Curacao IFFR opens with Blancanieves

The festival opens today (April 4) in Willemstad’s multiplex theatre The Cinemas and will screen 42 features and short films including the Yellow Robin Award Competition and the world premiere of Salsa Giants by US-Venezuelan director Pablo Croce.

Yellow Robin Award Competition

In support of filmmaking talent from the Caribbean and Mexico, Curaçao IFFR has teamed with five partners from the region: Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC), Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival, Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), Bahamas Film & Television Commission and Morelia Film Festival of Mexico (FICM).

Each partner organization contributed one film to the Yellow Robin Award Competition. The winner receives a cash prize of $10,000 and the winning film will be screened at IFFR 2014.

Alongside the Yellow Robin Award Competition, the festival also organizes Short Movies, BIG Stories, a competition for short films by young local makers aged 13-21.

Salsa Giants

Pablo Croce’s documentary film Salsa Giants offers a behind-the-scenes look at the best living salsa players in the world, as they gather for a historic reunion at the Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival.

The cast features Marc Anthony, Oscar de León, Cheo Feliciano, Jose Alberto “El Canario” and Tito Nieves.

International guests

Guests introducing features and participating in Q&A’s include film directors Pablo Berger (Blancanieves, Spain/France), Sacha Gervasi (Hitchcock, USA), Bruno Safadi (Eden, Brazil), Álvaro Pastor (Yo, también, Spain), Pablo Croce (Salsa Giants, USA), Tanja Fraai & Mike Ho-Sam-Sooi (De wonderboom, Netherlands/Curaçao/Brazil) and Yellow Robin Award nominees Kareem Mortimer (Children of God, Bahamas), Esteban Insausti (Long Distance, Cuba) and Natalia Beristaín (She Doesn’t Want to Sleep Alone, Mexico).

The week before the festival, US filmmakers Ben and Joshua Safdie (ao. Go Get Some Rosemary) visited Curaçao to conduct workshops on filmmaking.

Inspiration and support

The event initiated by Curaçao-based Fundashon Bon Intenshon and co-organised with the International Film Festival Rotterdam attracted some 7,000 visitors for its first edition in 2012.