Cinema Jove will strengthen its commitment to emerging talent this year through changes to the Youth Audiovisual Encounter (EAJ) and a renewed approach to the Young Filmmakers Residency, which will celebrate its ninth edition in September.

The main novelty of this year’s EAJ is that it will feature only the ‘amateur’ category, aimed at filmmakers aged between 16 and 25, whose selected participants will take part in an intensive mentoring session on June 26 at Sala 7 of the Rialto Building. A total of 13 short films from the Canary Islands, Catalonia, Cantabria, Galicia and the Valencian Community have been selected.

The jury will be made up of Luis García, journalist for the TVE programme La Aventura del Saber; director, screenwriter and lecturer Gabi Ochoa; and director and screenwriter Begoña Soler, who will also mentor the selected projects. The EAJ awards will be presented during the festival’s closing gala on June 27 at Teatro Principal, alongside the professional sections of Cinema Jove.

A residency focused on professionalisation

This year, the Young Filmmakers Residency will adopt a more practical approach focused on the technical and commercial viability of projects. LABA Valencia. School of Art, Design & New Media will host a four-day mentoring programme for four audiovisual projects led by Gabi Ochoa and Begoña Soler.

The programme will combine creative writing with sessions on financing and project pitching and will conclude with a speed-dating event with production companies.

A new children’s section

Cinema Jove will also launch the new Cinemajove Kids section through a collaboration with the French festival Premiers Plans d’Angers, known for supporting young talent and emerging filmmakers.

Scheduled for June 24 at Sala Rialto, the initiative will feature two animation short film programmes aimed at children and will also include an Audience Award voted on by the attending children, which will be presented during the festival’s closing gala.