The award aims to encourage audiovisual creation by offering the island’s unique landscapes as both a filming location and a source of inspiration for filmmakers.
Javier Fesser is the director and screenwriter behind acclaimed films such as Camino and Champions, both winners of the Goya Award for Best Film.
The Fuerteventura Film Commission and the online short film festival Notodofilmfest have once again joined forces for the third edition of the Fuerteventura Natural Film Set Award. This festival category places the island at the centre of the competition, promoting Fuerteventura as a unique filming location and encouraging filmmakers to use its landscapes as the backdrop for their short films.
This year, the award is sponsored by acclaimed filmmaker Javier Fesser, who is exclusively launching Depredador, his first Notodoserie created for Notodofilmfest.
The presentation took place today with the participation of Lola García, President of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura; Nereida Calero, Councillor responsible for the Fuerteventura Film Commission; filmmaker Javier Fesser; and actress Athenea Mata.
Told across three episodes, Depredador follows the story of Vilma and Cris, two friends who encounter the unexpected while travelling through a remote and desolate landscape.
The cast is led by Athenea Mata, Claudia Fesser, Maggie Balance, Pepe Jordana and Elisa Díaz, who bring to life the characters of this new production from Películas Pendelton.
From today, 17 September, all three episodes of Depredador are available to watch in full on the Notodofilmfest YouTube channel and through the festival’s official website.
The series was filmed in August in the municipality of La Oliva, using Fuerteventura as an exceptional cinematic setting.
The President of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura, Lola García, thanked Javier Fesser for his participation as ambassador of the Fuerteventura Natural Film Set Award within Notodofilmfest.
“Notodofilmfest is one of the most important showcases for audiovisual creators, reaching more than 20 million viewers every year. Through the collaboration with the Fuerteventura Film Commission, the award seeks to encourage audiovisual creation while making the island’s unique landscapes available to filmmakers. Javier Fesser’s involvement not only raises the profile of the competition, but also helps strengthen this important industry on the island,” she stated.
The Councillor responsible for the Fuerteventura Film Commission, Nereida Calero, also expressed her gratitude to Javier Fesser for sponsoring this edition of the award.
“His presence will help us showcase everything he discovered while filming in Fuerteventura during July and August,” said Calero, who also encouraged filmmakers and creators to participate in the competition, “using this extraordinary island as their filming location.”
For his part, Javier Fesser explained that “locations are usually places you arrive at in search of something you have already written. In this case, however, the story emerged from what the island itself inspired.”
Referring to the miniseries format, he described the project as “a fascinating creative experiment, driven by an enormous desire to make cinema and by the opportunity to take full advantage of everything the location offered us. The island became an essential part of the story, full of light, colour and the sound of the wind, all of which give personality to what we are telling.”
Actress Athenea Mata also praised the experience of filming in Fuerteventura, describing the island’s landscapes as “highly inspiring and fundamental in developing an intense screenplay that allowed us to achieve a very special energy. We are extremely grateful to Fuerteventura for the time we spent here.”
Fuerteventura Film Commission Award
All short films shot in Fuerteventura are eligible to compete for the Fuerteventura Natural Film Set Award, which carries a €1,000 prize.
The initiative aims to promote stories that highlight the richness and diversity of the island. While the theme is entirely open, the film must be shot in Fuerteventura. The deadline for submissions is Thursday, 10 October 2024, at 12:00 noon (Spanish mainland time).
Short films entered in this category are also eligible for the general awards presented by Notodofilmfest. There is no limit to the number of entries that may be submitted, provided that all works are original, have a maximum running time of three and a half minutes, and include English subtitles.
About Javier Fesser
Javier Fesser is one of Spain’s most acclaimed film directors and screenwriters. His distinctive style combines surreal humour with social commentary.
Among his most celebrated works is Camino (2008), which earned six Goya Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. He later won the Goya Award for Best Film with Champions (2018), while Mortadelo & Filemon: Mission Implausible (2014) received awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Another major achievement in his career was receiving an Academy Award nomination for the short film Binta and the Great Idea (2007) in the Best Live Action Short Film category.
In the summer of 2023, he released Championext. He is also the co-founder of Notodofilmfest, created alongside the cultural management company La Fábrica.
His latest project, Depredador, is an online series created exclusively for the festival, further reinforcing his commitment to emerging filmmakers and new audiovisual talent.