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Millennium bridge
Roman bridge
Cathedral
Auditorium / Festival headquarters
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OURENSE
Ourense is the capital
city of the province with the same name, which is placed in the North
West of the Iberian Peninsula, within the region of Galicia, bordering
on Portugal.
The
city of Ourense was founded by the Romans, who called it Aqua
Aurente (Waters
of Gold or either Golden
Waters), a name from which the
current one is derived.
With 110,796
inhabitants, Ourense has an outstanding historical richness due to its
Roman and Medieval roots.
Established besides
River Minho, Ourense is crossed by many bridges. Millennium Bridge is
the newest one, built in 2000. The oldest one was the Ancient Bridge,
settled on a previous Roman one. Its original Medieval structure is
perfectly conserved nowadays.
The presence of a large
number of thermal water springs gave rise to the city's core. As Burgas
Fountain, located in the ancient part of the city, is the most
traditional and well-known one: its waters flow at a temperature of 70º.
These qualities made possible the appearance of many spas in the city
and in the outskirts.
The
Cathedral, built between Romanesque and Gothic times, has the Gates of
Paradise (13th
century), a version of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela's "Gates
of Glory" whose excellent preservation allows to see the sculptures'
original polychromy.
Recently, the
restoration of the ancient part of the city and the new infraestrucutres are helping Ourense
to recover its architectural roots and traditions.
The restoration of Saint
Francis' Monastery (14th
century) and its surroundings, concluding in
the building of the new Auditorium, the Film Festival headquarters, is
the symbol of Ourense's new spirit of innovation, modernity and respect
for tradition.
OURENSE, THE PROVINCE
The province of
Ourense is an extraordinary sampler of natural landscapes scattered with
towns and villages that keeps up the original charm of our
agricultural, cattle farming culture. It has a cultural heritage of more
than 750 churches, monasteries, sanctuaries, chapels and hermitages of
Romanesque and Medieval styles.
 The
Ribeira Sacra (Sacred Riviere) area, not far from the capital, is one of the most
beautiful landscapes in Galicia. There, a lot of monasteries are spread
all over a sheer canyon created by river Sil where the Romans began to
cultivate in terraces one of the finest Galician wines.
Due to its
extraordinary landscapes, Ourense has been a location for many film
productions. Its ever-changing light and its green hills have inspired
the directors' and producers' ideas for cinematography and settings.
 CONNECTIONS
Ourense
is a railway junction with the Iberian Peninsula. The Ourense-Madrid railway route takes 5 hours (450 km).
The Iberian road and
highway network grants access to Ourense from the main cities in Spain
and Portugal.
Ourense has two nearby
airports, one in Santiago de Compostela (150 km) and the other in Vigo
(100 km). In Portugal, Oporto International Airport (200 km) has very
cheap air connections to most of European cities.
UNIVERSITY
Ourense has a
university campus, providing the city with a young, enthusiastic
audience that takes an active part on the Festival activities. Hundreds
of students cooperate wih the Festival as volunteers during the event.
Communication and Audiovisual students get credits for their careers for
attending workshops, screenings and debates.
ACCOMMODATION
For the visitors' accommodation, the city offers a
wide range of hotels with a great diversity and rates.
THE FESTIVAL
The Ourense
International Film Festival is the Galician oldest and main cinema event
for professionals.
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