Fica 2013 starts today and is expected to attract 100 people.

The Editorial Team The city of Goiás is ready to welcome tourists who will participate in the International Environmental Film and Video Festival (FICA) between July 2nd and 7th. Around 100 people are expected during the six days of the festival, which brings together, in addition to musical attractions, several film productions. The official opening of the festival will be held by Governor Marconi Perillo this Tuesday (2), at 20:30 pm, at the Conde dos Arcos Palace.

In an interview with the newspaper A Redação, the Secretary of Culture, Gilvane Felipe, explains that Fica is a traditional event, and therefore one of the biggest concerns is to develop a program of attractions that guarantees continuity, which is already a well-known feature on the world calendar of environmental film festivals.

"Our focus is not on the quantitative growth of the audience, but on its qualitative growth. When choosing attractions, for example, we always think in terms of the target audience, and with that we seek to reach people of all ages," said the secretary.

Attractions and programming

This year, according to the State Secretariat of Culture (Secult), 448 films were submitted, 250 of which were international, divided into documentaries, animations, fiction, and television series. In total, 25 have been selected to compete for FICA; among them are three productions from Goiás.

As it is a cultural event, it is customary to honor an artist each year. In 2013, the poet Cora Coralina marks the 15th edition of FICA, which features an extensive program.

Celebrating 25 years of existence, the Quasar dance group will perform on Friday (5), with the show "No Singular". On Saturday (6) it is the turn of former Titãs member Arnaldo Antunes to take to the stage. To close the 15th edition of Fica, Paulinho da Viola will perform a show on Sunday (7). Another 20 artists from Goiás will occupy the stages during the festival days.

Click here Check out the full schedule for Fica 2013.

community participation

More than just hosting the FICA festival, the city of Goiás actively participates in its production. "For a long time, it was thought that the city's involvement was limited to sound trucks, and that's a misconception. So we went to the streets to listen to the residents and find out how to improve this connection between them and the event," explained Gilvane Felipe.

In 2011, the "Stay in the Community" project was created. "While the event is happening, people are working, so they don't have the opportunity to watch the films. Through this project, the films are shown throughout the year to the residents of the City of Goiás," he said.

In addition to participating in cultural attractions, residents also help maintain the cleanliness of the area through the "Keep it Clean" program. More than just keeping the city in order, the project generates temporary jobs.

"It makes no sense for us to have an event whose main theme is the environment if it produces pollution on a large scale. So, since 2011 we have intensified our efforts on how to reduce waste," the secretary pointed out.