Respectfully Discovering
Juan Mari Aburto. Mayor of Bilbao.
Culture is a shared right and a way of being in the world. In Bilbao, it is where coexistence, diversity and citizen participation are not mere statements, but are put into practice every day. From that standpoint, it is important for audiovisual trends beyond the mainstream or market dynamics to have their own channels and instruments to reach their audience. For 68 editions, ZINEBI has been that instrument: a festival that is the opportunity to explore and enjoy films while embracing diversity, as a journey of discovery that is precisely enriched by respect and encountering the unfamiliar.
As an FIAPF accredited festival and a qualifier for prestigious international events, ZINEBI positions Bilbao on a map that is both very local and resolutely international. Each edition confirms that a city can and must dialogue with the world without abandoning its own vision, and that that dialogue – between what is created locally and internationally – is now a robust and necessary way to express and contrast our identity and its strength.
We are living at a time of remarkable audiovisual activity in Bilbao and Bizkaia; it is precisely that great vitality that makes backing local creation and talent even more necessary, as they are competing for technical availability and means in a context of high demand by the industry. ZINEBI also fulfils that role: to showcase local production, not as protectionism, but as a meeting place where it dialogues, on an equal footing, with production from around the world.
This vocation for dialogue, for listening and for critical analysis has been the defining feature of ZINEBI year after year, and the 2026 edition will be no exception. I am convinced that this Festival has been and will continue to be – beyond the changes and transformation of the city – one of those spaces where Bilbao reflects upon itself and is receptive to what the world has to say. I would like to invite all citizens to join in this edition and those to come.
