L'Alternativa Barcelona Independent Film Festival

Overview

L'Alternativa Barcelona Independent Film Festival is Barcelona's most important independent film festival. Founded in 1994 and held annually in November at the Centre de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona (CCCB) -- one of Europe's most important contemporary arts centers -- the festival presents adventurous international independent cinema to the Catalan capital's arts audiences.

Barcelona's identity as one of Europe's most architecturally extraordinary and culturally vibrant cities -- the home of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia and Park Guell, the birthplace of Joan Miro and Pablo Picasso's early career, and a city with a distinctly Catalan cultural identity within Spain -- creates an audience that approaches independent cinema with both aesthetic sophistication and political engagement.

The festival's association with the CCCB situates it within a broader contemporary arts context, allowing film to be programmed in dialogue with other arts disciplines.

Key Sections

• International Competition -- independent films competing for jury prizes
• Catalan Film Program -- films by Catalan filmmakers
• Spanish Independent Film -- films from across Spain
• Documentary Competition -- nonfiction features
• Short Film Competition -- competitive short programs

What Filmmakers Should Know

L'Alternativa accepts open submissions. The CCCB setting and the festival's arts center context creates programming opportunities for films in dialogue with contemporary art and design. For Catalan filmmakers, the festival provides the most important Barcelona independent platform.

Major Awards

• Best Film -- jury prize
• Best Catalan Film
• Audience Award

Festival History

L'Alternativa was founded in 1994 and has operated for three decades as Barcelona's primary independent film event.

See Also

For Catalan and Spanish cinema, see International Film Markets. For the San Sebastian film festival, see San Sebastian International Film Festival.