FICA! It is a celebration of creativity outside the cities, a commitment to the beauty that blooms away from the spotlight.
FICA!: Independent Film and Art Festival in the Village
The rural is the future: cinema, music, and living roots.
In the villages, on the edges, along the paths that don’t appear on maps, the urge to create also beats strong. Here, where many see only silence or abandonment, life overflows. Stories sprout from the land, voices persist, ideas seek their way. This is where FICA! is born—like a collective cry that declares: the rural is alive and wants to create.
The rural is not just the past. It is a rebellious present and a future yet to be written. We’re tired of the view that reduces it to nostalgia or neglect. We want a different story: a rural world full of cinema that provokes, music that moves, and encounters that transform. A rural space where culture is not a luxury or decoration, but a tool, a root, and a flame.
Because revitalising the rural isn’t about “bringing culture to the village”; it’s about recognizing that culture is already there: in the festivals, the stories, the silences, and the everyday struggles. What we do is to create space, amplify voices, and share perspectives. We bring films that speak from the margins, give a stage to music that rises from the ground up, and weave networks between those who create and those who resist.
FICA! is not just any festival. It’s a celebration of creativity beyond the cities, a bold commitment to self-management, to community, to the beauty that grows away from the spotlight. There’s no red carpet here, but there are cushions on the floor and shared blankets. No spotlights, but there is fire burning. There is truth.
Because staying in the village is a political act. It’s saying there is a future where others see only emptiness. It’s saying: We are not going to disappear. We are going to create.
Program:
16 May, 2025
18:00 Doors open
19:00 Concert of Sara Calderón and Paul Baker
21:15 Access to the cinema room and short film screening
21:45 A comuñón da miña prima Andrea (13 min), by Brandán Cerviño Abeledo.
22:00 Azadi (22 min), by Lily Baker Föhring, Juan Luis Ortega Navarrete, Luciana Espinoza Hoempler
22:20 Humedalia (14 min), by Irene Sáenz
22:30 Proxección sorpresa (20 min), by Lily Baker, Anna Halbleib, Sara Calderón
22:50 Roundtable with the directors
17 May
18:30 Verbas ao Sol: tribute to the laundresses (Transeúntes)
19:50 Concert of F1N05
21:15 Access to the cinema room and short film screening
21:40 O niño dos paxaros (16 min), by Lucía Estévez
21:50 Age of Iron (88 min), by Davoud Gerami
23:20 Roundtable with the directors
18 May
18:00 Doors open
18:15 Screening of the music videos Alvorada + Metamorfose by Peitoescuro.
18:30 Concert of Peitoescuro
20:15 Concerto of Waby & Friends
21:15 Access to the cinema room and film screening
21:35 Sintrópica: Seeds of Change (104 min), by Miguel García Orive
23:20 Roundtable with the Director
*We are honored to have Víctor Duplá as the moderator, an actor and director with an outstanding career in film, theater, and television.
Everyday:
Installation LOOP ROOM: continuous screening of absurd cinema in the cellar.
Installation in the RUIN: Exercise of Being Here #237, por Monique Besten.
*The concerts and performances will take place outdoors, while the screenings will be indoors, in the designated room. In case of rain, the concerts will be held in our covered pergola or in the screening room.
Food & Drinks:
There will be various drinks and snacks available for purchase, allowing you to support the festival. You can also bring your own food. And if you have a reusable cup, it would be great if you bring it. This way, we can avoid generating more waste than necessary.
Price:
Voluntary contribution (recommended minimum of 5 euros/person/day)
FICA! is not just a festival; it is a community sustained by the collective strength of all the people who believe in a different way of doing things: closer, freer, more conscious.
For this reason, the entrance will be a voluntary contribution, with a recommended minimum of 5 euros. We know that each reality is different, and we want to remain accessible to all. But we also want to remind you that behind each screening, each concert, and every space we inhabit, there are hours of work, shared effort, and a lot of love put into it.
Your contribution, no matter how small, helps make this gathering possible.
Screening room:
The screening room has a limited capacity (50-60 people), so if you want to watch the films, we recommend arriving early. When you arrive, look for the box-office and make your voluntary contribution to receive the ticket that will give you access to the screening room. Once the tickets are gone, we can’t guarantee there will be space for you to enter and watch the films, although you will still be able to enjoy the concerts and performances happening outdoors.
In the screening room, we have a limited number of seats/chairs available only for those who need them. The rest of us will sit on cushions on the floor.
*Access to the concert area is via a fairly steep slope, and the room is located on the second floor, accessible only by stairs.
Location:
O Castro Art Village, O Castro de Mourelos 86, 27548, O Saviñao, Lugo.
Google maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/HnrMPSqG1DFyHTyVA
Carpooling and parking:
The festival organizers ask you to collaborate by carpooling to the event for two reasons: 1) to reduce the carbon footprint; 2) because we are located in a remote village with limited parking space. Here is a link to a Telegram group for carpooling to the festival: https://t.me/+6r5CSNk7vsoyNjY8
We have two parking options, and we ask that you be responsible with the limited space we have:
1. The first parking area will be on the road leading to the village. We ask that you reserve this area for older people, families with children, or individuals with mobility difficulties. Additionally, it is important that you park ONLY ON ONE SIDE OF THE ROAD to leave enough space for traffic. The location is here:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/uMcA5PNZqQMMZCvz9
2. The other parking area is in the neighboring village of Mourelos, which is only 1 km away from the village where the festival takes place (O Castro Art Village). Please, if you are able to walk, leave your car here and come on foot—it’s just a 15-minute walk through a very beautiful area:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/jbppMT2zyUoxAMD49
Lodging:
If you want to stay the night, we have some amazing geodesic domes available for rent. Each one has a private bathroom and can accommodate up to 4 people. We also have parking for vans or campers. Check our prices and availability by calling 645.823.775.
