figueres

The 26^th edition of Girona´s Film Festival runs from the 15^th to the 19^th of July and will screen 175 films; a mix of feature films and short movies from 35 different countries. The festival will kick off with the restored version of Josep Maria Forn´s Los Culpables, shot in Girona in 1962. The event will also contain a new section entitled ´Made in Costa Brava Girona´, which will showcase new and old films shot in the north-eastern part of Catalonia. The festival is made up of 14 sections, six of which will include the presentation of non-monetary awards. Acclaimed Spanish designer, Javier Mariscal, will be a member of the judging panel.

The director of the Dalí Theatre-Museum, Antoni Pitxot, stated on Monday that he does not contemplate changing the functioning of the museum in the event of Catalan independence. "I think there will be no conflict because the museum was created by Dali and an intelligent leader would never put any obstacles to the continuation of his great work" said Pitxot, who was a close friend of the artist until his death in 1989. Pitxot also stressed that the museum and its collection is "not divisible". In his last will, Salvador Dalí named Spain as the universal heir to his property, and the state negotiated with the Catalan government to leave 134 works of art in Figueres and bequeath 56 to Madrid.

The third Festival Internacional del Circ de Figueres held its final gala on Monday evening with 13 performances on show. The winners of the Golden Elephant were a Chinese juggler, Kai Cao, and two more Asian groups, the Chinese Flag Circus and the North Korean National Circus of Pyongyang. The Critics Jury and a Jury dedicated to the image of the performances awarded prizes to two Chilean artists, the contortionist Catalina Pala and the clown Pastelito. This year, more than 28,000 spectators attended the festival, double the attendance of the first year.

The Dalí Museums welcomed a total of 1,580,517 visitors in 2013, meaning an 8.42 % increase over 2012. This is the most important figure ever achieved by all three museums of the Dalí Foundation, located in north-eastern Catalonia: the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, the Gala-Dalí Castle in Púbol (near the Costa Brava) and the artist’s house in Port Lligat, Cadaqués (a Costa Brava town). The Dalí Foundation congratulated itself and insisted such record attendance would spread even further the artist’s legacy in Spain and across the world.

1 million passengers are expected to use the new direct High-Speed Train between Barcelona and Paris within a year. The Spanish Transport Minister Ana Pastor, her French counterpart Fréderic Cuvillier and the Catalan Minister for Planning and Sustainability Santi Vila, have described the High-Speed connection as a “milestone” that will further develop the bond between states and develop their economy. The very first direct train from Barcelona to Paris circulated last Sunday, connecting seventeen cities between the two states. Both Catalan and French ministers have stated they had taken measures to accelerate the construction of the Perpignan-Montpellier section, where trains are still circulating at a regular speed, making journeys significantly longer.

The Spanish Government has finally set a date for the first direct High Speed Train between Barcelona and Paris. Passengers will no longer have to switch trains near the French border and a direct TGV will link Paris and Barcelona from the 15^th of December. The journey will last 6 hours and 20 minutes, since there is no high-speed railway in the 200-kilometre stretch between Perpignan and Nîmes and trains circulate at a regular speed. The High-Speed railway between Nîmes and Montpellier should be operative by 2017, but the French Government announced last June that the construction of the 150 km between Montpellier and Perpignan would be delayed beyond 2030. The Catalan Executive as well as French and Catalan Euro MPs have requested the French Government to reconsider its decision after the EU has included the Mediterranean Railway Corridor among its 9 main transport priorities until 2020.

The 12th edition of the Acústica music festival has broken records with the highest amount of spectators ever. The five day music event, located in the town of Figueres in the north-east region of Girona, saw a total of 80,000 spectators – an increase of 25% on last years edition. The annual festival showcased the best of Catalan music and for its duration the centre of Figueres was transformed into a pedestrainised zone with open air stages in the streets. The most popular concerts were those of the groups Chambao, La Pegatina and the municipal band of Figueres and Delafé y las Flores Azules. The director of the event, Xavier Pascual, stated the attendance figures illustrate the “good health” of Catalan music and culture.

The magic of circus descended on Figueres last week. Over a long weekend, this town in northern Catalonia, close to the French border and the Costa Brava, hosted the second edition of the International Circus Festival. The event is unique due to its global visibility and the performances of artists belonging to the international circus elite, who have never been seen before in Western Europe. The Festival is a special experience for spectators, but also represents a professional chance for artists to become known, as they compete before a jury formed by key personalities in the field, such as Line Giason, the Casting Director of Cirque du Soleil. This year’s winners were Jinan Acrobatics Troupe from China and Troupe Yakov Ekk from Russia.

The three Dalí museums managed by the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation were visited by 1.46 million people, 1.82% more visitors than in 2011. The Teatre Museu Dalí in Figueres, the Gala Dalí castle in Púbol and the Salvador Dalí house in Portlligat, all exhibit the work of the most important figure of Surrealism and represent a key tourism attraction for Catalonia and for the Costa Brava area.

The Spanish Government has finally finished the construction work and circulation tests on the last 131-kilometre stretch of railroad to France. Barcelona, Girona and Figueres are now linked by High Speed Train, although a direct connection between the Catalan capital and France will have to wait until next April. Now, passengers can travel from Barcelona to Girona in only 37 minutes and to Figueres in a total of 53 minutes. If they want to continue to France, they will have to switch trains until April, when the Spanish trains will be standardised to be able to run in France. However, from now on, the Spanish and the French High Speed railway networks will finally be connected, twenty years after the Madrid-Seville line was unveiled. The Catalan President has emphasised that Catalonia is the Autonomous Community with the smallest amount of public infrastructures in Spain.

Skye Edwards, the lead singer from the British band Morcheeba will be performing tracks from her new solo album at the Figueres Acústica Festival in northern Catalonia. The festival, as part of an initiative to internationalise the event, is also organising a week long holiday for the singer and her family. Edwards will perform her new material at the festival this Saturday and will also talk about her experiences in Catalonia on social media websites.

According to the Catalan Government, the High-Speed Train service linking the Catalan capital with the French border has been delayed one more year, this time until the end of 2013. The reason is that work on two sections of the railway, managed by the Spanish Government, is still pending to be allocated. They are the Barcelona exit and the section through Girona; both total €33 million according to the Catalan Government. The rest is already built and the service between the northern city of Figueres and the French city of Perpignan is already in operation. However, this strategic railway is not fully completed between Figueres and Barcelona due to a long list of delays.

CNA interviewed Ángel Corella, perhaps the best known face of ballet in Spain. Corella’s company is now established in the Catalan capital with a new name: ‘Barcelona Ballet’. Furthermore, Corella will manage a new international dancing school and residence in Figueres, a town in northern Catalonia. The school will train young talents aged between 11 and 18, aiming to feed the ‘Barcelona Ballet’ company. In an exclusive interview, Corella explains the reasons behind his recent moves and gives us the low-down on the situation of the dance industry in our country.

The Púbol Castle, located near the Costa Brava, reopened its doors on March 15th after being closed for a year. The house of Salvador Dalí in Cadaqués, North of the Costa Brava, re-opened on February 12th, after its usual winter break.

Last weekend, Figueres held the final of the first edition of the International Circus Festival Castell de Figueres. The winners were the Troupe Zolà, a Mongolian group who seduced the public with their extraordinary platform jumps. Magic, music, great artists and a fantastic show were the ingredients of a night to remember.