19 Basque films make up the Basque participation in the 71st edition of the San Sebastian Festival
Actor Paco Sagarzazu, an indispensable figure on Basque screens and stages, will receive the Zinemira Award in recognition of his career
A total of 19 titles –15 features, one medium-length film, one short and two series– make up the Basque participation in the 71st edition of the San Sebastian Festival, distributed between the Official Selection, Donostia Award Special Screenings, Zabaltegi-Tabakalera, Made in Spain, Zinemira, Velodrome and the Basque Cinema, EiTB and RTVE Galas.
Zinemira, the section specifically dedicated to Basque cinema, is organised by the San Sebastian Festival and the Basque Government Department of Culture. It is sponsored by Irizar and EiTB and has the collaboration of the Basque Film Archive, the EPE/APV and IBAIA producers associations, and Zineuskadi. This year, Urbil also joins as a collaborator. At this edition, Zinemira comes with nine fictions and non-fictions. Three of these, to have their world premiere at the Festival, will compete for the Irizar Basque Film Award together with another two works present in other Festival sections. A total of five productions will therefore compete for the prize money of 20,000 euros going to the film’s producer or producers.
Irizar Award contenders
The dramatic odyssey of migrants on their way to Europe is at the centre of Bidasoa 2018-2023, the latest documentary work from Fermin Muguruza (Irun, 1963). The filmmaker and musician from Gipuzkoa has shown his work in several of the Festival sections: Zabaltegi (Zuloak, 2012), Zinemira (Black is beltza, 2018) and the Velodrome (Black is beltza II: Ainhoa, 2022).
Another Zinemira regular is the moviemaker Josu Martinez (Bilbao, 1986), who, after showing titles including Sagarren denbora. 25 urte deserritik itzultzen (2010) and Paperezko hegoak (Paper Wings, 2021), returns to the section twofold: Bizkarsoro contains five true stories taking place in an imaginary town, while Mirande, film baterako zirriborroa, the Zinemira closing film, approaches the life and work of the writer Jon Mirande.
Competing for the Irizar Basque Film Award alongside the above-mentioned three titles are another two films included in other sections: the animated film El sueño de la sultana / Sultana’s Dream, feature debut from Isabel Herguera (Donostia, 1961) programmed in the Official Selection, and Arnasa betean, emakume zinegileak / A Deep Breath, Women Filmmakers, by Bertha Gaztelumendi (Irun, 1962) and Rosa Zufía (Tudela, 1958). In this film, programmed for Tuesday 26 September in the Victoria Eugenia Theatre as part of the Basque Cinema Gala, the two directors bring an immersion in cinema by Basque women.
Zinemira out of competition
Another six films will complete the Zinemira competition, but this time not as competitors due to having had their premiere prior to screening in San Sebastian. The section will open with 20.000 especies de abejas / 20,000 Species of Bees, the first feature from Estibaliz Urresola (Llodio, 1984) premiered at the Berlinale, where Sofía Otero bagged the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance. It later went on to win the Golden Biznaga for Best Film and the Best Supporting Actress Award for Patricia López Arnaiz at Málaga Festival.
Also to screen out of competition is Irati, the second feature from Paul Urkijo Alijo (Vitoria, 1984), winner of the Audience Award both at Sitges and at the San Sebastian Horror Film Festival; Las buenas compañías / In the Company of Women, directorial debut from the actress Sílvia Munt (Barcelona, 1957), which competed at Málaga Festival; Misión a Marte / Mission to Mars, with which Amat Vallmajor del Pozo (Girona, 1996), alumni of Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola, participated in WIP Europa and bagged a mention at Gijón Festival before showing at the Berlin Critics’ Week; Tetuán, the latest work from Iratxe Fresneda (Bilbao, 1974) shown at events such as Gijón, Zinebi and Nantes; and Una vida no tan simple / Not Such an Easy Life, by Félix Viscarret (Pamplona, 1975), premiered at Málaga Festival.
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