Fuerteventura Film Commission releases mobile-phone short to encourage entries for new festival edition

The Fuerteventura Film Commission, headed by councillor Nereida Calero, has released “Anatomy of a Witch”, a short film outside the competition, in collaboration with Fuerteventura-based production company Árida Films. Its clear aim is to encourage residents, filmmakers and enthusiasts to enter the second Fuerteventura Film Commission Short Film Festival, which this year is dedicated to the myths and legends of Fuerteventura.

The short film is available at: https://youtu.be/YtvEb6bMDes

A short film made with a mobile phone

“Anatomy of a Witch” draws on the myth of the witches of Tindaya, one of the best-known legends in Fuerteventura’s oral tradition. According to the story, on moonlit nights the island’s witches would gather at the summit of the sacred mountain to dance and fly to America, returning before dawn. The podomorphic engravings on the summit were also attributed to them.

The film was shot entirely on a mobile phone and on location in Fuerteventura. This was a deliberate choice: the organisers want to show that anyone can make a short film with the resources available to them, without large crews or budgets, and that the island’s landscape is a film set in its own right.

Myths and legends: the island’s oral heritage on screen

The festival aims to showcase Fuerteventura’s literary and oral heritage: apparitions, witches, giants, and tales about its mountains and kings, passed down from generation to generation. Alongside the witches of Tindaya, the organisers suggest the Mafasca Light and the giants Guise and Ayose as possible starting points, though any popular story from the island is welcome.

This second edition follows the success of the first, which was dedicated to the Virgen de la Peña, patron saint of Fuerteventura. That call for entries attracted several short films by creators from the island. The competition brought one of the island’s best-loved traditions to audiences through a range of different perspectives and established the festival as a fixture for Fuerteventura’s audiovisual community.

Prizes and how to enter

The festival offers €1,500 in prizes, awarded by a jury of three audiovisual and cultural professionals:

· First prize: trophy, diploma and €1,000.

· Second prize: diploma and €300.

· Third prize: diploma and €200.

All participants will receive a certificate. The prize amounts are gross.

Anyone can enter, regardless of age or place of residence, and there is no limit to the number of works per author. Participants under 18 need permission from a parent or legal guardian.

Entries must be no longer than 15 minutes, including credits, and must be in Spanish or have Spanish subtitles. The recommended resolution is 1080p. Format, style and year of production are unrestricted.

Entry is free and submissions are made via the form at aridafilms.com/festival, with a viewing link (YouTube, Vimeo or Drive) that can be accessed without requesting permission. The deadline is 13 November 2026 at 23:59 (Canary Islands time). The full rules are available on the festival website.