Director of ZINEBI

SPACES FOR CREATION, REFLECTION AND CULTURE

Joseba Lopezortega Director of ZINEBI

It is an honour to welcome you to the 66th ZINEBI, a festival that has successfully developed over the decades to become a major hub for documentaries and short films. This year’s programme combines power and balance, reflecting the maturity of the festival and a renewed interest in interacting with a diverse audience.

We are very pleased indeed to show you the wide range, diversity and abundance of Basque cinema, with films competing, various sections and special screenings to commemorate the memorable moments of its history. This worthy component is enhanced by the presence of top filmmakers such as Elena López Riera, Albert Serra and Dora García, and the extensive combination of local and international talent in the competition sections. And so our 66th festival displays the range and diversity of ZINEBI, along with our undertaking to produce cinema that inspires and invites reflection.

We have worked to broaden the range and activity of ZINEBI Networking, bolstering links between creators and professional practitioners of cinema from an industrial perspective – the word industry, in association with a festival, must always be employed with humility and respect, but with perseverance too – and also bearing in mind the transmission of experiences and knowledge to the practitioners of the future. We have also striven to explore interaction between cinema and other disciplines, such as music. All these spaces in turn represent opportunities for the creation of projects and the evolution of future generations of filmmakers.

I wish to express my gratitude for support and active listening on the part of the institutions, public and private organisations, universities and film schools which collaborate with us, the assistance of which enables ZINEBI to be staged and continue to expand. I likewise wish to point out the hard work of the selection committee and the team organising the festival, in the fullest possible scope, the commitment and efforts of whom are essential to make a success of this new festival.

Thanks also to all the people to whom we are paying tribute, the members of jury panels, the specialists, professional practitioners and the public at large who will be doing so much for ZINEBI 66. The festival is its people.

Let us take delight in an open, plural ZINEBI, the home of cinema that connects us with realities, experiences, and diverse, uplifting perspectives. These are expressions of talent arriving in Bilbao from many locations and positions. Our welcome and gratitude to each and every one of them.