We fondly remember our first exposure to British cinema in 2016, when we celebrated our 14th edition. At that time, we wanted to dedicate the festival’s theme to British film director Ken Loach, through a look at one of his most iconic films, Raining Stones. A 1993 film with a strong social commitment, it addressed everyday issues in 1980s English society, such as unemployment in a poor neighborhood in Manchester. In this sense, social cinema has always been one of the most important hallmarks of our festival.                                    

At the same edition, in addition to this small nod to bygone eras, we asked the British Council, as a cultural partner of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), to participate in the program dedicated to promoting the best British short films of today. Their interest in finding new audiences to support the diversity and talent of British filmmakers aligned with our goals. We mustn’t forget that we are a short film festival that seeks to promote and showcase new cinematic ideas and new filmmakers. What began as a mere one-off collaboration has, over time, become a permanent feature of the festival through the parallel section Without Borders: BAFTA SHORT, where we host the best British short films every year. Cinema that clearly demonstrates the diversity of British society, with references to Free Cinema and Social Realism, but with a very distinct line of avant-garde and experimental cinema, more disruptive of linear and conventional narratives. Contemporary cinema that includes video art, poetic essays, cinema within cinema, and other textures and format                      

What surely won’t change for the general public is the perception of the images we’ve used to support the theme “A Look at British Cinema.” The bowler hat, an icon of British popular culture designed by brothers Thomas and William Bowler in 1849, is initially associated with the typical image of the English gentleman. However, when presented at a film festival, everyone quickly associates it with Charlie Chaplin, the character created by Londoner Charles Chaplin, who turned the garment into a global cinematic icon. It’s worth remembering that the bowler hat has also been worn by other characters in various films, such as the one worn by the despicable Alex DeLarge, the protagonist of the iconic A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971).

It’s also easy to associate Sherlock Holmes’s magnifying glass with British culture, another iconic element associated with the famous fictional detective created by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887, which has been adapted for film on numerous occasions. A look at British cinema through its magnifying glass allows us to examine in detail the talent and creativity of new filmmakers and reminds us of the importance and influence of its film industry in the history of world cinema.

On the other hand, in addition to continuing with the festival’s regular programming, I want to highlight our continued commitment to highlighting our local audiovisual heritage, both current and historical, by recovering works from the past, thanks to the collaboration of the Municipal Library and Ponferrada City Councilm, susch as the film shot in  super-8 Como últimas gotas tardias (1985) by Carlos de Cabo, an educational project carried out by the teachers and students of the San Andrés – La Borreca Public School in Ponferrada, within the “Traveling School and Cinema” experience.

Thank you all for continuing to trust in Mi Retina me Engaña. Happy 23^rd FICP (2025)

ANTONIO DONÍS
DIRECTOR OF PONFERRADA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL