British director Asif Kapadia, the acclaimed filmmaker behind such seminal feature documentaries as DIEGO MARADONA, AMY and SENNA, will be Guest of Honor at this year’s Evolution! Mallorca International Film Festival (EMIFF) and will be awarded the Evolution VISION Award.
Now in its 8th year, EMIFF celebrates international independent film across seven days each October and is based in Palma, on the Spanish island of Mallorca.
The Evolution VISION Award is EMIFF’s top accolade, presented on the Opening Night of the festival, (Wednesday October 23rd), to an artist who consistently inspires audiences, breaks boundaries, and has shaped diverse and inclusive stories that have touched international audiences. Previous recipients of this award have included Mads Mikkelsen and Paul Haggis. Additional festival Honorees are set to be announced in the coming weeks.
This year’s programme will be bolstered by the news that EMIFF has a new festival partner, in the shape of MN Studios- a Mallorca-based camera and equipment supplier to the film industry. MN Studios have pledged a total of €15,00 worth of equipment hire to winners in the following EMIFF categories: Best Feature Film (€5,000); Evolutionary Island Award, which is specifically aimed at a local filmmaker (€3,000); Best International Short Film (€2,000); Best Short Film – Made In Baleares (€2,000); Best Music Video (€1,500) and Best Short Experimental Film (€1,500).
EMIFF will announce its 2019 prize winners from across the festival’s diverse programme on the closing weekend of the festival.
EMIFF’s Founder and Director Sandra Lipski said of today’s announcements: ““Considering today’s busy Film Festival landscape, we are so proud to be celebrating our 8th festival edition this year and highlighting EMIFF as one of the most exciting film festivals in the Mediterranean today. We are honoured and humbled to welcome Asif Kapadia as this year’s Evolution VISION Award recipient, celebrating him as visionary filmmaker who inspires audiences, breaks boundaries and bridges cultures.”
In celebration of Kapadia’s award, the festival will host a special screening of 2015’s Oscar ®-winning AMY during the first few days of the festival, followed by a Q&A, as well as a Cafe Con Cine Talk; an informal interview in front of an audience of film students and aspiring documentary filmmakers.
The full EMIFF programme will be announced via a press conference in Mallorca in early October.
ABOUT EMIFF:
As the Evolution! Mallorca International Film Festival enters its 8th edition, EMIFF is now recognized as one of the fastest-growing film festivals in Europe, using international film to shape a creative community, allowing independent filmmakers to feel inspired, to network and thrive in this idyllic Mediterranean island paradise.
For seven days and six nights, EMIFF’s program is curated to showcase a culturally diverse, inclusive and provocative mix of feature films, short films, documentaries, music videos, childrens’ films, experimental films, animation shorts and Virtual Reality projects.
Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival has a clear mission statement; BRIDGING CULTURES – BRIDGING PEOPLE. Known as THE hub for networking, EMIFF brings together the brightest local and international minds in cinema in Mallorca’s buzzing and the culturally rich city of Palma.
With competitive screenings unfolding at the most striking island locations, EMIFF is an ideal place for indie filmmakers to rub shoulders with industry professionals at the festival’s Producers Club, its Pitch Forum and regular workshops, with the opportunity to win prizes worth up to 15,000€ across the 13 categories of the festival program. EMIFF’s Made In Baleares section presents films produced and directed by the most talented filmmakers from the Balearic Islands. Other programs include Evolution Edge – films by first/ second-time directors with a distinct and avant-garde vision and Wake Up Europe – films and documentaries highlighting stories from in and around Europe.
This year’s festival will curate over 100 screenings, networking events, panel talks, Island excursions and master classes, attracting over 4,000 guests from over 30 countries.
Past attendees, awards recipients and panel participants have included: Danny DeVito, Mads Mikkelsen, Ana de Armas, Emma Suarez, Marisa Paredes, Melissa Leo, Paul Haggis, Pilou Asbaek and Tobias Lindholm among many more.
EMIFF is proud to have been one of MovieMaker’s “TOP 50 Film Festivals Worth The Entry fee” two years in a row, as well as appearing on the 100 Best Reviewed Film Freeway List for six months in a row, ranking in the top 1.5% of more than 8,000 film festivals and creative markets around the world.
