Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The second edition of Close Up Vallarta will take place from May 1 to 5, 2012. Teatro Vallarta will be the main venue of the festival, which will also offer presentations at Los Arcos del Malecón, Centro Universitario de la Costa, Centro Cultural Cuale and Galería Haus Der Kunst.

Close Up Vallarta offers the opportunity to showcase the new video-artworks of emergent and established artists, students included. Curated by Cuban artist Angel Delgado, the festival has the main goal of taking video art away from the exclusivity of museums and galleries, taking it to alternative spaces, and a broader audience.

With competitions in several classes, including: Video Art, Video Dance, Video Performance, Experimental Short Film, Erotic Video Art, and Animated Video, Close Up Vallarta's expert panel of judges will be awarding prizes for the best videos within each category.

The participating artists' videos will be projected for the public at Teatro Vallarta from May 3rd through 5th starting at 8 pm. Each night will have a different selection of videos, while the closing ceremony will announce the winners for each category.

Plus, there will be a section dedicated to the projection of videos from internationally renowned artists, as well as conferences, workshops and exhibitions throughout the second annual Close Up Vallarta video creation festival.

Schedule of Events

May 1, 2012 - Haus der Kunst Proyectos Gallery
8 pm - Exhibition opening of artist Michael Nyman, curated by Christian Köhl at Haus der Kunst Proyectos Gallery, Guerrero 339, El Centro

May 2, 2012 - Centro Universitario de la Costa
11 am to 1 pm: Lectures by national and international video artists, critics and curators

1:30 pm to 2:30 pm: Presentation of videos and documentaries by 2011 participating students

May 2, 2012 - Los Arcos del Malecón
8 pm: 2° Close Up Vallarta Opening Ceremony with presentation of videos by internationally recognized invited artists, live music, and projections of videos by artists participating in the contest.

May 3-5, 2012 - Centro Cultural Cuale
11 am to 2 pm: Video artist and guest curator conferences

5 to 6:30 pm: Presentation of videos and documentaries by invited artists

May 3-5, 2012 - Teatro Vallarta
8 pm: Public screening of participating artists' videos

May 5, 2012 - Teatro Vallarta
8 to 10:30 pm: Awards and closing ceremony

For more information visit CloseUpVallarta.com or contact Angel Delgado, director of Close Up Vallarta, at angeldelgadof(at)yahoo.com.