Sitges Film Festival


SITGES - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Catalonia, Spain. It specializes in fantasy, horror and cult films. Established in 1968, the festival takes place every year, usually in early October, and is considered to be one of the world's top 3 largest and most prestigious genre film festivals, alongside Fantasia and Fantastic Fest.

History

The festival's origins lie in the International Week of Fantasy and Horror Movies, held in 1968.
The 55th edition of the festival was held from 6 to 16 October 2022. It was the 22nd edition of the awards.

Venues

The main venue of the Sitges Film Festival is the Auditori, located in the Hotel Melià Sitges, which has a capacity of 1,380 seats. In the same building the Tramuntana Room provides space for journalists to gather each morning.
As of 2023, other venues are: Cine El Retiro, Cine Casino Prado, and various other venues in the "King Kong area" providing for exhibitions, gatherings, and other events.

Directors

, the director of the festival since 2001 is Àngel Sala Corbí. Previous directors have included:
  • Roc Villas i Ventura
  • Àlex Gorina i Macià

Awards

Since 1971 the festival has given awards to the best films, actors, and filmmakers.
The festival is accredited by FIAPF as a "competitive film festival specialised in fantasy films".
The Gorilla are the festival's main awards. Award-winners are selected by an international jury. These awards are:
The festival also presents:
  • The José Luis Guarner Critics’ Award
  • Citizen Kane Award for the Best Debut Feature
  • The Noves Visions Award
  • The Carnet Jove Jury Award
  • The Grand Honorary Award
  • The Anima't Awards for Best Animated Short and Feature Film
  • The Màquina del Temps Award, given to individuals from the fantasy world film genre
  • The Midnight X-Treme Award, for the best motion picture from the special screenings
and a few others.