Visual Risk and Young Talent at the Second Mirafondo Festival of the EAF

The audiovisual festival of the Escuela de Arte Fuerteventura (EAF) took a clear step forward in the length and quality of student productions, presenting pieces that could transport the audience to imaginary, suggestive and uncomfortable places, all within this year’s theme of dystopias. The overall level of Mirafondo’s second edition was further boosted in the Cine Express category thanks to a creative exchange with European university schools and participants from La Palma.

The second edition of the Mirafondo Audiovisual Creation Festival confirmed that the educational‑creative project of the EAF is consolidating, leaving the impression that its standards keep rising. The Centro Insular de Juventud hosted the gala, which not only premiered the works and handed out awards but also demonstrated how the students adapted to this year’s theme: dystopias inspired by Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, taking the public to imagined, impossible or unsettling worlds.

A sense of greater maturity was evident in every category and short film. The pieces generally dared to build atmospheres, to suggest rather than tell, and to lead viewers into spaces of unease or disturbing beauty. In audiovisual creation, imagination is the only limit, and the EAF students seized the opportunity to experiment freely.

The high quality of the competition was also reinforced by the presence of international guests and participants from La Palma, who formed groups to produce the six works for the Cine Express category during the same festival week.

The shared learning experience bore fruit after several days of exchange within the Erasmus+ programme, which welcomed students and teachers from:

• Academia di Belle Arti di Macerata, Academia di Belle Arti di Napoli and LABA Brescia (Italy)
• University of Ostrava (Czech Republic)
• ESAD Matosinhos (Portugal)
• Escuela de Arte Manolo Blahnik (La Palma)

Mirafondo 2026 Awards

• Best Cine Express Short Film – Cataysa
• Best Experimental Video‑Art – Asira Hierro (untitled piece)
• Best Animation – Echoes of War by Daniela del Moral
• Best Documentary – Bajamar by Inma Machuca & Yurima González (selected as the top Intrahistoria of the year)
• Best Counter‑advertising – Behind The Scenes by Nastia Ramos

Special mentions in Cine Express:

• Best Direction – Karma Paloma for Por Ende
• Best Cinematography – Mattia Coppola for Cataysa
• Best Script – Chiara Lotti & Davide Costa for Solus
• Best Performance – Estela & Luna Cedrún for Por Ende

The gala was attended by EAF director Romina Hernández, the island’s Councillor for Education and Youth Adargoma Hernández, and the island’s Director of Education Yurena Pérez. The event’s curator was Ibón Goiko.

“This success demonstrates the great talent that exists in Fuerteventura,” said Councillor Adargoma Hernández during the ceremony, praising the school’s educational project.

“It is a festival that highlights the educational level of Fuerteventura, and the Government of the Canary Islands is committed to continuing its support,” added Director Yurena Pérez.

The festival’s visual identity was created entirely by EAF students. The organizers also thanked the Erasmus+ programme and the Cabildo de Fuerteventura for their support from the Education and Youth departments, as well as the Fuerteventura Film Commission, which offered an international‑festival tour for the best Cine Express short.

Mirafondo closed its second edition with the feeling of ongoing growth, aware of the challenges posed by a tight calendar, and with optimism about projecting the island’s artistic talent and training into the future.