Predator, a Spanish short film, was judged by Tenby filmgoers to be the best film of the evening as the town held its second annual Kinofilm showing.

On Thursday, September 25, Tenby screened the best short films from ‘Kinofilm’, the Manchester International Short Film Festival.

Kinofilm has a unique reputation for showcasing the best short films and debut features from around the world and is renowned for seeking out diverse, challenging and ground-breaking new films. The first festival took place in 1995 and has produced 30 annual film festivals to date, with the 20th anniversary of the Manchester Short Film Festival taking place this year.

The Tenby screening, held at the De Valence Pavilion, introduced the eager audience of film going buffs to a selection of nine European films, covering diverse themes including migrant deportation, dementia, the Ukrainian conflict, vision loss, mental health and family relationships.

Film length varied from 5 to 20 minutes and the audience gave each film scores in various categories, all the while enjoying drinks and canapés.

The scores collectively showed that the audience judged the 2024 Spanish short film Predator (Spanish: Depredador) to be the overall winner. The film, directed by Javier Fesser and starring Pepe Jordana, tells the story of two friends whose car breaks down in a lonely place, highlighting the tragic breakdown and the lonely setting where it occurs.

Councillor James Phillips from Tenby Town Council, who was attending the Tenby Kinofilm event for a second time, was impressed:

“What a fantastically challenging and thought-provoking set of films,” he remarked. “This event has become a staple of the Tenby arts calendar, and I encourage people to keep an eye out for it next year, it really is a treat for anyone who likes the cinema.”

Showing the films in Tenby was the brainchild of Mr Gary Tapley, local patron of the arts and facilitated by Films4Tenby, Tenby’s home-grown community cinema. Gary was unfortunately away for the showing, working on another thespian project, but he was on hand to explain the origins of this South Pembrokeshire take on the Kinofilm Festival.

“Tenby has a great arts heritage and is a fantastic home for artistic endeavour, but I felt it lacked an international cultural element, particularly in the cinematic dimension. So I reached out to contacts in the industry and secured the rights to show films from the Manchester Festival in Tenby.”

“I am glad that local people have taken Kinofilm to their hearts,” he added.

Fortunately, Tenby film lovers do not have to wait 12 months for next year’s Kinofilm to see films in Tenby. Films4Tenby stage twice-monthly screenings at the De Valence Pavilion throughout the year, usually on a Tuesday evening.

The next is ‘Conclave’ being screened on October 28 at 7pm. Admission is £5 on the evening, £4 for members, £10 for a family of four. Pre-screening meals can also be booked at the Fuchsia Café.

More details of films and dates can be found online at films4tenby.wordpress.com .