all audiences. Yes, there is no. This year we have six films in the official section, which is a fantastic achievement by Carmen Chaves (Programmer and Director for FICIV Educational Centers) and the idea is that the number of films will be greater and greater.
Why is it important to bring cinema to children??
For childhood memories. Mira, Recently I was at a meeting and there was a girl who remembered going to the movies with La Mostreta, al ABC Park, and he told me that he kept it as a great memory. I think that childhood memory is very important.. The cinemas, As Bigas Luna said, their days are numbered. The theaters will be the spaces where the films are consecrated, but the platforms we have are more practical, more economically profitable, even, for its mobility. Being at home with a huge screen, with a dolby system, watch a movie and stop it when you want, etc. In the end, you have a practicality that cinema does not have. Cinema has very interesting age ranges, How can they be from three to twenty or twenty-five years?. And then you get it back after fifty. What I want to tell you is that cinema for children is important because it is that outlet, that activity they do with their school. That way, we promote that, since little ones, That memory is so pleasant that they want to continue going to the movies..
Among the objectives of FICIV is to consider cinema as a “tool to understand society”, as you mention in your presentation. Expand this idea.
Yeah, the movies, like a book, they give you the vision of society, both of the everyday, of the contemporary, as, yes it is historical, of history, and if it is future, because of the possibility of seeing the visions that human beings have. I believe that any story is based on reality., because human beings make it and we leave something of ourselves in them. So, It is very clear that this is essential for children. In FICIV there are, besides, two awards: one given by the professional jury and another given [la ONG] Save de Children for the most supportive film. What we try to do is instill in our films the principles of good society and a positive attitude towards human behavior..
What kind of films will we see at the festival?? What were the selection criteria??
Well, the criteria are, in principle, that we like movies, Of course. Then, If they have teaching guides for children, better. And then they reflect different societies. We really like diversity; Croatia, India, Iceland, last year Japan, everything we can host about a lot of countries. Unfortunately I still can't bring the directors, we don't have that budget. I can't dub movies either.. In fact, of the six films, three of them are going to have full rooms. With others we have problems because they are in the original version, subtitled in english. Most of them still do not have distribution in Spain. For example, the one produced by Alex de la Iglesia in the stars,Yeah. And then we have two that are in Spanish, who are one Colombian and the other Mexican. But the other three, India, Croatian and Icelandic, it's taking a bit.
Tell us about that, of the difficulties of mounting a festival like FICIV.
very many (laughter). We have a budget of around €100,000, and we don't pay it. We move very little money. What we do do is that we move many species. We have a lot of help, of collaborators, of sponsors. Everyone contributes, Who makes the DCPs from? (movie projection format) for cinema and DVD copies, The English Court, that provides the offices, o Toyota-Lexus that provides us with vehicles to bring guests. It is very nice to see two vehicles on the street that carry the FICIV logo. Without all this, it would be impossible. We are very happy that we have received a good grant from Culturarts. We are also waiting for one from the City Council. The rest, as i tell you, They are volunteers. Think that we charge very little for tickets. From the €2.80 we charge (2€ in the case of schools) more than half are for costs. We are below the day of the Film Festival, what are they 2,90. But it's the focus. Our idea is that it costs as little as possible because I believe that if we generate good content and create a good festival we will have more and more sponsorship and institutions..
You have opted from the beginning for private sponsors.
We knew that the subsidies were not going to arrive until the third year. But it is that, besides, is what it has to be. That one gets a subsidy for an idea as soon as it starts, seems a little crazy to me. I am a citizen and I don't like money like that, in plan, “try this”. No, when the thing is already proven, that it is seen that it is good for society, that's when I start giving you. I think the measuring stick would have to be this. In our case we knew that first we had to commit to creating content. After, that content, sell it to private parties and, after, once the private ones will help us, we would have the public institution.
It is not very common to bet on private sponsors. Why doesn't this happen more often??
Well yes it should be. For me there should be a balance between the State part and the private part. It cannot be that dad and mom State pay for everything. As a citizen I don't think it's fair., that there are full subsidies. Besides, not only for this, but because I think that even the content also suffers when everything is paid for. Any business requires entrepreneurs, requires the efforts of entrepreneurs. I believe that cinema or festivals should be like organizing any other event.. In any event there is a risk. When you have no risk, when you say I have a hundred and I know I can spend a hundred... When you don't have a sure amount, things change. It is also true that when you manage to break that private barrier, you work with interesting creativity and freedom.. Now we are fighting to be a Public Good Entity with the Ministry of the Interior and we will achieve it. FICIV is built in its statutes with that idea. And we do a lot of good because we are giving free culture in many places. It is a matter of finalizing that they accept our proposal.
In the programming part there are workshops and exhibitions. What is the objective of these activities?
The objectives are to generate in children the possibility that one day they want to be filmmakers, animators, dedicate yourself to this profession. We look for filmmakers in those workshops. In fact, Last year the Valencian Tourism Agency made a spot on World Children's Day that the children from our workshops dubbed. One of them is already dedicating himself to this. No children for dubbing, women do it. For us it is important that one day someone tells us, “I dedicate myself to the world of animation thanks to your festival because I attended a workshop and I loved it”. Because the truth is that they hallucinate.
In general terms, How do you see the evolution of the festival?? What objectives have you achieved??
We have already met many objectives. In general we did not plan to be in the fourth edition with the assistance we have, nor with the forty sponsors we have (we thought we would have a little less). Today I have a certain team that has been with me for two years and that makes things multiply and happen.. Another objective was to have offices and we have them, another was to be able to be in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, being able to be in spaces like stations [where some of the exhibitions of this edition will be held] both subway, like trains. And in the markets of Valencia. This is one of the things I'm most excited about this year.. We have an exhibition by Luis Gasca [editor and comic and film scholar]. Imagine, Well, it's Asterix and Obelix on the market, Batman, etc. That is bringing culture closer to the child who goes to the market like a pain in the ass., ¿no? Well, if we can throw in certain samples of culture, that which takes.
This year you have established a collaboration with MICE (International Show of Educational Film). How does it arise? What is the objective?
Well, it arises because I contacted them at a Community festival meeting.. There I meet its director (Josep Arbiol) and I tell him that it is very good that we can come together, because they have shorts, us feature films, them a date, we another, we are going to the same audience. And well, Josep loved the idea. Last year he was a member of the FICIV, I was at your festival, and this year we have reached a greater collaboration. We have an award for the stop-motion short film. We did it so that parents, brothers and uncles will dedicate, in those ages between six and twelve years, time with your children. Many interested schools called us. and this year, before starting, I spoke with Josep and told him, “since you have shorts, The collaboration we could do is to have a FICIV day at the MICE, and a MICE day at FICIV”. So, They are going to screen the ten best short films from last year at our closing gala and we are going to give the award to the best stop-motion short at their festival. By the way, We have extended the call until 15 December. All schools that want to participate are invited.
To finish, I wanted to ask you about the future. Where do you see the festival in the long term?? What would you like to do?
Bueno, As long as my health lasts, I want to dedicate ten years to it.. But if, Yeah. I am looking forward to having an opening gala, to be able to pay for campaigns, being able to go to festivals, be able to pay speakers, bring me to the directors, increase the prize to significant amounts (pay €2000 for an animated film that cost 3 o 4 millions, well look). I would dream of our official section growing in value in its content because the prize is worth it and because the city is worth it. This year we do an animation day and we bring people from the environment like Cruz Delgado, Antonio Zurera and people from Valencia. With them we will give a free master-class with a certificate of attendance. Well, little by little, generate that, ¿no? More speakers, more market and make more sections of the festival. Y, above all, Don't stop dreaming that our week of celebration should be celebrated in Valencia, that is to say, the valencians. I have worked in many festivals and sometimes it happens that you show yourself more towards the silent and Valencia does not participate. It doesn't make sense. We are joining forces with other entities, other festivals, and what we demand is that, that we are all culture and that culture is present daily in Valencia.
