Ponferrada goes faithful one more year to his appointment with the cinema thanks to the Association ‘Mi Retina Me Engaña’, a group that is defying all difficulties so that the name of this city continues to be linked to a sector and an artistic manifestation that of some mode defines it.

I have to congratulate the promoters of this 19th Ponferrada International Film Festival for their undeniable ability to reinvent themselves, facing the anti-COVID restrictions, combining face-to-face sessions (at the “Valentín García Yebra” Municipal Library, at La Fábrica de Luz. Museo de la Energía, at La Dehesa Cinemas and at the Integrated Vocational Training Center) with online broadcasts. In short, a whole exercise of work and imagination in order to keep this festival alive, which is already a fundamental reference in the culture of Ponferrada.

I want to highlight the importance that this complicated year a total of 1106 films have been presented to the festival, representing no less than 46 countries. A total of 72 films will be screened in one form or another. These figures give us an idea of ​​the magnitude and significance of this cultural event that also entails a good positioning of Ponferrada in the film scene of our country.

I also highlight a new official section dedicated to works audiovisual produced by Schools of Image Training Cycles and Sound from all over Spain, as well as a special program dedicated to cinema made with mobile phones.

I can only wish that one more year the International Film Festival Ponferrada is a complete success and that the ponferradinas and Ponferradinos who participate in the festival in one way or another enjoy it under the sanitary conditions that allow them to preserve their health and everyone’s health.

Olegario Ramón

MAYOR OF PONFERRADA CITY COUNCIL