Editor

Festival del Sol presents in Canarias the most convincing gay and lesbian international movies

• After its first edition’s success, the Canary Islands International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, celebrates its second edition from 16th to 21st of January ´07 in Gran Canaria and from 30th of January to 4th of February ´07 in Tenerife.

• A great amount of premiers shape the festival’s attractive program.

The best international gay and lesbian cinema will shape Festival del Sol’s program, the Canary Islands International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Eighteen sessions, three per day, will take place in parallel from Tuesday 16th to Sunday 21st January, at the Centro Cultural de La Caja de Canarias, CICCA, in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (at 18:30h, 20:30h y 22:30h), and at the Club Tucanes in Playa del Inglés (at 20:00h). The theatre of the Casa de la Cultura de la Granja in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, will accommodate from Tuesday 30th January to Sunday 4th February, the same number of sessions, at the same times as in Gran Canaria.

Festival del Sol, a fascinating proposal to enjoy independent high quality cinema, will offer the possibility of viewing great films, many of them premiers, of recent production from all around the world.

The festival’s first edition, carried out in January 2006 in Gran Canaria, exceeded all expectations and the goals set by the organization were reached and surpassed, having to hang the sign of “sold out” at every single session. Such success has meant the extension of the festival: more films, more sessions and the arrival of the festival at another island: Tenerife.

Comedy, action, drama or thriller, Festival del Sol offers different stories, explained from the authors’ personal perspectives. We will be able to discover a whole world of feelings and emotions. Each director has given a particular description of human realities, beyond the affective orientation of the characters. Cinematographic looks on gay and lesbian life from all around the world contribute to the enhancement of respect towards diversity.

The event arouses great interest between the archipelago’s inhabitants, visitors from all nationalities as well as within the international audio-visual environment. Along with the cultural and social values of the festival, Festival del Sol becomes, without doubt, an important tourism engine, putting on the map the Canary Islands and giving proof of their open minded character.

Popular directors and actors of the films will assist Gran Canaria and Tenerife sessions. The films will be showed on original language, with Spanish or English subtitles, depending on their country of origin. The jury of each island, made up by well known cinematographic professionals and members of Gran Canaria and Tenerife gay and lesbian communities, will award prizes to the best feature film, short film, actor and actress.

Throughout cinema, Festival del Sol wants to keep on making the Canary Island a place open to diversity. Three venues, along twelve days, will accommodate forty two sessions. GAMÁ, ALGARABÍA and the Canarian Government (along with other organizations), contribute to the well development of the Canary Islands International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. The website www.festivaldelsol.org informs about all the details of the event.