FANTEK Industrial, a company that specialists in manufacturing tower lifts, trusses and stage platforms, played a key role in the success of this year's San Sebastian Internacional Film Festival ( SSIFF) by providing a custom-made truss frame for the festival's main projection screen. 

Inagurated in 1953 and held annually at the Kursaal Palace in Donostia-San Sebastian, SSIFF is now one of the world's most prestigious film festivals. Every year it attracts numerous a list actors and directors whose presence brings star appeal and glamour to this week-long homage to celluloid. This year's top names included Penélope Cruz, Donald Sutherland and the Director Costa-Gravas. 

Over the course of the festival, approximately 200 films are scrutinized by judging panels who award different prizes in various sections. On the final night the winning actors and directors attend a closing gala at the  kursaal Palace, immediately followed by personal appearances at the Antonio Elorza velodrome where members of the public can watch the award-winning films on a massive screen.

In previous years this screen was mounted on an old iron frame, but in 2019 the organizers asked Installation company Loyola 21 to replace it with something lighter, more versatile and more functional. They, in turn, approached FANTEK with an order for a 26X12-meter truss frame that could safety support the large screen and ensure that it stayed perfectly flat and smooth.

FANTEK's technical department initially proposed an EC30 truss construction solution but were then informed by the organizers that the large projection screen needed to maintain its perfect smoothness during the event, which meant a simple solution wouldn't suffice. Instead, FANTEK devised a system that incorporated fixed tubing on all four side and to displace the tubing so that it gave the projection screen the diaphanous frame the clients requested.

FANTEK's technical department, says "For this project we used a FANTEK accessory that added a form of tubing that made it possible to lift a tarp with the intention of covering the mooring that held the screen to the truss. In this way, homogeneity was guaranteed".

To solve this problem, FANTEK turned to its extensive range of accessories and developed a 26x12-meter tube that was attached to the base of the truss frame using its DADO range of solutions and connectors. DADO connectors were also used to attach a single 50X4 mm tube that held the screen away from the truss and exerted sufficient pressure to keep it smooth and flat.

Loyola 21 and SSIFF were delighted with the solution and the truss was manufactured and delivered in good time for the start of the Festival.

"We were delighted to help Loyola 21 and SSIFF deliver a successful festival, and very honored to be involved in such a prestigious event", say FANTEK's Technical department.