The Barcelona International Senior Citizens Film Festival is to be held online

La Gran Pantalla!, the Barcelona International Senior Citizens Film Festival has had to be adapted to the current situation caused by the COVID-19 health and social crisis. Which is why its second edition, take place from 7 to 17 July 2020, will be online, care of the Filmin platform and the festival’s website.

The competition is inviting the pubic to rediscover and assess the world of elderly people through an exhibition of films and organised free debates and activities. It is also offering an inter-generational film-buff meeting point aimed at debunking prejudices and stereotypes regarding that collective. Launched by elParlante and financially supported by Barcelona City Council, this year’s project will provide an opportunity for making new technologies accessible to elderly people in a fun, personalised way, at a time when such people need to be connected to the world more than ever.

Programme and activities

La Gran Pantalla! will have an international selection of 6 feature-length and 14 short films entered in the competition. In addition, it will also be presenting a series of participatory activities, notably including a new section entitled Senior Debates, which will include two talks where guest experts will deal with two problems often affecting elderly people: loneliness and ageism.

The online format will provide a good opportunity for widening the range of the competition’s public, who will be able to enjoy international and domestic films as fascinating as Ask Dr. Ruth, a documentary portrait narrating the incredible life of a Holocaust survivor who become the United State’s most famous sex therapist; the acclaimed Las Cinéphilas, which explains how fiction is entering the lives of three retired women who go to the cinema every day; and the inspirational Qué tal Pascual, which takes us to the enigmatic figure of an 87-year-old Barcelona-based barber who is full of life. Besides documentaries, there will also be a screening of the film The Farewell, acclaimed by critics as one of the best films of 2019.

The Official Short Film Section is made up of 14 films selected from the over 200 entries for this year’s festival, which will be competing in the categories of the La Gran Pantalla Best Short Film Award, the Special Mention from the Jury (if appropriate) and the Audience Award.

You can sign up to the festival and receive free codes for watching its films, invitations to cineforums and customised help with connecting to it.