La Villa del Mar, the Festival de Málaga space where technology and culture converge, has opened its doors

Between 7 and 13 March, the public and industry professionals will be able to enjoy a wide-ranging programme of activities to discover the innovations transforming the audiovisual sector

La Villa del Mar, the space within the Festival de Málaga, organised by Málaga City Council through Málaga Procultura, that unites technology and culture, opens its doors for its second edition, reaffirming its commitment as a benchmark for understanding the new creative and technological waves that define the present and future of audiovisual media.

This morning, the Mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre, presided over the official opening of La Villa del Mar, accompanied by the Councillor for Culture and Historical Heritage of Malaga City Council, Mariana Pineda; the Deputy Director General for Promotion and International Relations at the ICAA, Camilo Vázquez; the manager of FYCMA, Nacho Román; the director of El Polo Digital, Raúl Silleras; and the director of the Festival de Málaga, Juan Antonio Vigar.

From 7 to 13 March, a wide-ranging program of activities will take place in the prime location of Malagueta beach, bringing together professionals and the public to explore the latest technologies applied to culture, sponsored by Google and Olín. All talks and workshops will be streamed live on the Málaga Audiovisual Tech YouTube channel, and interviews with experts will also be available.

Juan Antonio Vigar opened the event, welcoming the authorities and collaborators and pointing to “the sea that serves as the backdrop for this space, which has always connected us and allowed us to embrace other cultures. In this sense, La Villa is a recipient of the innovations brought to us by technology companies to guide us toward the horizon of audiovisual media”.

For his part, Francisco de la Torre, celebrated the return of this initiative after the success of its first edition as “an impetus to think about how to move forward hand in hand with technology, reinvent tradition, and generate new opportunities”. In his speech, he also highlighted the poster, “which shows the waves alongside the words technology and culture. A perfect definition of Málaga”, and concluded his remarks by wishing La Villa del Mar a long life.

As soon as the official ceremony ended, the Mayor chatted with the participants of Hack MAFIZ Málaga who attended the opening, and then, along with the other authorities, began a visit to the Experiential Zone, a live laboratory of new audiovisual languages. There, the three installed modules function as showcases to the present and the future: first, they discovered how generative video opens new doors to audiovisual creation; then, they experienced an immersive virtual reality experience that breaks the boundaries of physical space. The tour concluded with a display of unreleased video games developed by creators from Malaga.

Following the official visit, the concert El rock se cuela en el cine got underway, an event that drew numerous families and offered challenges and games that encouraged the participation of the youngest attendees. This performance kicked off the musical programme, which will continue this evening on Playa de la Malagueta beach with the pop-punk band Las Dianas and will continue with more live performances from 7 to 12 March.

The first day will conclude with an interactive talk and workshop, in which Professor Francisco Javier González Cañete from the University of Málaga will review how some of the most iconic films of the 70s and 80s made the leap to video games, offering attendees the opportunity to relive and enjoy them anew. A workshop led by Sergio Navarro will also take place, where creativity will take centre stage, inviting participants to shape original characters and universes for manga and comics.

A Sunday to experience the past and present of audiovisual media
On the second day of La Villa del Mar, the activities will continue to be geared towards all audiences, combining concerts, exhibits in the Experiential Zone, and a trivia game that will test participants' knowledge of the history of Spanish cinema.

The complete schedule is available on the website.

La Villa del Mar is organised by the Festival de Málaga in collaboration with El Polo Digital and the Ministry of Culture, and is sponsored by Google and Olin.