YEARS
2023-2020
YEARS
2019-2010
YEARS
2009-2000
YEARS
1999-1990
YEARS
1989-1980
YEARS
1979-1970
YEARS
1969-1959
The Cinémathèque Française presented an anthological exhibition with films by the Lumières, Jean Rouch, Joris Ivens, Jean Vigo, etc., while the festival began to broaden the limits of censorship with the exhibition of works by classic filmmakers from the Soviet era such as Sergei M. Eisenstein, Dziga Vertov and Alexander Dovzhenko. Spanish directors such as Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón, Francesc Betríu and Diego Galán took part in the contest. The Basque participation was headed by Antonio Mercero, Alberto Schommer and Rafael Ruiz Balerdi, who presented his avant-garde experimental short film La cazadora inconsciente. The attendance of prestigious Belgian filmmaker André Delvaux was the highlight at international level.
Popular theatre, film and television actresses Enriqueta Carballeira and Lali Soldevila also honoured this eleventh edition with their visit.
Claudio Bertieri (J) · Luis Gasca (J) · Vasco Granja (J) · Francesc Betriu · Enriqueta Carballeira · André Delvaux · Diego Galán · Antonio Gamero · Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón · Bert Haanstra · Lali Soldevila · Alberto Schommer
José Ignacio Uruñuela took the reins of the festival willing to open it to young filmmakers from around the world. The prestigious British BBC began to take an interest in Bilbao as one of its platforms for films acquisition. Catalan filmmaker Pere Portabella was part of the jury of a contest where internationally recognized Polish filmmaker Walerian Borowczyk participated. Basques Néstor Basterretxea and Fernando Larruquert presented their documentary Ama Lur, one of the first pieces of contemporary Basque cinema, and Basque artist José Antonio Sistiaga did likewise with his ambitious and unusual experimental feature film Ere Erera Baleibu Icik Subura Arauaren, winner of the Experimental Cinema Award of that year.
The popular actress Teresa Gimpera visited Bilbao, accompanied by the festival’s brand new director.
Antonio Giménez · Rico (J) · Antonio de Lara Tono (J) · Vicente Molina Foix (J) · Pere Portabella (J) · Jesús Yagüe (J) · Walerian Borowczyk · Chumy Chúmez · Juan Carlos Eguillor · Teresa Gimpera · José Mª Nunes · José Antonio Sistiaga
This edition presented The War Game, the impressive and visionary piece by British filmmaker Peter Watkins about an atomic explosion in his country which had just won him the Oscar for Best Documentary .
Basques Pío Caro Baroja (Pío Baroja’s Basque Country) and Javier Aguirre (Playa espacio) returned to this contest. A series of Spanish short films was screened, including the legendary Tierra sin pan by Luis Buñuel and Historia de un duro, by Bilbao local Sabino Antonio Micón.
Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill visited the festival for the screening of his short film Circles, accompanied by Serena Vergano, his wife and star of the film.
El arquitecto catalán Ricardo Bofill visitó el festival para la proyección de su cortometraje Circles, en la que estuvo acompañado por Serena Vergano, su mujer y protagonista de la
Javier Aguirre (J) · Jaime Jaimes (J) · Félix Martialay (J) · Bernard Vasse (J) · Fernando Vizcaíno Casas (J) · Ricardo Bofill · Serena Vergano · Peter Watkins
Films from 22 countries concurred in this edition of the Bilbao Festival, clearly consolidating the event. A tribute was paid to French director Pierre Étaix, and once again the Official School of Cinematography (EOC) offered some workshops to its students, including Claudio Guerín. Pedro Olea presented his emblematic documentary Ría de Bilbao with great success and Argentinean painter, sculptress and director Nadia Werba visited our city, where she had previously exhibited her work. Works by Frenchman Claude Lelouch, German Günter Sachs, Chilean Patricio Guzmán and Cuban Santiago Alvárez were awarded.
Directors Leon Klimovsky and Basilio M. Patino partook in the International Jury.
León Klimovski (J) · Basilio M. Patino (J) · Javier Pérez Pellón (J) · Santiago Alvárez · Pierre Étaix · Claudio Guerín · Patricio Guzmán · Claude Lelouch · Gunter Sachs · Nadia Werb
José Mª García Escudero, General Director of Cinematography, attended this edition. José Luis Egea, Angelino Fons and Pedro Olea, all students from the Official School of Cinematography (EOC) screened their pieces.
Famous French oceanographer and documentalist Jacques-Yves Cousteau presented his amazing vision of the seabed Le Monde sans soleil, and a retrospective of Czech animation filmmaker Jiří Trnk was screened.
British Richard Lester, just awarded the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival for The Knack, came to Bilbao to personally collect the award given to him by Zinebi five years earlier.
Adrián Gualdoni (J) · Henri Pialat (J) · Arturo Ruiz Castillo (J) · Jacques · Yves Cousteau · Angelino Fons · Richard Lester · Pedro Olea · Jiří Trnk
This edition was inaugurated by Carlos Fernández Cuenca, director of the National Film Library, the San Sebastian Festival and the Official School of Cinematography (EOC). Basque filmmakers Néstor Basterretxea and Fernando Larruquert (Pelotari), Pío Caro Baroja (Diablos danzantes) and Elías Querejeta and Antton Ezeiza (A través del fútbol) participated.
A tribute was dedicated to the great American director and credit designer Saul Bass. Mexican filmmaker Benito Alazraki and Argentinean Fernando Birri took advantage of their presence in the jury to partake in the II Conversations on Documentary Cinema and Short Film.
Benito Alazraki (J) · Fernando Birri (J) · Enrique LLovet (J) · José Monleón (J) · Nicolas Pillat (J) · Walter Talmon · Gros (J) · César Ardavin · Saul Bass · Pío Caro Baroja · Jesús Yagüe
In this edition, the General Direction of Cinematography chose Bibao for the first Conversations on documentary films, hosted and organised by José López Clemente, writer, scriptwriter and documentalistwho was also a member of the jury. One of the highlights was the short film Operation H, the film debut of Basque sculptor Néstor Basterretxea.
Canadian animation filmmaker George Dunning and French directors Robert Enrico and Serge Korber also concurred.
Claude-Antoine (J) · José L. Clemente (J) · Luis G. Mesa (J) · Javier Aguirre · Néstor Basterretxea · Enriqueta Carballeira · Juan Carlos Eguillor · George Dunning · Robert Enrico · Serge Korber · Fernando Larruquert
This edition was hosted by Gregorio Marañón Moya, new president of the Institute of Hispanic Culture of Madrid. Raúl Peña presented Más allá de Bilbao, a color documentary about the Biscayan capital, the river and its urban environments. Spanish filmmakers Antonio Mercero (Lección de arte) and Basilio M. Patino (Torerillos) and French artists Pierre Étaix and Jean-Claude Carrière (Rupture) concurred.
The great French documentary maker Jean Rouch was a member of the jury along with filmmakers Tulio Demicheli and José Luis Borau and film critic Alfonso Sánchez. A selection of the works of Ermanno Olmi and Javier Aguirre was screened.
José Luis Borau (J) · Tulio Demicheli (J) · Jean Rouch (J) · Alfonso Sánchez (J) · Javier Aguirre · Jean Claude Carriére · Pierre Étaix · Antonio Mercero · Ermanno Olmi · Basilio M. Patino · Raúl Peña
Some 80 films were submitted to the contest, mostly of a tourist nature and sent by the embassies of their countries. Amongst them, works by Julio Diamante (Velázquez and lo velazqueño), Jacques Demy (Ars), Jorge Grau (Medio siglo en un pincel) and Alain Resnais (Le mystère de l’atelier quinze). Basques Antton Ezeiza and Elías Querejeta participated with their short film A través de Sebastián.
Two parallel cycles could also be enjoyed, one devoted to the UFA studies of pre-Hitler Germany and another dedicated to the great Hollywood studios, showing classic films by Greta Garbo, Charles Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino or Gloria Swanson.
Jean-Pierre Décourt (J) · Vicente A. Pineda (J) · Alfonso del Val (J) · Pío Caro Baroja · Jacques Demy · Julio Diamante · Antton Ezeiza · Jorge Grau · Norman McLaren · Elías Querejeta · Alain Resnais
The second edition was inaugurated by the president of the Institute of Hispanic Culture of Madrid at the time, Blas Piñar, who later became a connoted right-wing politician in the democratic transition. The works of the great Canadian animation director Norman McLaren were screened and Portuguese artist Manoel de Oliveira entered the contest with his film O Pao.
Carlos Saura was a member of the International Jury and Richard Lester won a Silver Mikeldi for Best Short Film with his film The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film.
Organised by the Basque Institute of Hispanic Culture, reliant at the time on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the first edition of the Ibero-American and Filipino International Documentary Film Competition was held from October 3rd to 9th , 1959. The Executive Committee had Pedro de Ybarra as its first president.
The opening ceremony was presented by actor Fernando Rey and director Luis García Berlanga was a member of the jury. Carlos Saura won a Silver Medal with his short documentary film Cuenca.
Luis G. Berlanga (J) · Pascual Cebollada (J) · Carlos F. Cuenca (J) · Fernando Rey · Jacques Rozier · Carlos Saura
