Masterclass

Basque animation has now reached a particularly significant juncture. In recent years filmmakers, studios and production companies from Euskadi have succeeding in making their mark on the international map thanks to a combination of technical excellence, creative identity and narrative ability. Their regular presence at leading festivals such as Annecy, San Sebastián and the Quirino Awards, together with their success at the Goya Awards and at European co-production forums such as Cartoon Movie, confirms the strength of a generation which has paved the way for new talent and consolidated a prestigious image for the sector.

This artistic maturity is enhanced by an expanding educational ecosystem, with universities, specialised schools and vocational training programmes which provide an increasingly solid foundation for new generations of animators. All this has made it possible for Euskadi to gain recognition as a dynamic territory in the field of animation, with distinctive voices, daring proposals, and a growing international vocation.

Funded by the Basque Government’s Department of Culture, ZINEBI Animation Lab is a meeting and training space specialising in animated film, conceived as a creative laboratory which brings together professionals, students and young filmmakers to explore the processes of production, writing and project development in animation from a contemporary international perspective.

The programme includes masterclasses by leading figures in contemporary animation, as well as project analysis sessions, tutorials and networking activities. Moreover, as a result of this first edition, a number of animated opening sequences for the festival are being created in collaboration with DigiPen Institute of Technology Europe–Bilbao, the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), and the public design school ID Arte in Vitoria–Gasteiz, which will be presented during ZINEBI’s opening gala.