The IN SITU section of FICVI is one of the most unique and vibrant parts of the festival. As a competitive category, it challenges participating teams to create a short film in just 4 days, which must be set in Vila-seca and follow a specific theme revealed at the start of the challenge, during the festival. This section celebrates spontaneous and intensive creation, while encouraging a creative view of the town’s spaces and landscapes—turning cinema into a tool of direct connection with the town and its people.

Only short films that meet the following criteria will be considered.

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS FOR IN SITU SHORT FILMS:

• Maximum duration: 3 minutes.
  
• On Saturday, October 18, during the IN SITU workshop, the official theme for the 2025 IN SITU section will be revealed. 
• The theme will be announced at the end of the workshop held on October 18.
  
• The genre can be fiction or documentary.
  
• Direction can be individual or collective.
  
• The short film must be produced within the festival timeframe: teams will have 4 days to shoot and edit their film (from Saturday, October 18 until Wednesday, October 22 at 9:59 AM).

   

Films completed and submitted within this deadline will be screened in the official IN SITU competition at FICVI. A jury made up of film professionals will award the best “Portraits.”

1st IN SITU Prize > €700
2nd IN SITU Prize > €300

The short films will be screened on Thursday, October 23 from 5:30 PM to 6:45 PM at the Celler de Vila-seca.

IN SITU WORKSHOP

As a complementary activity to FICVI’s IN SITU section, this workshop provides participants with a foundational training to help them to create a short film within a limited timeframe during the festival  with more confidence and tools. Given that most participants may not have prior filmmaking experience, the workshop is designed as an inspiring and hands-on introduction to audiovisual language.

During the morning session, the section will be introduced and an interactive masterclass will be held, covering: a brief history of cinema, the basics of film language, an introduction to documentary and docu-fiction, main types of camera shots, the use of light and sound, and editing principles. The session will be complemented by audiovisual materials and group discussions to encourage participation and critical thinking.

The workshop will be led by Arian Araujo, a filmmaker from Vila-seca passionate about cinema and committed to a local, grounded approach to storytelling. With extensive professional experience, he has worked on productions for platforms and networks such as Netflix, Movistar+, 3Cat, Atresmedia, Mediapro, and Telecinco Cinema, among others.

In 2020, he founded Occasio Films, a production company with its own artistic voice, dedicated to creating projects with strong cultural and artistic value. His dedication to audiovisual language and spreading cinema as an expressive tool makes him the ideal guide for this FICVI introductory workshop.

The workshop is free but requires prior registration via the following form.

DEADLINE TO REGISTER: Wednesday, October 8, 2025

On Saturday, October 18, from 10:30 AM, the workshop will begin with an inspiring introduction to film history, cinematic language, and basic filming and editing techniques, providing participants with practical tools to create their short films for the IN SITU section. We’ll also carry out a hands-on activity around Vila-seca to apply technical concepts and gather ideas. After a short lunch break, we’ll review the work and do a group brainstorming session to help each participant start planning their short film, which will be screened at FICVI on Thursday, October 23.

Workshop schedule and activities:

10:30 – 12:30 > Introduction to the theme and workshop: film history, cinematic language, and basic technical and narrative tools.

12:30 – 14:00 > Hands-on exercise around Vila-seca

15:00 – 16:00 > Group feedback on the exercise, brainstorming session and Q&A

WHEN: Saturday, October 18 from 10:30 AM to 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM (1-hour lunch break)

WHERE: Castell de Vila-seca + surroundings of Vila-seca

Maximum participants: 20

Minimum age: 14 (younger participants allowed if accompanied by an adult)