The boundaries of cinema’s ability to expand our imaginations are very fuzzy. Each film, whether a short or feature-length, has the amazing power to present worlds, lives, emotions, tensions, struggles, aspirations and countless other aspects that help us grasp reality with much greater intelligence. This has largely been the chief strength of this art form, captivating writers, thinkers, politicians, artists, entrepreneurs and athletes alike. Cinema opens possibilities, broadens our knowledge and ultimately allows us to understand ourselves in a much more precise and interesting way.
This vision of cinema as both a cognitive and sensory force is behind the Trasfoco section of Muestra de Cine de Lanzarote which is focused each year on a specific theme connected to the island, and at once with global significance, through a curated selection of outstanding films, both classic and contemporary, from around the world.
This year, the chosen theme is Islands, and over the course of eleven days, the residents of Lanzarote and La Graciosa will have an opportunity to see some of the finest films in which islands take centre stage. Among the chosen films—many of which will be screened in specially prepared venues in various municipalities—islands are portrayed as idyllic places, as prisons, as retreats or as spaces for isolating the sick. They are presented as politically and militarily strategic locations, as sites for scientific exploration or dedicated to research. In this way, islands will take their place on various screens set up to invite the people of Lanzarote to engage with their reality from new perspectives. These films offer an opportunity to understand ourselves better through the lenses of others, shedding light on insular environments that, while not strictly ours, often share many of their defining characteristics.
