Sandra Seeling Lipski Discusses The Mallorca Film Festival

Sandra Seeling Lipski has appeared in Jane the Virgin and Bruno. She has lived in Berlin, Los Angeles and Mallorca, attending film festivals, watching films and generally pursuing a passion for film.
A few years ago, she and her husband wanted to screen a film in Mallorca, only to discover unlike many other destination cities, Mallorca didn’t have a film festival. “I had been to many festivals in small towns, and I thought, if they have one, why doesn’t Mallorca have one?”

This was five years ago. Lipski met with officials on the island and together they worked out the best approach to initiate the city’s film festival. She says, “I was only 27-years-old when I started it. We started small with a lot of Spanish talent.” She adds, “We sent out a lot of invites. Keeping the vibe positive, we wanted to bridge cultures and have a diverse program.”

Now in its fifth year, the festival has steadily expanded and is one of the fastest growing film festivals in the Mediterranean. Not only does Mallorca offer stunning scenery, the festival showcases high quality international films, and is a hot destination for locals and film lovers from around the world. This year, the festival will screen over 80 films, with 40 filmmakers attending from 20 different countries.
For 2016, the festival will honor Danny DeVito with an honorary award. DeVito will be presented with his award on opening night, November 3, at the opera house in Palma. Lipski says, “It’s a special event and having Danny DeVito there, honoring us with his presence is special. It’s going to be a special night.”

Other highlights include a unique screening of War Of The Roses at a drive-in theater. El Destierro, Fabienne Berthaud’s Sky, Tour De France, and the new Oasis documentary, Supersonic will also be showing.

The Key to Dali will also screen as the Art in Cinema event at the Museum of Modern Art. Lipski says, “It’s extra special because there’s actually one of Dali’s best-known paintings at the museum [The Persistence of Memory] and the filmmakers are going to be there, so there’s that connection.”