The FILMETS Badalona Film Festival, the oldest short film festival in Spain, has kicked off its 51st edition with an opening session that showcased both the international quality of the participating productions and its strong commitment to local talent.
Badalona, 18th october 2025.
This first session featured six short films, three of which were Spanish productions —two from Catalonia— highlighting the vitality and creative diversity of the festival. Among the standout titles were the world premiere of Davi, by Júlia González (Catalonia); the Catalan premiere of Black Scarf, by Ali Reza Shah Hosseini (Iran), winner at the San Sebastián Human Rights Film Festival; and the debut short Prou bé, by Anna Carbonell (Catalonia).
During the opening ceremony, the festival’s new artistic director, Marc Orts, stated that his intention “is to make the festival breathe honesty, curiosity, and openness. To make it a space where cinema connects us, where ideas flow freely, and where diversity is a richness, not a label. I want every film screened, every encounter, every debate to be an invitation to look at the world differently — and, above all, to look at ourselves.”
RRosa del Amo, third deputy mayor of the Badalona City Council, highlighted that “FILMETS is more than a festival; it is a celebration of creativity, cultural diversity, and artistic freedom. It is a living example that local talent can engage in dialogue with the best international productions.”
For his part, Xavier Casanovas, General Director of Badalona Comunicació, the public body that organizes the festival, emphasized that this year marks “the laying of the first stone of a new stage” with the aim of “broadening the audience and renewing the commitment to grow the festival as an international reference, connecting more with the industry and local talent.”
Edmon Roch, Venus of Honour 2025
The first Venus of Honour of this edition of the FILMETS Badalona Film Festival was awarded to producer Edmon Roch, who reminded the audience that “cinema was born as a short film, and that today, true cinema is still found in short films. It is in the short film where real risk and true talent can be found, as it is free from the limitations of feature films, where many elements can hinder creativity and talent”.
Roch holds a degree in Art History. With more than 25 years of experience in the film industry, he has worked as producer on internationally acclaimed projects such as Barcelona (associate producer), The Last Days of Disco (co-producer), and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (executive producer). He also served as production manager on Seven Years in Tibet. In 2009, he wrote, directed and produced Garbo, the Spy, winner of the Goya Award and Gaudí Award for Best Documentary, as well as the Golden Giraldillo for Best European Documentary. In 2004, he founded Ikiru Films, through which he produced the successful animated saga Tad, the Lost Explorer, along with films such as El niño, Lope, Bruc, Séptimo, Biutiful, Capture the Flag, La lluna en un cove, Pope Joan, Ghost Graduation, The Book of Sara, Yucatán, Staff Only, Adú and Sanmao: The Desert Bride. In recent years, Edmon Roch has released Outlaws (Las leyes de la frontera), Tad, the Lost Explorer and the Emerald Tablet, The Emerald Table, A Man of Action, The House Among the Cacti, The Communion Girl, Saben aquell, Segundo premio and Papallones negres. His upcoming projects include Siempre es invierno, La cena, and Oh, Nora! (to be released in 2025), as well as Cinco minutos más (2026).
EEdmon Roch has served as vice president of the Spanish Film Academy, board member of the Catalan Film Academy, press chief of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, and is the author of the book Key Films of War Cinema. His productions have been selected in the official sections of prestigious festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, San Sebastián, Toronto, IDFA, Annecy, Mar del Plata, and IFFI-GOA, among many others. He has personally received six Goya Awards, eight Gaudí Awards, two Forqué Awards, two Platino Awards, a Biznaga de Oro, and a Golden Giraldillo.
