The Sitges Film Festival (Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya) has been taking place in Sitges from 5 October through tomorrow. This year is the 50th year for the film festival.
Over the last few years of vacationing here we were aware that they had a big film festival but it was always after we had returned home. We had seen the banners hanging in town, the promotional posters and video clips of Antonio Banderas receiving awards. We are not into film festivals and award shows so we really never paid any attention to it. Although some of their posters certainly made us wonder about it. This is the first one we saw back in 2013. Sure catches your attention doesn’t it.
We finally looked up details on it. According to Wikipedia it is “one of the world’s foremost international festivals specializing in fantasy and horror films.” Well, that explains the poster above doesn’t it!?
Forgive me but definitely not my thing. I am really not into fantasy films and I stopped watching horror films about 30 years ago.
Last year on one of our last days of vacation we were having a drink in one of the restaurants overlooking Sant Sebastià beach when they started erecting tents in preparation for the film festival. It was still almost two weeks before the festival was to start. The placement of the tents completely blocked the view from the restaurants along the beach. We weren’t sure what they would be used for although we guessed they were for vendors to sell things. It didn’t and still doesn’t seem like the best place to put them in our opinion.
The first photo shows the tents right above the beach. There are wonderful restaurants right behind them that normally have a view of the gorgeous beach. Except for about a month of the year.
Even more disappointing to us was when we saw the poor standard of the merchandise that is being sold in these tents that block the beach.
Even the statue looks disappointed.
There is a zombie walk, film screenings, awards, and parties. Susan Sarandon won the Grand Honorary Award this year.
Movistar has put a temporary movie theater on the beach.
Another of the venues that are part of the festival.
You can have your picture taken in town in front of King Kong.
There was another photo opportunity set with a coffin that you could lay in. Sorry no photo of that.
We walked down from the church to see King Kong arriving. Well, maybe being unloaded is a better word for it.
You can check out the finished beast here. He is part of the big finale tonight. Sorry but the finished beast doesn’t look very much like King Kong to me.
You know…I just remembered that in 1976 I went to see King Kong (the remake) with a boy I really liked a lot named Jon. My memory of that scary movie? He didn’t hold my hand like I had hoped. So, for me it was probably a sad movie. LOL.
So, if you are into fantasy and horror films then this festival is for you. The stars do come out for it and with Sitges the size that it is star sightings would be easy. Unfortunately for these films I would have no idea if I was staring at one of the stars or not.
The Winery Woman 