Jury
Meet our Jury of the Benidorm Skyline Film Festival 2024
The jury of this 8 Edition of Skyline Benidorm Film Festival is composed of prominent professionals in the film industry and will be in charge of awarding the prizes.
The jury may declare any of the prizes void if it deems it appropriate, as well as award runners-up prizes without economic endowment. No person interested in the production or exhibition of the films on which the jury is to give its verdict may participate as a jury member.
The decisions of the jury shall be final.
Official Jury
Inés de León
Film and advertising director and screenwriter.
She has directed the films “¿Qué te juegas?” in 2019 starring Amaia Salamanca, Javier Rey, and Leticia Dolera, and “A todo tren 2” in 2022 starring Paz Vega, Paz Padilla, and Santiago Segura, in which she also acts herself.
As an advertising director, she has created campaigns and fashion films for brands such as Gaultier, Levi’s, Lancôme, Chanel, Gucci, and Guerlain.
On the Vogue magazine website, she co-created the series “Fashion Drama” with its director Inés Lorenzo. Each episode is a fun hybrid story between cinema and fashion film. These stories have featured protagonists such as Úrsula Corberó, Nicole Wallace, Amaia Salamanca, Brays Efe, Begoña Vargas, Lola Rodriguez, Sita Abellán, Sara Sálamo, Ingrid García Jonsson, Silvia Alonso, among others…
Enrique López Lavigne
Film and advertising director and screenwriter.
Enrique López Lavigne is one of the most prominent producers in the Spanish industry, with over sixty titles to his credit, including three of the highest-grossing films in Spain’s history. He is responsible for the three seasons of the cult comedy “Vergüenza” on Movistar, the three seasons of “Paquita Salas” on Netflix, and “Veneno” on A3 Media. Other internationally acclaimed titles include “The Impossible” and “A Monster Calls,” directed by J.A. Bayona, “28 Weeks Later” by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, “Verónica,” and more recently, “La Abuela” by Paco Plaza, “Asedio” by Miguel Ángel Vivas, and “Voy a pasármelo bien” by David Serrano. Additionally, he is producing “Yo no soy esa,” the upcoming film by María Ripoll, set to premiere in Autumn.
Paula Prendes
Film and advertising director and screenwriter.
Paula Prendes, holding a degree in Audiovisual Communication from the Pontifical University of Salamanca, has forged a successful career in the entertainment industry in Spain. As a presenter, she has excelled in renowned programs such as ‘Prodigios’, ‘Zapeando’, ‘Cocineros al volante’, ‘Sé lo que hicisteis’, and ‘Periodistas FC’, showcasing her versatility and charisma in front of the camera. In the realm of acting, she has participated in a wide variety of iconic series such as ‘Gran Hotel’, ‘Águila Roja’, ‘Gran Reserva’, ‘B&B’, ‘Víctor Ros’, ‘Velvet’, ‘Servir y proteger’, and ‘Machos Alfa’, establishing herself as a prominent figure in the Spanish television landscape. Among her notable works on the big screen are ‘¿Quién es quién?’, a comedy where she showcased her interpretative versatility, ‘Enterrados’, an intense thriller that captivated audiences, and ‘Fuga de cerebros 2’, a successful comedy that led her to explore new facets in her career.
Script Jury
Paula Sánchez Álvarez
A fiction writer specializing in fiction, she has worked with the Playz platform on series such as Yrreal and programs like Llámalo X. In advertising, she has been the scriptwriter for the “Mi Padre” spot for Glamour España. At the production company Mediacrest, she spent three years in fiction development, notable among which are projects like “Una casa en la playa,” awarded at Conecta Fiction 2021, “17khz,” in development for YLE (the Finnish public television), and “Asuntos Internos,” a series set to premiere in 2024 on RTVE. She recently made her directorial debut with the multi-award-winning short film “Co-Haunting.
Santi y Pablo
Santiago Cardelús completed the Master’s in Fiction Screenwriting for Film and Television in 2017. Since then, he has developed a science fiction series for Mediapro Studios, worked as a studio writer for the series “Servir y Proteger,” aired on TVE, and been part of the writing team for the series “Los Artistas,” aired on Vix and Amazon Prime Video.
Pablo Manchado also completed the Master’s in Fiction Screenwriting for Film and Television. He is a scriptwriter at Plano a Plano production company and has contributed to series such as “Cicatriz,” “Una Vida Menos en Canarias,” “Toy Boy,” and “Servir y Proteger.”
As a creative duo, they have written and directed three short films: “Héroes,” selected in over sixty national and international festivals, winning five awards; “Malas Noticias,” selected in over twenty festivals including FESCIGU and the Medina del Campo Festival; and “La Piscina,” currently in the distribution process.
Gabi Ochoa
Co-writer, alongside Ada Hernández and Rafael Cobos, and director of “El amor no es lo que era” (2013), starring Alberto San Juan, Blanca Romero, Nicolás Coronado, and Aida Folch. The film closed the XVI Spanish Film Festival of Málaga.
Co-creator and co-writer, alongside Héctor Beltrán, Carlos De Pando, and Sara Antuña, of the series “Sin Huellas” (2022) for Amazon Studios and Zeta Studios.
He has worked on various developments such as the series “Ronda sud” (2018) for À Punt Media, “Ultratumba” (2019), winner of Best DigiSeries at Conecta Fiction 2019, “Historias del Palmar” (2020) DAMA Aid 2019 and IVC Development Aid 2020, “Sin cuartel” (2022) Residencies of the Academy of Cinema, or “Misterioso incauto” (2023) in development for À Punt Media. All written alongside Héctor Beltrán.
Furthermore, in feature film projects such as “Las guerras correctas” (2015), adaptation of his theatrical work for Álamo Producciones, and “Nena” (2023), for TV ON Producciones and developed in the Faber Llull laboratories, Toronto 2022, Mostra Afers, and Dissident House, among others.
Shortpitch Jury
Begoña Ballester-Olmos
As an Audiovisual Producer since 2005 and Audiovisual Translator since 2008, in 2012 she founded bbo and dedicated herself fully to audiovisual translation from both technical and linguistic perspectives. Her technical expertise allows her to anticipate potential issues, assess them, and offer versatile solutions.
In recent years, bbo has become a leading agency, having translated and subtitled renowned films such as “Alcarràs,” “As Bestas,” “Fallen Leaves,” “20 000 especies de abejas,” and “Vidas pasadas,” among others.
Their Spanish Production Pack is the flagship service of bbo, offering a comprehensive solution from dialogue list creation to subtitles in any language, special subtitles, audio description, and sign language.
She is a member of the administrative board of DAMA and a member of ALIA, ATRAE, AJEV, and AESAV.
Claudia Ortega
Claudia Ortega Olivares (born in Benidorm, 1995) moved to the capital city of Madrid to study Dramatic Arts at CITM. After graduating, she attended a dramaturgy workshop with Sanchís Sinisterra and two annual workshops at EdE Madrid, focusing on novel and script writing. That summer, she traveled to Cuba to attend an acting direction workshop at EICTV, San Antonio de los Baños. Upon her return, she began studying Film and Television Scriptwriting at ECAM, from which she graduated in 2021. In 2019, she started her journey as a theater director with “Azul o canción a un poeta suicida,” a play she premiered with her company La Frágil at RESAD and various alternative venues in Madrid, such as Umbral de Primavera, where she also premiered “Nuestros hijos” in March 2021. In 2021, she began her master’s degree in narrative at EdE Madrid.
As a screenwriter, she has developed the fictional feature film “Beroa,” a project that won the Cantabriafilmfestival2020, participated in the Laboratorio Fire 2021 in Barcelona, was selected in forums like Abycine Lanza 2021, and was part of the youth section of the Berlinale 2022. It also won the first prize for a young project at Lesgaicinema 2021, Cantabria’s grants in 2021, and participated in Atlántidafilmfest 2022. She is currently developing “Oh, cariño,” her first fictional feature film as a screenwriter and director. It participated in the Cima Impulsa 2021 program, Ibicine2022 Pitch program, Fire Lab 2022 in Barcelona (where it won the award for best feature film project by the festival and best screenplay by DAMA), and the Summer Camp of the Academy of Cinema 2023. She has just finished shooting her first fictional short film as a director, “¿Por qué lloran las chicas?” which won the Skyline Film Festival 2023 in Benidorm.
Additionally, she has worked at Alpha Productions as a screenwriter and director, and as a script reader and analyst at festivals and laboratories such as Labdelnorte 2023.
Macu Esteve
Hace ya 10 años que reactivamos el servicio de ventanilla única para gestionar los permisos y las necesidades de las producciones audiovisuales en la ciudad.
En estos años hemos logrado una implicación total de todos los departamentos municipales ofreciendo una respuesta inmediata a cualquier producción, por lo que hemos visto incrementado el número de producciones, año tras año.
En toda esta trayectoria hemos conseguido posicionarnos como ciudad “film friendly” donde rodar es fácil y así aprovechamos el retorno publicitario de nuestra ciudad como destino turístico, e impulsamos el empleo en el sector audiovisual local.
Nuestro objetivo al colaborar en el jurado del short pitch de este festival es conseguir, de la mano de la productora ganadora, que tengan una gran experiencia y que Benidorm sea también protagonista del corto.
Julio Blas
Julio Blas is the director and founder of Echar a Rodar, a sustainability consultancy applied to the audiovisual industry. At Echar a Rodar, they develop sustainability plans for projects such as “La Mesias” for Movistar+, “Verano en Diciembre,” “Las Chicas de la Estación,” “Premios Berlanga,” and Skyfilm Festival. Currently, he is pursuing a Doctorate in Audiovisual Sustainability. With over 25 years of experience in television and radio as a director (working for channels like Canal +, Cadena SER, Mediaset, Movistar+), Julio holds a degree in Audiovisual Communication from UCM, a Master’s in Direction and Production of Audiovisual Content from VIU, a Master’s in Secondary Education and Vocational Training in the specialty of Processes and Audiovisual Communication from URJC, Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification from PMI®, and is a Higher Technician in Audiovisual Project Management from CES School. Passionate about communication in general and audiovisual media in particular, Julio also has a strong commitment to teaching. He teaches at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, OBS Business School, and has worked at Universidad Complutense de Madrid and in Vocational Training, as well as conducting specialized courses and workshops for companies.
Samuel Alarcón
Samuel Alarcón Izquierdo (Madrid, 1980) is a filmmaker, communicator, screenwriter, producer, and sound designer. He works in non-fiction, essay film, video creation, as well as sound documentaries. His works have premiered at the Biennale di Venezia, MACRO in Rome, Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid, Festival de Cine Europeo de Sevilla, Documentamadrid, and have been broadcast on Radio Nacional de España. He received a residency at the Real Academia de España in Rome, where he made his first feature film, “La ciudad de los signos” (2009), which won the Audience Award at Documentamadrid 2009. In 2013, he created “El cine que viene,” a radio program for the dissemination of independent Ibero-American cinema on Radio Nacional de España. His second solo feature film, “Oscuro y Lucientes” (2018), addresses the case of the missing head of Francisco de Goya and premiered at the Festival de Cine Europeo de Sevilla. It won the award for Best Screenplay at Madrid Crealab and the Jerry Goldsmith Award for Best Soundtrack. In 2020, he premiered his experimental short film “Déjame Hablar” (2020) dedicated to the musician Luis de Pablo at the Biennale di Venezia and received the award for Best Sound at Alcine in the same year. Also in 2020, he joined the team of “Documentos RNE” as a screenwriter and sound designer. That same year, the program won the Bravo Communication Award in radio and later the Tiflos Journalism Award. In 2022, he premiered “El género chico,” a documentary dedicated to musical theater from the late 19th century in Madrid.
International Jury
Jaime E. Manrique
Founder and director of LABORATORIOS BLACK VELVET, a comprehensive film management company, in continuous activity for over 25 years spanning from communications, through production, to distribution. He is the founder and director of the Bogotá Short Film Festival / Festival de Cortos de Bogotá – BOGOSHORTS, conceptual designer of the BOGOSHORTS Movement, and strategist of its Latin American short film distribution agency, BOGOSHORTS Film Agency. He is also the creator and editor of PANTALLA COLOMBIA for the past 22 years, a weekly newsletter on Colombian cinema, owned by Proimágenes Colombia, where he has served as digital communications advisor for the past two decades.
Analyzed films in over 15 media outlets in recent years. He was a partner and part of the management team at Cine Tonalá Bogotá, an alternative exhibition venue in the Colombian capital (2015-2020). He has directed communications and launch campaigns for over 65 Colombian films and film festivals, including the FICCI – Festival Internacional de Cine de Cartagena de Indias (2011-2019). He is one of the founding members of the Academia Colombiana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas – ACACC and its current director of communications.
He has served as a jury member and/or programmer in the short film category at various film festivals: FICCI (Colombia), DocsMX (Mexico), Tampere Film Festival (Finland), Cusco (Peru), Vision Youth Awards (China), Le Nouveau Cinema du Montreal (Canada), Curta Cinema – Festival Internacional De Curtas Do Rio De Janeiro (Brazil), Durban International Film Festival (South Africa), interfilm Berlin (Germany), Minikino – Bali International Short Film Festival (Indonesia), among others.
He has taught various film courses at Universidad Externado de Colombia, Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Politécnico Grancolombiano, and is a professor of Distribution and Film Marketing at the Production Department of the International School of Film and Television EICTV, San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba.
Celia Vela
Co-director of the Almagro International Film Festival (AIFF) and Artistic General Coordinator of the Film and Word Festival (CIBRA, Toledo). Actress, Assistant Director, and Artistic Researcher of Manchego origin with over 20 years of professional experience in Mexico. As an actress, she has performed in over 1000 theatrical productions, as well as numerous film, television, and advertising productions.
As assistant to the artistic director Raúl Farell in Mexico, she has been involved in productions and stage setups in collaboration with some of Mexico’s most important public and private institutions, including: the National Institute of Fine Arts (INBA), the National Coordination of Literature and Theater (CNLT), the Mexican Institute of Cinematography (IMCINE), the Consulate of the Republic of Argentina in Mexico, the Franz Mayer Foundation, the Jose Luis Cuevas Museum, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), among many others.
Rosalía Mayor
Rosalía Mayor is a prominent journalism professional with extensive experience both in journalistic practice and associative management. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Sciences, specialized in Journalism, obtained from the Complutense University of Madrid, and a Master’s degree in Journalism from ABC.
In her professional experience, she stands out for her appointment as president of the Association of Journalists of the Province of Alicante for the period 2019-2023. Additionally, she held the position of Director and member of the Editorial Board of the magazines CANELOBRE and EL SALT, published by the Juan Gil-Albert Alicante Institute of Culture. During her tenure, she demonstrated a deep knowledge of the heritage, traditions, and historical figures of the province, covering a wide range of relevant topics.
In addition to her journalistic work, Rosalía has actively participated in social and cultural activities, excelling as a moderator of roundtable discussions, speaker, and judge in various events. She has also shown a commitment to her continuous education, participating in courses and workshops on data verification, artificial intelligence, social skills, among others.
Her commitment to social responsibility is reflected in her participation in school competition juries and events related to inclusion and youth. For her outstanding work, she has received several awards, including the appointment as Andalusian of the Year by the Juan Ramón Jiménez Andalusian House Association of Alicante and the Women’s Classroom Award “A Lifetime Achievement” from the Higher Institute of Education Sciences.
PNR Jury
Sonia Bautista
Screenwriter, director, and producer. She holds a degree in Audiovisual Communication. She studied Screenwriting at the EICTV in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. She first got involved in cinema with the Etna Group in Paris in 2008, where she made her first experimental short film in 16mm under the guidance of filmmaker Hugo Verlinde. She has chaired the national filmmakers’ association Plataforma Nuevos Realizadores and been a board member for five years. She directed the Madrid Film Festival for three years until 2022. She has written, directed, and produced numerous short films, branded content, music videos, and various audiovisual projects. She currently works as a producer at El Cañonazo Transmedia and is working on a new fiction short and her first documentary feature. She is a curator, programmer, project advisor, and jury member at various national and international film festivals, labs, and showcases.
Carlos Escolástico
Carlos Escolástico trained in photography at the ICP in New York. He currently dedicates himself to audiovisual production through the FOTOMOTORA platform, while simultaneously pursuing his artistic vocation through projects focused on portraiture and the use of psychological resources for audiovisual creation. He is a member of the Plataforma de Nuevos Realizadores and has been working as a camera operator at the CENTRAL DE CINE school in Madrid since 2015. As a director, he has made several short films that have had extensive participation in international festivals.
Michèle Masse
Michèle has developed her career in the French film industry for over thirty years, working in production and direction departments as a producer, author/director, location manager, and first and second assistant director.
In 2022, she founded Delicias Films in Madrid, a production company aimed at producing high-quality auteur films of various genres. She aspires to explore themes related to human rights, social justice, equality, diversity, and respect for the earth, focusing on individuals who are often invisible.
Additionally, she aims to give voice to emerging female talents and prioritize sustainability as an integral part of the production process.
She is currently developing several fiction and documentary short and feature film projects as a producer.
