YEARS
2023-2020
YEARS
2019-2010
YEARS
2009-2000
YEARS
1999-1990
YEARS
1989-1980
YEARS
1979-1970
YEARS
1969-1959
In this edition a night marathon session dedicated to advertising cinema was held under the title La noche de los publivoraces. There was also a cycle dedicated to Film and Television Schools and another titled Cannes in short, a selection of the best short films awarded in this festival. The exhibition Espejo convulso was dedicated to documentaries about several contemporary conflicts and in a special session Trilogy, a feature film by the great British filmmaker Terence Davies, was screened. Amongst the Basque productions, El reino de Víctor, by Juanma Bajo Ulloa, won both the Award of theFestival and the Basque Film Award. Also in the competition were Koldo Lasa, Mikel Azkona and Arantxa Lazkano.
Canadian documentary filmmaker Donald Winkler, Italian critic and theorist Lino Miccihé and Roberto Negro, former director of the festival, were prominent members of the International Jury.
Lino Micciché (J) · Roberto Negro (J) · Monique Renault (J) · Fee Vaillant (J) · Donald Winkler (J) · Mikel Azkona · Juanma Bajo Ulloa · Koldo Lasa · Arantza Lazkano
By decision of the City council, the festival was transferred to C.A.C. Teatro Arriaga, S.A., under the direction of Luis Iturri, who appointed Joseba Lopezortega as contest delegate. This decision ensured its economic survival. Two important meetings were held: The State Meeting of Infographics, with the presence of computer generated images specialists, and the Congress of the Film Historians Association. In the International Jury were, amongst others, North American filmmaker Allan Francovich, British documentary filmmaker Michael Channan, Spanish filmmaker Roberto Bodegas and the popular actor José Luis López Vázquez.
Juanma Bajo Ulloa and Iñaki Arteta debuted in the Basque arena, accompanied by Pablo Berger and Pedro Durana. The closing ceremony was hosted by actors Xabier Elorriaga and Mónica Randall.
Roberto Bodegas (J) · Alan Francovich (J) · José Luis López Vázquez (J) · Juanma Bajo Ulloa · Pablo Berger · Xabier Elorriaga · Petar Lalovic · Edgardo Pallero · Mónica Randall
The City Council appointed Iñaki Acarregui as director in replacement of the Management Committee appointed two years earlier. Retrospectives and tributes were made to Georges Méliès, Antonio Mercero and American Saul Bass, who was a member of the international jury along with French documentalist Jean Rouch and Spanish filmmakers José Luis Garci and José Mª Gonzalez Sinde. Bilbao welcomed Marie-Hélène Méliès-Lehérissey, great-granddaughter of the French pioneer, actors Anthony Hopkins, Katherine McCall, Joely Richardson and Donald Pleasance, British documentary maker Richard Denton and veteran Spanish director Juan Antonio Bardem.
The Basque participation was brought by Agustín Arenas, Peio Varela, Koldo Azkarreta, Juan Luis Mendiaraz, Enrique Atxa, José Luis Terán, Juan Carlos Romero, Julio Medem, Gracia Querejeta and Joxe Alberdi.
Saul Bass (J) · José Luis Garci (J) · José Mª González Sinde (J) · Antonio Mercero (J) · Jean Rouch (J) · Jan Švankmajer (J) · Juan Antonio Bardem · Antonio Ferrandis · Fernando Guillén · Anthony Hopkins · Katherine McCall · Julio Medem · Marie-Hélène Méliès-Lehérissey · Donald Pleasance · Gracia Querejeta · Joely Richardson
The great Hungarian director Márta Mészáros concurred with her short film Ave María, starring Julie Christie. The program included an extensive retrospective of Czeck animation filmmaker Jiří Trnk, another dedicated to French filmmaker Raymond Depardon, and two television series by Roberto Rossellini (India) and Orson Welles (Welles on the Quixote route).
Tis year’s Basque participant were Javier G. Purroy, Txetxo Serrano, Peio Varela, Josu Rekalde, José Luis Mendiaraz, Miguel Ángel Múgica, Antón Lazkano and Pilar Aguirre.
Gianni Amico (J) · Nick Deocampo (J) · Jenaro Talens (J) · Imanol Arias · John Canemaker · Raymond Depardon · Agustín Ibarrola · Francisco Llinás · Márta Mészáros · Josu Rekalde
As a result of the poor economic management problems and the deficit accumulated by the festival’s organisation, the City Council decided to cease Manu Pagola as director and appoint a Management Committee formed by José Julián Bakedano, Ernesto del Río, José Antonio Mingolarra and Santos Zunzunegui. First-timer Julio Medem presented his short film Patas en la cabeza, while the International Jury brought together three of the greatest animation filmmakers: Karel Zeman, Robert Balser and Leif Marcussen, along with film critic and essayist José Luis Guarner and director of The International Film Week of Valladolid, Fernando Lara.
The great Canadian filmmaker Pierre Pérrault and the prestigious French critic and theorist Noël Burch, who presented his book Itinerarios, also visited Bilbao.
Robert Balser (J) · Noël Burch (J) · José Luis Guarner (J) · Fernando Lara (J) · Leif Marcussen (J) · Karel Zeman (J) · Klara Badiola · Gonzalo F. Berridi · Patxi Bisquert · Lawrence Boulting · Andu Lertxundi · Francisco Llinás · Miguel Marías · Marisa Paredes · Julio Pérez Perucha · Pierre Pérrault · Ramón Saizarbitoria · Alfonso Ungría
In the II State Documentary and Short Film Contest, Basque filmmakers Pedro Ortigosa, José Julián Bakedano, Juan Ortuoste and Javier Rebollo and Javier Aguirre participated, together with novel Catalan filmmaker Isabel Coixet with her short film Mira y verás.
There were tributes to François Truffaut, Jorge Preloran and Gian Vittorio Baldi. Bilbao hosted the fourteenth plenary session of the International Film Conference, a UNESCO consultative body, with the attendance of 22 members from 14 countries.
Ángel Amigo (J) · Gian Vittorio Baldi (J) · Richard Peña (J) · Miguel Castelo (J) · Isabel Coixet · Juan B. Heinink · Juan M. Ortuoste · Jorge Preloran · Javier Rebollo · Salomón Zetune
On its 25th anniversary, the festival decided to add to the International contest the I State Documentary and Short Film Contest, in which 35 films participated, including 9 Basque films by Rafael Maria Trecu and Francisco Bernabé, Ferrán Llagostera, Iñaki Núñez, Luis Eguiraun and Ernesto del Río, Ernesto Tellería, Koldo Izagirre and Juanba Berasategi. The jury decided not to grant the Spanish Cinema Award, a decision that was widely criticised.
Two documentaries about Euskadi and the Basque culture were screened: Euskadi, hors d’etat,by the American Arthur MacCaig and Pelota, by Danish Jørgen Leth.
Montxo Armendáriz (J) · Mohamed Chaaban (J) · Joaquín Romaguera (J) · Pilar Távora (J) · José A. Zorrilla (J) · Santiago Álvarez · Rafael Barbier · Juana Cima · Luis Eguiraun · Teodoro Ernandorena · Antton Ezeiza · Jørgen Leth · Ernesto del Río · Santos Zunzunegui
The great French filmmaker Jean Painlevé received the Mikeldi de Honor for his pioneer work in scientific cinema and promoter of science and nature through cinema. There was a cycle called Cinematography and women, another on British Alternative Cinema and an exhibition of 20th Century Fox posters. Competing in the Basque Cinema section were Juan José Ibisate, J.B. Heinink, Modesto Pena, Marta Batllé, Edwin Buces, Luis Eguiraun and Ernesto del Río. The Ikuska series presented its 12th and 13th productions, by Mirentxu Loyarte and Imanol Uribe.
In the International Jury, amongst others, were Argentine filmmaker Fernando Birri, Spanish Eloy de la Iglesia and Czechoslovakian Bronislaw Zeman.
Fernando Birri (J) · Eloy de la Iglesia (J) · Sean O’Mordha (J) · Bronislaw Zeman (J) · Santos Zunzunegui (J) · Marta Batllé · Edwin Buces · Luis Eguiraun · Robert Grélier · Mirentxu Loyarte · Jean Painlevé · Modesto Pena · Ernesto del Río
Roberto Negro was replaced by Manu Pagola as the festival director. TheCity Council, in order to finally institutionalise it within the municipal organisation, created a public trust called International Documentary Film and Short Film Contest of Bilbao and Promotion and Exposure of Audiovisual Culture. Tributes were paid to Koldo Mitxelena and Dolores Ibarruri, La Pasionaria, and a new award to the best documentary feature film was created. Frontrunners to this award were Spaniards Andrés Linares and José Luis G. Sánchez,Cuban Estela Bravo, North Americans Glenn Silver and Peter Vasconcellos, Basques Fernando Larrukert and Juan Ignacio Llorente, Frenchman Alain Massoneau, Nicaraguan Jorge Denti and Russian Anatoly Koloshin.
Pío Caro Baroja, Walter Tournier and director of the Department of Cinematography of the Generalitat de Catalunya Miquel Porter i Moi, amongst others, made this year’s international jury.
Pío Caro Baroja (J) · Miquel Porter i Moix (J) · Walter Tournier (J) · Antonio del Amo · Montxo Armendáriz · Jiří Barta · Michael Chanan · José Luis G. Sánchez · Dolores Ibarruri, La Pasionaria · Anatoly Koloshin · Guy Pirotte · Peter Rubin · Noe Valladares
Already institutionally dependent on the Bilbao City Council, the festival programmed two major cycles: The cinema of popular republican organisations 1936-1939, with special reference to productions by the CNT; On the other hand, the critic and director Robert Dunbar presented an extensive cycle dedicated to British Free Cinema. A well-attended meeting on the future of short and documentary films from the Basque Autonomous Region gathered numerous filmmakers and representatives of the Ministry of Culture of the Basque Government.
Basque filmmakers Montxo Armendáriz, Íñigo Silva, Juan Ortuoste, Javier Rebollo, Paco Avizanda, Iñaki Núñez, Ricardo Arroyabe and the Film Group of the Popular University of Rekalde competed in the International Contest. The Ikuska series, produced by Antton Ezeiza, presented its last four short documentaries by Juan Bautista Berasategui, Koldo Larrañaga and José Julián Bakedano.
Iñaki Aizpuru (J) · Santiago Álvarez (J) · Bruno Bozzetto (J) · Mario Handler (J) · José Julián Bakedano · Juan B. Berasategui · Robert Dunbar · Juan M. Ortuoste · Javier Rebollo
