The 10th edition of the Terra Alta Film Festival ('in-FCTA'), driven by director and actor Ivan Massagué and cultural activist Úrsula Agut, reaches its final stretch this Saturday, August 8th. The festival, which began on Sunday, August 2nd, has exceeded expectations with a 114.90% increase in ticket sales compared to the previous edition. This year, the program has combined traditional activities with technological novelties.
One of the main innovations has been the ‘VR Edition’ section, presented last Thursday, which offered screenings of four international films inside a dome equipped with virtual reality headsets. Festival director Ivan Massagué has described this initiative as «groundbreaking for a rural space», highlighting its 360-degree immersion capability to explore the future of the film industry in technological environments.
This section was hosted at the football field in the municipality of Bot, renamed Sala Camp during the festival. According to Úrsula Agut, the festival's promoter, the initiative aims to «transform the everyday spaces of the town [...] into extraordinary cultural venues», demonstrating the versatility of rural settings for culture.
Other novelties this edition include the traditional short film competition, which has served as a platform for emerging talents. This year's jury comprised renowned actors such as Carlos Scholz, Marís Hervás, Gonzalo de Castro, Clara Lago, and Ricard Sales.
The festival has also consolidated its professional aspect with pitching sessions for film production professionals like Gorka Lasaosa and Eva Vallés. Additionally, a non-fiction laboratory directed by Nerea Crespo and a workshop on artificial intelligence applied to cinema, led by Gorka Lasaosa and linked to the VR section, have been held.
With its 10th edition, the Terra Alta Film Festival demonstrates that rural spaces can be centers of cinematic innovation. Úrsula Agut emphasizes that the event goes beyond the seventh art, aiming to prove that «a town of just over 500 inhabitants like Bot can not only be a recipient of culture but also has the capacity to be a place where new ways of creating and watching can be explored».
