A short film by URJC teachers, nominated for the GOYA 2025

Raul Garcia Hemonnet

The professor of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising and film director Juan Vicente Castillejo wanted to tell the story of his gang of friends, a group of thirty-somethings from the rural environment, at the birthday party of one of them. That is, in short, what he tells. '30 is (NOT) the new 20', a short film that was also produced by Alfonso Palazón, also a professor at FCCOM.

For Castillejo, the nomination was “a surprise since it is a documentary with an alternative format in which we talk about ourselves and society, creating a manifesto for the 'millennial' generation in rural areas and how thirty-somethings relate to each other in this environment.”

The short film presents the different situations of the group and its diversity, both from a social and sexual point of view, its reality and its hopes. Their conversations deal with the process of maturation, through experiences.

As producer Alfonso Palazón points out, “the short film, which has been two years in the making, has been very well received wherever it has been presented” both by the juries before the final nomination and by the different festivals where it has been presented. “For me, the fact that this short film is nominated is very important because it is putting into practice what I teach at university,” he added.

Looking ahead to the upcoming Goya ceremony, director Juan Vicente Castillejo says that “being in that selection is already a prize, the other short films are great works. We would like to win, but the short documentary category is the most complicated.”

For his part, Alfonso Palazón wanted to “congratulate the rest of the nominees” and added that “the expectation will build up by the day. The moment of the nomination was the big boost.”

On Wednesday, the makers of the short film held a screening for Academy members. The film can also be seen on the FILMIN platform.

Another example of the excellence of the URJC teaching staff, which in this case could elevate the university's name to the highest level of Spanish cinema.