Fast Forward School of Trades Launches Creative Documentary Course at Canary Islands Film Festival
The Canary Islands Reality Film Festival, Miradas Afroindígenas, is offering a creative documentary course led by filmmaker Nayra Sanz Fuentes, alongside workshops on documentary criticism and audiovisual literacy, funded by various cultural and EU bodies.
The Fast Forward School of Trades, part of the OFF Escac film school, is hosting a creative documentary course at the Canary Islands Reality Film Festival, Miradas Afroindígenas. Filmmaker Nayra Sanz Fuentes will lead the course.
Saray Benítez, the program's coordinator in the Canary Islands, stated that the course will equip students with new ways to understand and interpret the world around them, guided by a talented professional. Funding for the program comes from the Ministry of Culture, the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts, and the EU's Next Generation Funds.
Nayra Sanz Fuentes explained that the workshop offers a hands-on introduction to making non-fiction films. Participants will learn creative techniques to develop their own viewpoints, focusing on how to observe, film, and tell real stories. The goal is to help individuals find their unique cinematic voice, understand the creative process of authorial documentaries, and develop their first project.
Sanz Fuentes, an independent filmmaker, producer, and writer with a degree in Hispanic Philology, has directed nine short films. Her work has been shown at over 400 festivals worldwide and has won awards like the Caracola Alcances, the Edward Snowden, and MiradasDoc.
David Baute, the festival director and a filmmaker from Tenerife, highlighted that the festival also includes a documentary criticism workshop. This workshop involves a filmmaker's perspective on a chosen film, with discussions involving students of Image and Sound and documentary enthusiasts. They will explore the techniques filmmakers use to create their work.
The documentary criticism workshop will feature cinematographer Javier Cerdá, film and art director Cayetana Cuyás, critic and journalist Javier Tolentino, director, screenwriter, and producer Mercedes Afonso, and researcher, screenwriter, and director Lorenzo Benítez. Those interested can register for free on the festival's website, www.miradasafroindigenas.com, until November 21st.
Desiré Díaz, the Councilor for Culture, emphasized that the Puerto de la Cruz City Council, through the Canary Islands Reality Film Festival, is promoting knowledge and culture. The aim is to foster social culture and inclusion from the Sala Timanfaya.
Mariano León, head of the CajaCanarias Foundation's Education Area, stated that the festival's educational goals align with the foundation's EducaDoc program. The foundation supports initiatives like the festival because their educational aims match their own vision.
The EducaDoc program introduces students from Puerto de la Cruz and Tenerife to social realities through creative documentaries. This type of cinema encourages curiosity, dialogue, and interaction with directors and those featured in the films.
Additionally, an audiovisual literacy workshop is taking place, coordinated by the César Manrique Vocational Training Center. Students from vocational training courses in Image and Sound will guide participants on how to operate a television set.