The Méliès International Festivals Federation welcomes Wench and Isla Calavera as new members
The Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF) has the great pleasure of welcoming two new festivals as competitive members. New members are the Wench Film Festival in Mumbai (India) and Isla Calavera on the Canary Islands (Spain). At their upcoming festivals, both festivals will run the short film competition for the Méliès d’argent for the best European short film.
About Wench Film Festival
Wench Film Festival is India’s first Horror / Sci-Fi / Fantasy Film Festival showcasing films inclusive of LGBTQ+ women, and non-binary filmmakers.
Since its first edition in 2021, WFF has screened 188 films and Spotlighted 495 Women. Even though WFF gives preference to films Directed by Women and Non-Binary Filmmakers, they do however have a special category for Male Filmmakers who have directed films with a central female plot or key female HOD’s. Wench Film Festival 2025 saw exponential growth, expanding its reach beyond India and cementing its place in the global horror circuit. The festival unfolded across two cities and three distinct locations, making its presence felt more strongly than ever.
About the Canary Islands Fantastic Film Festival Isla Calavera
The Canary Islands Fantastic Film Festival Isla Calavera is a cultural event held annually, without interruption since 2017, in the city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Tenerife, Spain). It is the only festival in the Canary Islands dedicated to fantastic cinema, offering a diverse program that includes feature and short film competitions, as well as non-competitive sections and screenings of genre classics. Beyond film screenings, Isla Calavera stands out for its strong educational commitment, organizing special sessions for students, exhibitions, and talks with renowned guests.
On a professional level, the festival hosts the “Filming in the Canary Islands” Industry Meeting, a space where the benefits of shooting in the archipelago are showcased.
About the Méliès International Festivals Federation
Founded 40 years ago, the The Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF) promotes European fantastic cinema throughout the world. As of today, the Federation has 32 members from 22 countries over four continents, reaching a worldwide audience of more than 900.000 each year. The member festivals run the competitions for the Méliès d’argent for best European feature film and short film. Out of the winning films, a jury awards the Méliès d’or for best feature and short film every year in Sitges. It also awards a Career Méliès to a person with outstanding contributions to European fantastic cinema.
For more information, please go to www.melies.org.
Contact MIFF: Lorenzo Bertuzzi, press@melies.org
Contact Wench: Sapna Moti Bhavnani, sapnabhavnani@gmail.com
Contact Isla Calavera: Daniel Fumero Jimenez, danielfumero@festivalislacalavera.com