The Mallorcan filmmaker Jelwen Arconado, graduate in Design, Audiovisual specialization from ESDI, has been awarded the First Prize for Best Direction at the Villanueva Showing Awards, known as the “University Goyas,” thanks to her short film Ikaw Mag-Sabi, developed as a Final Degree Project within the audiovisual specialization.
The award, given among more than 1,300 submitted projects and 15 finalists, represents one of the most important recognitions in Spanish university cinema. The prize includes $5,000 and international distribution of the short film by Methos Media, a decisive boost for a creator making her debut with her first audiovisual work.
AN INTIMATE STORY WITH UNIVERSAL REACH
Ikaw Mag-Sabi tells the story of a girl who acts as her immigrant mother’s interpreter in everyday situations.
A first-hand experience by the director herself that highlights a rarely represented reality: the emotional and symbolic burden assumed by many children of migrant families as they become linguistic and cultural mediators from a young age.
With a sensitive and honest perspective, the short film addresses themes such as identity, migration, and childhood from an intimate yet deeply relatable point of view. This combination of narrative delicacy and authorial maturity was highly valued by the jury.
FROM SHORT FILM TO FEATURE: A GROWTH PROJECT
Just one week after winning Best Direction, Jelwen Arconado received a new recognition by winning the Development Award in the Fiction category of the 2025 Pitching Audiovisual 2025 del Clúster Audiovisual de Catalunya. In this professional context, she presented the development of Ikaw Mag-Sabi as a feature film, standing out among 11 selected projects.
This second award includes €2,000 and a professional mentoring program, as well as one-on-one meetings with producers and sector platforms, consolidating the trajectory of a project born in the academic environment and now projected toward the audiovisual industry.
The journey of Ikaw Mag-Sabi exemplifies the potential of ESDI Final Degree Projects as spaces for creative research, personal expression, and professionalization. With a solid and committed authorial perspective, Jelwen Arconado’s work connects academic training with the professional circuits of contemporary cinema.
ESDI celebrates this double recognition as evidence of the emerging talent trained at the school and the value of an education that encourages personal, critical, and socially impactful storytelling.