Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival (ESFF)
The Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival (ESFF) was conceived in September, 2013. Our director and curator, Marian A. Aréchaga, a Spanish Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Edinburgh and self-proclaimed ‘film buff’, identified a gap in Edinburgh’s film calendar and a niche for a Hispanic cultural event. Buoyed on by this vibrant, cultural city, always supportive of its art festivals and the growing interest and links around Hispanic culture in Scotland, the seed of the ESFFl was sown.
Marian initially engaged with the Spanish Ministry of Culture to establish a relationship between them and the Hispanic Studies (today Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies) department at the University to set up a film festival in Edinburgh. This partnership soon turned this remote idea into a wonderful reality. Mighty oaks from little acorns do grow!
With French and Italian film festivals already established in the city, a Spanish film festival was conspicuous by its absence, especially given the prominent Hispanic community in Edinburgh. We wanted to fill that void with a festival covering a wide range of films for everyone, from the ‘first-timers’ and ‘foodies’ to the ‘fanatics’! A festival that supports and promotes the cultural richness and diversity of Spanish cinema, and also highlights unmissable films from Latin America!
We have been working hard for the last eleven years to make this festival happen and build on it year-on-year. We are enormously grateful to the University of Edinburgh , the Spanish Ministry of Culture, the Spanish Embassy in London and the Cervantes Institute Manchester for their ongoing support. We also extend our gratitude to our colleagues, friends and followers, and everybody that has worked with us over the years. Finally, we are indebted to all our sponsors without whom the festival as we know it would not be possible.
A huge ‘thank you’ to all, and we look ahead to our ELEVENTH edition. We hope to see you there!
