The festival, scheduled from November 6 to 15, has revealed its first confirmed guests: renowned actors Christopher Lambert, Tom Berenger, and Joanna Cassidy. The presentation took place at the Fantastic Pavilion, a key venue for the international film market, reinforcing the presence of the festival born in La Laguna on the global genre cinema circuit.
Isla Calavera, originating from an island and ultra-peripheral city, has successfully attracted international figures for a decade. The festival's Honor Trophy is now on display at the Fantastic Pavilion, underscoring its global reach. The presentation was part of the Marché du Film, considered one of the largest markets in the film industry, where audiovisual projects are traded.
The mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, highlighted the festival's importance as a cultural promotion tool, carrying the name of the city and the Canary Islands to international stages. A commemorative video was screened featuring stars such as Ornella Muti, Amber Heard, Belén Rueda, Silvia Tortosa, Henry Thomas, Ron Perlman, Michael Paré, Eduardo Noriega, and directors like John Landis and Randal Kleiser, as well as visual effects professionals like Rick Baker.
Organizers asserted in Cannes that Isla Calavera is more than a film festival; it's a meeting space for fantastic cinema, its creators, and the Canarian audience. The tenth edition, running from November 6 to 15, will feature Christopher Lambert, known for Highlander, Tom Berenger, an Oscar nominee for Platoon, and Joanna Cassidy, remembered for Blade Runner.
The official poster for the tenth anniversary pays tribute to the 40 years of The Fly, by David Cronenberg, maintaining the festival's tradition of connecting its programming with genre classics. The presence in Cannes also served to position La Laguna and the Canary Islands as territories with potential for the audiovisual industry, highlighting their locations, cultural activity, and university environment.
The strategy of Canary Islands Film, linked to the Government of the Canary Islands, aims to attract filming and promote the audiovisual sector, considered strategic for the islands. Festival directors Daniel Fumero and Ramón González Trujillo, along with deputy director Vanesa Bocanegra, participated in the meeting of the International Méliès Federation, presenting the upcoming edition to representatives from 22 countries.
Isla Calavera was perceived in Cannes as a case study: a Canarian festival that has reached the global map of fantastic cinema without losing its island roots, attracting both local audiences and international visitors.
