WHERE CINEMA MEETS THE CITY’S PEOPLE
Juan Mari Aburto. Mayor of Bilbao.
Bilbao embraces and champions culture as an essential pillar of its identity — an inalienable right and a shared space in which we recognise ourselves as a community. It is not just about projecting an image of modernity and progress, but also nurturing an inner life where values such as co-existence, diversity, sustainability, solidarity and civic participation are genuinely experienced day by day.
In this context, within the space of 67 years our Festival has now become a cultural space that goes beyond the conventional. ZINEBI shuns commercial or complacent formulas, championing bold, innovative, committed cinema that gives a voice to diverse perspectives often silenced or marginalised. It is a space where the visions of filmmakers — who challenge the boundaries and conventions of cinematic language — meet those of an open, curious public, eager to engage critically with their work.
ZINEBI not only helps place Bilbao on the international cinema map, but also invites us to reflect on the world we inhabit and the world we yearn to build, in a programme woven into the very fabric of our city.
I invite all citizens to join in this celebration of cinema and culture, to participate actively in screenings, debates and activities, and to continue to make ZINEBI a space of encounter, inspiration and transformation — one that seeks and offers paths of freedom and creativity to navigate the complex, sometimes gloomy world in which we live. /p>
