'Most complete' Zoom audiovisual festival kicks off in Igualada

The Ateneu d'Igualada Municipal Theater hosted the launch of the 17th edition of the Zoom Festival, an international festival held in Catalonia which puts the spotlight on a wide range of audiovisual content.

The festival runs from November 26 until December 1, this year boasting the ''most complete'' in the festival's history, with fifty productions set to be screened, twice as many as in 2018, thanks to the addition of other genres beyond television fiction. 

This year, entertaining, informative, cultural and informative or sports pieces will be shown. For example, there will be a documentary about Natividad Yarza, the first female mayor in Spain, who left her job as a teacher to fight in the Civil War.

At the inauguration, co-director of the festival Jordi Comellas said he was ''optimistic'' with the ''new path'' and expectation that it has generated.

The festival was supposed to be kicked off by the premiere of the film 'Èxode' (2019) by Román Parrado, co-produced by Catalonia Television (TVC) and the Magic Audio Set. A film starring Marcel Borràs, Joan Amargos, Òscar Muñoz, Marta Aguilar and Roser Tàpies, it is set in Civil War Spain in 1938 after the defeat of the Republican army at the Battle of the Ebre.

However, due to technical problems the full film was unable to be shown, and the premiere has been postponed for another day in the festival.

The City Council has recently nominated the city to be the capital of Catalan culture, and its mayor has stressed that festivals such as Zoom demonstrate the city's talent.

A festival beyond productions 

Fellow-director Anna Cervera has underlined the importance of the elements of the festival that go beyond the productions shown, with initiatives such as MeetZoom Pro set to allow ''synergies'' among professionals in the sector.

Throughout the week, attendees will be able to see screenings from around the world in the main section, as well as Catalan productions in the Zoom Km0 section. The schedule also features the Zoom Class, which will be held in Igualada in central Catalonia and Barcelona, where students will be able to broaden their knowledge in the world of television and formats. 

Social media awards announced on opening night

The first prizes have been awarded, directed towards social media stars. Influencers Luc Loren and Pau Clavero picked up Best Youtuber and Best Instagrammer respectively. 

The former was chosen by the students of the Faculty of Communication of Blanquerna-Ramon Llull University. The Gaspar Camps and IES Joan mercader de Igualada schools picked the latter. Both will collect their prizes on Saturday, on the festival's closing night. 

With a change of format due to the introduction of new genres, five awards will be given to the Official Section: Best Fiction, Best Entertainment Program, Best Sports Program, Best Cultural and Outreach Program and Best Informative Program. 

On the final night, Zoom Honor Awards will be presented to television presenter Mari Pau Huguet and streaming service Movistar Channel #0. 

For a full list of activities and scheduled screenings, visit the festival's official website.