Gran Canarian filmmaker and writer Elio Quiroga received, from the hands of the Mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife José Manuel Bermúdez, the S. S. Venture Award of the fourth edition of the Festival de Cine Fantástico de Canarias Isla Calavera, an award that seeks to recognize the career of those Canary Islanders who have taken their talent from the Archipelago to the frontiers of the genre. Bermúdez pointed out that Elio Quiroga, who has excelled both in his facets as screenwriter, film director, producer and documentary filmmaker, and in the creation of fantastic literature, "is a reference of our cinema and one of our most acclaimed authors at a national level".
Elio Quiroga collected the statuette during the celebration of the Isla Calavera Festival Industry Meeting, a parallel activity of the event sponsored by the Development Society of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, which counted with the on-site and telematic participation of several professionals of the film sector and that due to the social and health situation was recorded for its next broadcasting through the different communication channels of the Festival.
Recognition of an important career linked to the fantastic world
Fotos', Elio Quiroga's debut feature film starring Gustavo Salmerón and Mercedes Ortega from the Canary Islands, was doubly recognized at the 1997 Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival with the Best Screenplay Award and the Special Jury Award. Quentin Tarantino himself applauded and praised this first feature film, giving a boost to Quiroga's career. In 2015, he presented in Sitges his short film 'Sirena negra' and picked up the Minotauro Award for fantastic literature for his novel 'Los que sueñan'. After 'La estrategia del pequinés' (2019), with Kira Miró and Unax Ugalde, he is preparing the animated feature 'Winnipeg, el barco de la esperanza'.
Other titles in his filmography include 'La hora fría' (2006), set in an apocalyptic world plagued by zombies and starring actress Silke; the thriller 'No-Do' (2009), with Ana Torrent; or the Goya-nominated documentary short 'El último minutero' (2004). His work 'Whence comes the rain' was part of the Official Short Film Competition Section of the IV Festival Isla Calavera, held last December, and won a special mention from the Jury "because through animation he masterfully expresses the anguish and oppression to which those who want to be free are subjected. It narrates a multi-layered universe and reflections on freedom". With his new novel, 'Astral', he recently won the II Juvenile Novel and Fantasy Award of the Malas Artes publishing house.
The S. S. Venture Award, given by the Canary Islands Fantastic Film Festival since 2019, is named after the ship that took the crew to Skull Island in the iconic 1933 adventure film 'King Kong', directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. In its first edition, it recognized the career of Juan Carlos Fresnadillo from Tenerife, who, with his film debut, the short film 'Esposados' (1996), was nominated for an Oscar in 1997.
About the Festival de Cine Fantástico de Canarias Isla Calavera (Skull Island Fantastic Film Festival of the Canary Islands)
The Festival de Cine Fantástico de Canarias Isla Calavera is promoted by the Asociación Cultural Charlas de Cine, the Asociación Cultural Isla Calavera, Multicines Tenerife and the specialized publication TumbaAbierta.com, and is directed by Daniel Fumero and Ramón González Trujillo. The organization is already working on the fifth edition of the Festival, to be held in November 2021.
The fourth edition of the Isla Calavera Festival was sponsored by the Government of the Canary Islands, Canarias Cultura en Red, the Department of Culture of the La Laguna City Council, the Development Society of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council and the Tenerife Film Commission. Coca-Cola participated as the official beverage of the event, which also counted with the collaboration of the Stan Winston School of Character Arts, the University of La Laguna, Fly Luxury, Reel One Entertainment, Juan Antonio Ribas Subtítulos y Ediciones Digitales, Canary Pictures Vehicles, Play Medusa, Applehead Team, Blackout Films, TuBillete.com, Mercado Nuestra Señora de África, Bokanka, Audi Canarias and As Publicidad. Fundación Diario de Avisos, Planet Horror, Televisión Canaria and FlixOlé acted as media partners.
