VALÈNCIA’S THE CITY THAT FUELS SUSTAINABLE CHANGE, 11min., Spain
Directed by PASCUAL IBÁÑEZ, CRISTIAN FONT
València is promoting a project to reduce food surplus in the meetings tourism sector, transforming events into more sustainable spaces.

https://www.instagram.com/cemasvlc/#

Get to know the filmmaker:

What motivated you to make this film?

What motivated us to make this documentary was, first and foremost, to
highlight Valencia’s role as a benchmark in sustainable food and
gastronomy. We wanted to showcase the work carried out by the city of
Valencia in recent years to move towards a more sustainable food model.
This is the context for the MagNuS (Magnitude, Nutrition and Sustainability)
project, whose experience we wanted to explain in depth. Promoted by
CeMAS together with the Lluís Alcanyís Foundation of the University of
València, the València Conference Centre and its catering company,
Gourmet Catering & Eventos, with the support of NARIA, MagNuS was
created with the aim of preventing and reducing food waste in the meetings
tourism sector.

The documentary, therefore, not only explains a specific project, but also
shows how Valencia is consolidating its position as a benchmark where
collaboration between institutions, universities and the private sector
translates into real and measurable actions towards food sustainability.

From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

The idea for this documentary began to take shape at the end of 2024,
driven by the desire of all those involved in the MagNuS project to showcase
more of the work we had done, as well as to highlight Valencia’s role as a
leader in sustainable food and gastronomy.

Work on the idea began in early 2025, but it was not until June 2025 that
the project really took off. The final version of the documentary was finally
presented in October.

It was a long process, but a very rewarding one

How would you describe your film in two words!?

Power of collaboration

What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

As this was a collaborative project, perhaps the most difficult part was
coordinating our efforts quickly and efficiently. However, we believe that
this is also the key to our project: collaboration.

There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development. PreProduction. Production. Post-Production. Distribution. What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?

For us, the best part of the process was distribution, as this is when you can
finally see the result of the documentary and share it with the public, which
is the ultimate goal.

When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

The idea for this documentary began to take shape at the end of 2024,
driven by the desire of all those involved in the MagNuS project to showcase
more of the work they had done, as well as to highlight Valencia’s role as a
benchmark for sustainable food and gastronomy.

You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

The process through the FilmFreeway platform has been straightforward,
and it is also easy to track the status of applications through the platform.
It is a platform that we would recommend.

What is next for you? A new film?

Our intention is to continue promoting the documentary to share the work
we have done and our experience, as this is a project that can be replicated
in other cities. Thus, the various actors who have collaborated remain in
constant contact, eager to continue advancing and promoting projects that
enable progress towards a more sustainable food model.