In this episode of “Carolyn Talks…” she speaks with founder and director Sandra Seeling Lipski about what inspired Sandra to start her own film festival in Spain, its current programming and her future plans, and how Evolution Mallorca can influence and change how international tourists see the city. Film festivals are not only for entertainment, they provide venues for people from all walks of life to learn about other people from other cultures through the medium of film. Sandra saw the need for a festival in Mallorca, and created her own with the Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival (EMIFF).
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As someone who is relatively new to film criticism as a career, I am learning that industry events like film festivals aren’t, or I should say, shouldn’t be open to the select few. Growing up I saw pictures and videos of events like Cannes and like many other thoughts, only the very elite had a right to be there. But after speaking with Sandra about EMIFF (and attending TIFF), I have shed this naive and frankly harmful idea. Sanda and her board are seeking to make films not only accessible for audiences but provide the much-needed exposure for young creatives to have their work be seen.
Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival (EMIFF) is one of the fastest-growing and exciting film festivals in the Mediterranean. An excellent hub for networking with some of the brightest minds in filmmaking, EMIFF is as intimate and invigorating as it is breathtakingly gorgeous.
Filmmakers and industry professionals visit this island paradise to discover “the next great generation of filmmakers” The festival presents a diverse selection from world premieres to film festival favorites, short film screenings, Q&As, a Drive-In Cinema section at the Philip Stark designed Port Adriano, an Art & Cine event at the Gerhardt Braun Gallery and Industry events such as the Producers Club at the modern museum of contemporary art Es Baluard.
Said EMIFF Founder and Executive Director Sandra Seeling Lipski, “EMIFF is more than a film festival; it provides a forum for cultural understanding and enriching educational opportunities, focusing on showcasing a diverse collection of both local and international independent films.”
Events during the festival include:
Opening Night Gala
Gala Award and Tribute to GOYA winning Spanish actress Marisa Paredes
Evolution VISION Award to Cannes winning Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen
Special Evolutionary Award presentation to Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Tobias Lindholm
Spanish premiere of Funny Story with writer/director Michael J. Gallagher and lead actors Matthew Glave and Jana Winternitz
Spanish premiere of acclaimed French film M by Sara Forestier
Special Tribute screening of Pedro Almodóvar’s acclaimed Spanish cult film The Flower of My Secret with Marisa Paredes in attendance
Special screening of Arctic followed by Q&A with Mads Mikkelsen
Screening of Berlinale hit Away You Go by Philipp Eichholtz
Spanish premiere of acclaimed Documentary George Michael – Freedom
Sandra Seeling Lipski: Born in Berlin and raised in Palma de Mallorca, Sandra is an award-winning actress, filmmaker, and festival director with a unique international background and experience, currently based in Los Angeles and Palma de Mallorca. She is fluent in English, Spanish and German. Her earliest passion was acting, and after working professionally as a teenager in Europe, she studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre School in New York City. She then moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career, and begin her filmmaker career as well. She graduated from the Los Angeles Film School with a degree in Directing and Producing in 2012.
In 2012 she founded the inaugural Evolution! Mallorca International Film Festival, with the goal of creating a world-class, destination film festival in the Mediterranean that celebrates innovative independent cinema amidst the natural beauty of Palma de Mallorca.
To keep up with festival announcements follow on Twitter @EVOLUTIONIFF, the official hashtag #EMIFF18
