The historic EFTI images and movie faculty is closing attributable to monetary issues after 37 years | Culture | EUROtoday

“After 37 years, with all our pain and regret, we have to tell you that EFTI's journey ends here.” With this heading, the International Center of Photography and Film (EFTI), probably the most vital colleges within the sector in Spain, introduced to its workers by e-mail and WhatsApp, final Friday, May 31, round ten within the night time, which closed attributable to monetary issues and entered into “voluntary bankruptcy proceedings.” The faculty has now not opened this Monday, the place a bunch of scholars and employees have gathered in protest of what occurred, and its web site has not been operational since Friday.

EFTI taught a number of grasp's levels and workshops, in addition to organizing images exhibitions and coaching talks. In its amenities it had a digital laboratory and units. National prize winners akin to Cristina García Rodero, Gervasio Sánchez or Javier Vallhonrat have taught courses in its school rooms; photojournalists like Manu Brabo, winner of a Pulitzer; and different distinguished photographers akin to Estela de Castro, Miguel Oriola, Eduardo Momeñe or Eugenio Recuento, amongst many others.

The delicate scenario of EFTI was recognized within the images world for the reason that pandemic, aggravated as a result of an excellent a part of its college students got here from overseas. “We have tried to survive Covid and the elimination of visas for students from outside the EU as major obstacles,” defined the inner assertion from the administration, which is presently within the fingers of Elena del Amo García. y Patricia Sánchez Soto. “Despite all the efforts made to achieve the viability of the School, it has not been possible,” the be aware added.

In current months, as confirmed by a college supply, there have been delays in month-to-month funds to workers, “but it did not seem that the end would come in such a short time.” To attempt to alleviate the state of EFTI, this yr a restructuring was undertaken and its two earlier managers left the administration, considered one of them, José Luis Amores, founding father of the middle in 1987. But it was to not be. “Do not doubt that we will do everything possible to help all of you, workers, students and collaborators, in this difficult situation, within our possibilities and what current regulations allow us,” the letter concluded. The inside supply consulted by this newspaper has reported that “in the coming days” a press release will probably be despatched to the press to present extra explanations.

School college students have mentioned that in current months coaching cancellations have been occurring “with a few days' notice.” “We have been left in limbo, we know nothing. We have paid a lot of money to be played with like this,” complained a pupil of the grasp's diploma in images path, which resulted in December, stories Efe.

Meanwhile, this Monday, a bunch of scholars and employees despatched a press release to the web site specialised in images Nailing through which it’s identified that with the closure, “more than 200 victims are left behind, among whom are the school's own contracted workers, who have not been previously fired, nor have they communicated anything personally.” ”. In reality, Friday was a traditional work day at college.

The assertion from these affected additionally refers back to the academics, “who have not received the payments corresponding to the last course; to the students of the current unfinished course, who, having paid between approximately 10,000 and 30,000 euros for each master's degree, now do not have access to the degree, and to the people who had paid the registration fee and the next course until January for the following course, or even entirely, some of which, coming from Latin America and the United States, had left their countries of origin and had settled in Madrid, with the investment that this entails, hoping to start classes next October.”

A teacher at the center has informed EL PAÍS that indeed “they had been telling them from EFTI for some time that the situation “was very bad, but that they were trying to move forward.” “Now I have several invoices owed, since July 2023. At Christmas they already asked us to waive 50% of what we were owed, I accepted, but now I have lost the rest. It feels very bad to me, especially for the students.”

Marta Medina, screenwriter and journalist, is a collaborating professor on the master's degree in film direction, for which she has taught several classes for which she now does not know if she will be paid. Medina remembers that in recent months she received a couple of emails from other teachers in which they said that her employment relationship with EFTI had been suspended. “I asked the school to see what was happening, but they didn't give me any information.” As someone on social network X said, “the light went out” on EFTI.