Issue date: 24 Oct, 2016
SPANISH CINEMA. VALLADOLID INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (SEMINICI)
Gold and silver espigas ("ears of grain") will be awarded to the winners of the 61 Valladolid International Film Festival, also known as SEMINCI.
This festival was launched in 1956 and had previously been known as Religious Film Week, although it was not considered as a competition. In its third year, it began awarding the “Dom Bosco” prize, consisting of a gold prize for the winning film and a silver prize for the runner up. One year later the theme was changed and it started awarding the Lábaro de oro ("Gold labarum") and the Premio Ciudad de Valladolid (City of Valladolid Prize).
In 1960, the Espiga made its début and was awarded along with the Lábaro for 14 years, until 1974, when it became the main prize of the competition. In the following years, new prizes started to be awarded for categories such as Best Actress or Best Actor, the first of which were awarded to Jirina Sejbalová and Stanislav Liubchin, respectively.
Little by little, new prize categories emerged, such as one for Best Script, the 'Pilar Miró' Prize to the Best New Director and the Cultural Diversity Prize.
More recently, new sections have been created that are dedicated to young people in the industry such as the MINIMINCI and the SEMINCI JOVEN.
Right from the onset, emphasis was placed on the quality of the films that were presented and, even though there were times in the early years when not a great amount of films were featured, little by little more began to join in, with many producers even reserving their work to showcase it in Valladolid.
Filmmakers such as Nikita Mikhalkov, Arthur Penn, Gianni Amelio and Ang Lee have been a part of the competition throughout the course of their careers, and Spaniards such as Fernando Fernán Gómez, Paco Rabal, Ana Belén and Elena Anaya have also taken centre stage during SEMINCI.
Big names have also featured on the judging panel, including Mario Benedetti, José Luis Cuerda and Fernando Guillén.
To mark the celebration of this festival, a Premium Sheet is issued, depicting various objects related to cinema, such as a film roll, the box it is stored in and a clapperboard. The stamp features a pair of red lips, the recognised symbol for this festival that is becoming bigger and bigger every year.
Rate A - €0.75. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, up to 20 g.
Rate A2 - €0.85. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, between 20 g and 50 g.
Rate B - €1.65. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to Europe (including Greenland), up to 20 g.
Rate C - €1.75. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the rest of the world (except USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand), up to 20 g.
Rate D - €2.10. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, up to 20 g.