ZINEBI – ZINEBI International Festival of Documentary and Short Film of Bilbao
ZINEBI – the only international Class A festival in Spain in the documentary and short film category recognised by FIAPF since 1974, accredited by the Hollywood Academy as a qualifier for the Oscars, by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for the BAFTA Awards, by the European Film Academy for the European Film Awards, and by the Spanish Academy for the Goya Awards.
ZINEBI is a festival that firmly supports emerging authors. The international short film (documentary, animation and fiction) contest and the ZIFF-Zinebi First Film international competition—dedicated to first works—are its signs of identity. It also features Mikeldis of Honour, which are awarded to acknowledge the careers of distinguished directors, and it has carefully selected Beautiful Docs and Bertoko Begiradak sections. ZINEBI INDUSTRY is yet another part of the festival, intended to promote the Basque audiovisual industry.
Invited guests, members of the international jury and winners of the Mikeldi of Honour—the festival’s top award—include Peter Greenaway, Ennio Morricone, Jean Rouch, Dino Risi, Luis G. Berlanga, Hanna Schygulla, Anna Karina, Jane Birkin, Arturo Ripstein, Elías Querejeta, Richard Lester, Pavel Pawlikowski, Márta Mészáros, Jeanne Moreau, Vanessa Redgrave, Emir Kusturica, Liliana Cavani, Carlos Saura, Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón, Jean-Claude Carrière, Patrice Chéreau, Cecilia Roth, Hirokazu Kore-Eda, Juan Ruiz Anchía, Aki Kaurismäki, Marco Bellocchio, Mariano Llinás, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Wang Bing, Claire Simon, Albert Serra, Agnieszka Holland, Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne.
Every year, the ZINEBI programme finds room for all kinds of stylistic formats, the most creative, innovative and suggestive audiovisual formats, and emerging directors of contemporary film from all around the world, so that each new festival renews its commitment to exploring new film territories, formal experimentation, the hybrid and interdisciplinary condition of new cinematographic productions and filmmakers’ ethical and aesthetic investigation into the complex realities of the world in which we live.
The festival is the main local policy instrument in Bilbao’s audiovisual sector. Apart from the City Council and Arriaga Theatre as organisers, it has an extensive network of private and institutional partners, including: The Basque Government’s Ministry of Culture, Bizkaia Provincial Council, the Spanish Ministry of Culture through the Institute of Cinematography and Audio-visual Arts (ICAA), EITBi, Europa Creativa Media Desk Euskadi, Basque Producers Association (EPE-APV), SGAE Foundation-Basque Council, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Basque Screenwriters Association, (H)emen Association, the French Institute, UNICEF, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Fine Arts Museum of Bilbao, Azkuna Zentroa-Alhondiga Bilbao, Golem-Alhóndiga Cinemas, Campos Elíseos Theatre, Basque Film Library and the FAS Film Club.
