Sacked Gijón Film Festival director defends success of tenure

The sacked director of the Gijón Film Festival, José Luis Cienfuegos, came out in his own defense on Thursday, citing the economic and social success of his 16-year tenure of the cine-event.

Profits, a 10-percent rise in spectators in 2011 compared with 2010, and an overall increase from 10,000 festivalgoers when he took over in 1995 to 75,000 last year were the main arguments of a document released by Cienfuegos. The former director was also careful to point out the festival has not always enjoyed its current international acclaim.

Cienfuegos was sacked on Wednesday by the regional government of Asturias, led by the Foro Asturias party of former Deputy Prime Minister Francisco Álvarez Cascos, which said it wanted a "change of direction" and a "more Asturian" event.

Cienfuegos refused to be drawn into whether or not his dismissal was politically motivated, stating only that the figures for the festival under his stewardship were "impeccable."

A protest was planned on Thursday against Foro Asturias' "demolition of important cultural events." In recent months the management of the Niemeyer Center in Avilés has changed hands and the format of Gijón's Semana Negra literature festival has been placed under review.