Curtas Festival do Imaxinario takes a key step: it will be a qualifying festival for the Fugaz Awards

Curtas Festival do Imaxinario is becoming a qualifying festival for the Fugaz Awards, the leading awards for Spanish short films. The decision, announced by the event's organisers, represents a new recognition for an event whose history dates back to 1973 and which continues to champion fantastic and horror cinema.

The festival in Vilagarcía de Arousa will henceforth be the only qualifying festival for the Fugaz Awards in Galicia. It will also be the only nationwide event focused on the fantastic genre to hold this status.

The winning short film will gain access to the Short List

The main consequence of this designation directly affects the short film that wins the national section of Curtas Festival do Imaxinario. The winning work will have direct access to the Short List for the Fugaz Awards, provided that it meets the awards' usual rules and has not previously taken part.

Once added to that list, the short film will pass directly into the hands of the Fugaz Awards' professional commission. It will therefore be eligible for nominations in all the categories covered by these awards.

Direct access does not automatically mean a nomination, as the work will have to be assessed by the relevant commission. It does, however, represent a preliminary step reserved for works selected through the awards' qualifying festivals.

Recognition for the festival and its creators

The organisers believe that this appointment recognises the work carried out by Curtas Festival do Imaxinario and helps strengthen its role as a showcase for creators of fantastic cinema. Its new status as a qualifying festival adds to a history in which the event has steadily expanded its presence within the audiovisual sector.

The festival says that this addition allows it to continue growing and to offer greater visibility to the works taking part in its sections. The initiative forms part of the event's ongoing efforts to ensure that cinema and the fantastic genre have the best possible showcase.

The designation comes after Curtas Festival do Imaxinario became a friend festival of the Fugaz Awards on 29 January. After assessing the work carried out by the event, Cortoespaña has now decided to grant it qualifying festival status.

A history dating back to 1973

Curtas Festival do Imaxinario has a history dating back to 1973. The event describes itself as the dean of Galicia's audiovisual festivals and as a reference point for fantastic and horror cinema.

Its programme is not limited to film screenings. The International Fantastic Film Festival of Galicia puts together a multidisciplinary programme that brings together film, literature, comics and visual arts. Through these disciplines, the festival turns Vilagarcía de Arousa into a meeting point for the different forms of expression associated with the extraordinary.

Every autumn, Curtas presents an international selection of feature films and short films. This programme is complemented by meetings with creators, previously unseen exhibitions and workshops, in an agenda that extends the experience beyond the screenings.

Endorsements within the audiovisual sector

The festival's activities are supported by various institutions and organisations in the sector. Curtas Festival do Imaxinario is an official member of the Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF), a status that enables it to award the Méliès d'Argent each year to the best European fantastic short film.

The event has also recently received the EFFE Label 2026-2027, the quality mark awarded by the European Festivals Association with the support of the European Commission. It also appears on Dread Central's list of 90 of the best genre festivals worldwide.

These recognitions are joined by its status as a qualifying festival for the Goya Awards in the short film category. Its new designation as a qualifying festival for the Fugaz Awards therefore expands the event's links with the main recognition circuits for short films.

An event devoted to the fantastic in all its forms

Curtas Festival do Imaxinario has been declared an Event of Tourist Interest by the Concello de Vilagarcía de Arousa. Its programme makes imagination the focus of a cultural offering that combines screenings, creation and encounters with the public.

The next edition will be the 54th and will take place from 23 October to 1 November. The festival is supported institutionally by Vilagarcía de Arousa Town Council, the Pontevedra Provincial Council and the Xunta de Galicia.

It is also sponsored by De Angeles Films, Rei Zentolo, Acción Cultural Española, DCP Ready, Factoria do Lume, Gadis, Harald House and The Post Office.

With its addition to the group of qualifying festivals for the Fugaz Awards, Curtas is strengthening its position within the Spanish short film landscape. The award in its national section will give the winning work a direct route to the Short List for awards that recognise the talent of the short format in Spain, while the event retains its identity as a space specialising in the fantastic genre.