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BOOSTING DOCUMENTARY CINEMA
Headed up by Joseba Lopezortega, who took over from Vanesa Fernández Guerra, ZINEBI 66 was staged with a new feature in the section promoting documentary films. The prizes at the seventh Bilbao Professional Documentary Film Forum ZINEBI Networking (the awards were 50% more than in previous years) were awarded to the film directed by Marian Palacio Y así seguirán las cosas (which will have been completed between 2026 and 2027) and the 15L Films production directed by Guillermo Roqués, Rafael Honrubia and Javier Marín, The Dutchbat.
Some of the documentaries featured in ZINEBI Networking formed part of the “Beautiful Docs” section, including the State premiere of the latest film by Dora García (Revolución, cumple tu promesa) Amor rojo and films such as Intercepted, by Oksana Karpovych, and Homegrown, by US photojournalist and activist Michael Premo, who came to Bilbao to present his film, and accompany this year’s winner of the Honorific Mikeldi Award, Laura Poitras, who presented two of her latest films after collecting the honorific award at the opening ceremony in the Arriaga Theatre.
Acclaimed State filmmakers such as Albert Serra (Tardes de soledad), Alejandro Alvarado and Concha Barquero (Caja de resistencia), Elena López Riera (Las novias del Sur) and Pablo Gil Rituerto (La Marsellesa de los borrachos) were in Bilbao to present their latest documentaries.
ZINEBI hosted the world premiere of the film by Larraitz Zuazo, Ainhoa Andraka and Zuri Goikoetxea, Itoiz udako sesioak, as an entry in the International ZIFF ZINEBI First Film Competition, which was won by the documentary by Chilean filmmaker Celeste Rojas Una sombra oscilante, the State premiere of which formed part of this ZINEBI 66. The Jury’s special mention went to another documentary, Rising Up at Night, by Congolese filmmaker Nelson Makengo.
SHORT FILM INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
In the International Short Film Competition, Italian Andrea Gatopoulos took the ZINEBI Grand Prix for his reflection on censorship using images created with artificial intelligence, The Eggregores’ Theory. Gatopoulos, who presented his previous short film at ZINEBI two years ago, will be representing the Festival as a contender for the best European short film of the year.
The other awards went to Ehiza (Aitzol Saratxaga, 2024), which took the Basque Cinema Grand Prix; Horizontal (Alex Reynolds, 2024), winner of the Spanish Cinema Grand Prix; the Belgian-Nepalese co-production Songs of Love and Hate (Saurav Ghimire, 2024), Mikeldi Award for Best Short Documentary Film; the Franco-Lebanese co-production 2006 (Gabriella Choueifaty, 2024), Mikeldi Award for Best Short Fiction Film; and French film Ashen Sun (Soleil gris), Camille Monnier, 2024), Mikeldi Award for Best Short Animation Film.
Guests: Anahí Berneri (J), Olatz Ganboa (J), Esther García (J), Claudius Gentinetta (J), Teresa Lavina (J), Veton Nurkollari (J), Nebojša Slijepčević (J), Maryam Tafakory (J), Michael Premo, Dora García, Elena López Riera, Albert Serra, Alejandro Alvarado, Concha Barquero, Pello Gutiérrez Peñalba, Farahnaz Sharifi, Possathorn Watcharapanit, Claudio Zilleruelo Acra, Tamara Uribe, Andrés Jurado, María Rojas, Florencia de Mugica, Rocío B. Fuentes, Carlos Reviriego, Luis Martínez, Iratxe Fresneda, Alicia Moncholi, Randa Ali, Carlota González, Alex Reynolds, Jorge Moneo, Tamara García Iglesias, Ane Inés Landeta, Lorea Lyons, Aitzol Saratxaga, Vincent Langouche, Niklas Lipski, Benoit Méry, Gabriella Choueifaty, Felipe Elgueta, Kun Sun, Miguel Ángel Ferreiro, Hilke Rönnfeldt, Esteban Azuela, Fon Cortizo, Bruno Ojeda, Santiago Tabernero, Izibene Oñederra, Diego Herguera, Estibaliz Urresola, Mel Arranz, Iván Torres, Xoán-Xil López, Josu Venero, Iñaki Alforja, Iban Toledo, George Todria, Julen Etxebarria, Galder Irusta, Lide Billelabeitia, Xanti Rodríguez, Xabier Larrazabal, Nitya López, Jone Arriola, Eneko Muruzabal, Sonia Estévez, Aitor Abio, Beñat Iturrioz, Nere Falagan, Jone Ibarretxe, Eduardo Carneros, Ernesto del Río, Luis Eguiraun, José Luis Ágreda, Izaskun Arandia, Amorante, Miren Gaztañaga.
Bilbao was the venue for State premieres of the latest projects by the grand masters of contemporary documentary cinema: Frederick Wiseman (who took the 65th Festival’s honorary award) and Wim Wenders presented films in a section alongside leading directors such as Nicolas Philibert and Claire Simon from France, Spanish filmmaker Virginia García del Pino, and up-and-coming documentary makers such as Veljko Lina Soualem and Asmae El Moudir. Another documentary, In the Rearview, took the ZIFF Grand Prix: Polish filmmaker Maciek Hamela came out on top in a competition which also featured, among others, Stefanie Kolk (Milk), Katharina Huber (A Good Place), Jac Cron (Chestnut) and Tamara García Iglesias, whose Zarata film won the Young Jury Award (University of the Basque Country – UPV/EHU).
In the International Short Film Competition, first-timers Pek Jia Hao and Ang Jia Jun collected the ZINEBI Grand Prix at the Arriaga Theatre for their project Beyond the Other Shore, which they were presenting outside their native Singapore for the first time. The Spanish Film Grand Prix went to the documentary El soldao (Alejandro Cabrera), while the Basque Film Grand Prix was won by the fiction film Ximinoa (Itziar Leemans).
Iván Zulueta was also a major protagonist at an event commemorating the 80th anniversary of his birth. Working alongside Filmoteca Española, ZINEBI screened almost eight hours of unreleased work from the Basque director’s archives, and also arranged a performance by J, from the Los Planetas band – Plena pausa, during which the Granada musician and his band played live amid images of Zulueta.
The section focusing on the industry included the sixth Bilbao Professional Documentary Film Forum ZINEBI Networking, which awarded prizes to La isla sumergida (directed and co-produced by Lucía Malandro and Daniel Saucedo with the Elías Querejeta Film School) and Jo Sóc (directed by Patricia M. Félix and produced by Roger Torras Mayneris and Diana Toucedo Films).
Over two hundred people were at the event, as speakers or to present their work to the general public and professional operators in the audiovisual industry throughout the week of the Festival.
Guests: Diana Bustamante (J), Florian Fernandez (J), Haruka Hama (J), Mariana Hristova (J), Birgit Kohler (J), Rocío Mesa (J), Estibaliz Urresola (J), Alberto Vázquez (J), Albert Serra, Valeria Camporesi, Miguel Fernández Labayen, Tamara García Iglesias, Ignacia Merino Bustos, Isabel Reyes Bustos, Katharina Huber, Alejandro Cabrera, Itziar Leemans, Neus Ballús, David Pérez Sañudo, Joana Moya, Lukas Marxt, Marta Bayarri, Natalie Cubides-Brady, Elen Sylla Grollimund, William Wrubel, Sara Jurinčić, Shadi Karamroudi, Adrian Jonas Haim, Joana de Sousa, Virginia García del Pino, Ayreen Anastas, Rene Gabri, Rubén Ontiveros, Paul Urkijo, Koldo Almandoz, Diego San José, Lara Izagirre, Irati Gorostidi, Isabel Delclaux, Gentzane Martinez de Osaba, Ainhoa Gutiérrez del Pozo, Olatz González Abrisketa, Katixa Agirre, Asier Altuna, Txani Rodríguez, Maider Oleaga, Celia Rico, Elías León Siminiani, Julia Juániz, Ana Pfaff, Ariadna Ribas, Diana Toucedo, Carolina Martínez Urbina, Iván Miñambres, Izibene Oñederra, Sergio Martínez, Aitor Oñederra, José Alberto Andrés Lacasta, Manolo Kabezabolo, Lady Bunny.
Albert Serra (Spain)
Retrieving the ZINEBI Express competition in the days leading up to the event, the 64 th ZINEBI
Festival commenced on 11 November with the award of the first two Honorific Mikeldi prizes: to Polish director Agnieszka Holland, by way of a tribute to a comprehensive and combative trajectory committed to individual freedoms; and, posthumously, to Gipuzkoa director and
videoartist Iñigo Salaberria, one of the Basque Country's video art pioneers. The third prize,
awarded by the mayor of Bilbao during the Festival's closing ceremony, went to Catalan director Albert Serra, without a doubt one of the leading exponents of contemporary filmmaking.
Serra also featured in an encounter with the public in Bilbao, along with Harvard University's
Film Study Center advisor and former artistic director of the International Mar del Plata Film
Festival (Argentina) Cecilia Barrionuevo; and Holland also made an appearance (in both cases
at the Guggenheim Museum) along with the former Spanish Government's Minister of Culture
and current president of the Reina Sofía Art Centre National Museum, Ángeles González-Sinde. ZINEBI paid tribute to Salaberria on 27 October at an event held in the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum which, amid screenings of some of his work, was attended, among others, by members of Salaberria's family, the director of the Fine Arts Museum Miguel Zugaza, filmmaker Maria Elorza, former director of Arteleku, Santi Eraso, and university professor Gabriel Villota.
With respect to ZINEBI's Official Section, Colombian production Todas mis cicatrices se desvanecen en el viento, by directors Carlos Velandia and Angélica Restrepo, took the International Short Film Competition's Grand Prix. Another Colombian director, Theo Montoya (who had previously presented his short film Son of Sodom in 2020), took the ZIFF Grand Prix for Anhell69.
The non-competition documentary feature films Beautiful Docs included nine international feature films produced very recently, directed by leading filmmakers with an unquestionable trajectory such as Éric Baudelaire, Ruth Beckermann and Sébastien Lifshitz, among others.
Moreover, in due consideration of the urgent situation of Ukraine, invaded by Russia in a war scenario, ZINEBI organised a special programme of three documentary feature films and three short films by Ukrainian directors, entitled Once I Was a Filmmaker, Now I Am a Soldier, in association with the Ukrainian Institute (a public institution attached to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and Kiev's International Documentary Film Festival on Human Rights DocuDays UA.
The section given over to the industry included the fifth Bilbao Professional Documentary Film Forum ZINEBI Networking, stepping up its support for documentary feature film projects. There were two winners this year: Zikuñagako Ama (Pello Gutiérrez Peñalba), by production company Zazpi T’erdi and Elena dio a luz a un hermoso niño (Chiara Marañón & Juan Soto), produced by LaCima Producciones, S. L.
Guests: Nicole Brenez (J), Anca Caramelea (J), Hilke Doering (J), Carlos Marañón (J), Marta
Popivoda (J), Juan Soto (J), Sabina Urraca (J), Begoña Vicario (J), Iryna Kyporenko, Nataliia Movshovych, Olha Beskhmelnytsina, Galder Reguera, Angélica Restrepo, Carlos Velandia, Alba Esquinas, Guillermo García López, Christian Avilés, Diana Bustamante, Inês T. Alves, Dornaz
Hajiha, Matija Gluščević, Dušan Zorić, João Rosas, Maria Elorza, Jørgen Leth, Ainara Vera, Mitra Farahani, Izaro Andrés, Iratxe Fresneda, Ainhoa Urgoitia, José Fernández de la Sota, Aitor Gametxo, Estibaliz Urresola, Lur Olaizola, Maider Oleaga, Velasco Broca, Carlo Padial.
Organised in an uncertain climate, marked by the rise and fall of COVID-19 rates during the pandemic, the 63rd Festival strived for a return to normality in cinemas. Even though cinema capacity could not be 100%, due to legal requirements at that time, ZINEBI saw a good recovery of its in-person attendance between 12 and 19 November.
The same was true of the presence of leading international producers. Margarethe von Trotta, the German actor, playwright and director, took centre stage during the Opening Gala at the Arriaga Theatre. During the ceremony, she received the first Mikeldi of Honour for the strength and honesty of her films, and for having become one of the most influential feminist filmmakers in the History of the Cinema. The Basque Imanol Uribe was awarded the second honorary prize in recognition of a successful career, which started with short films and documentary, spanning over half a century, and which has been punctuated with international awards. ZINEBI organised a meeting with Von Trotta at the Fine Arts Museum, in conversation with Helena Taberna, the filmmaker from Navarra; while the Festival put on an exhibition at the Site of the Former Convent of San Francisco. The exhibition featured photographs, items and documents related to Uribe’s first fiction feature film, La fuga de Segovia (1981) to mark its 40th anniversary.
As regards the ZINEBI Official Section, North Pole, the Macedonian-Serbian coproduction by Marija Apcevska, took the Grand Prix of the International Short-Film Contest. That also meant that the film was the first entry by ZINEBI to the European Film Awards, organised by the European Film Academy. With respect to the International ZIFF ZINEBI First Film Contest for feature films, the Rock Bottom Riser (Fern Silva, 2021) won the ZIFF Grand Prix.
Beautiful Docs yet again engaged the audiences with the Spanish premières of documentaries by leading filmmakers of our time, such as Marco Bellocchio, Mariano Llinás, Alice Diop, Pacho Vélez and the winner of the 2021 National Plastic Arts Prize Dora García (Si pudiera desear algo, 2021).
Films by women of indigenous peoples of Mexico were featured in a special programme curated by Yunuen Cuenca, who brought filmmakers from different peoples of Mexico to Bilbao. Furthermore, among the other activities aimed at the international and national audio-visual industry, ZINEBI hosted the 4th ZINEBI Networking – the Bilbao Professional Documentary Forum, where the prize of €10,000 went to A los libros y a las mujeres canto, the Txintxua Films directed by Maria Elorza.
Guests: Isabel Herguera (J) · Itandehui Jansen (J) · Jone Laspiur (J) · James Lattimer (J) · Florencia de Mugica (J) · Eva Sangiorgi (J) · Helena Wittmann (J) · Paula Arantzazu Ruiz (J) · Ana Hormaetxea (J) · Nekane E. Zubiaur Gorozika (J) · Haritz Zubillaga (J) · Enrique Urbizu · Carlos Alberto Gómez · Dora García · Fern Silva · Marija Zidar · Kam Jeong-won · Micaela Gonzalo · Diego Hernández · Caroline Pitzen · Émilie Aussel · Marta Popivoda · Luna Marán · Yásnaya Aguilar
This year’s festival was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though all the films selected by the Festival could be screened in the cinemas, the organisers had to adapt to the measures imposed by the health authorities to control the pandemic: all the venues had to be vacated before 8.45 p.m. every day (meaning that there could only be two and not three screenings each day) and the capacity was limited to 50%. Furthermore, ZINEBI cancelled all the invitations to professionals from outside the Basque Country in order to reduce the health risks for the guests, professionals, organisers and general public as far as possible.
With that in mind, Jean-Pierre and Luc, the Dardenne brothers (with the programme including their best documentaries from the 1970s and 80s, including a restored version of Le chant du rossignol (1977), which had only been shown once before, a few days earlier than ZINEBI, at the Lyon Lumière Festival) had to send a video message to be shown at Arriaga Theatre during the Opening Ceremony as they had been awarded the Mikeldi of Honour as a lifetime achievement award. During that same ceremony (which also had to be rescheduled to start earlier than planned), the honorary award was also given to Ana Murugarren, the producer from Navara, and María Eugenia Salaverria, the Basque writer, screenwriter and producer.
As sessions could not be repeated given the circumstances, the tickets for the Beautiful Docs showcase sold out quickly and featured leading filmmakers of the ilk of Ulrike Ottinger, Jia Zhang-ke, Frederick Wiseman and Eléonore Weber, who chose ZINEBI to launch their most recent documentaries in the Spanish State. The Bilbao audience (which was nearly practically made up of local residents) showed their great appreciation for the films included in ZIFF – ZINEBI First Film, whose winner was the Lithuanian-Ukrainian The Earth Is Blue as an Orange, the film by the producer and author Iryna Tsilyk. The ZINEBI of the International Short Film Contest – Official Section went to the Austrian visual artist Lukas Marxt for Imperial Irrigation.
Nearly all the Official Section could be seen on the Festhome (short films) and Filmin (ZIFF, with the sole exception of the Portuguese-British co-production Listen) digital platforms. Seven of the new Beautiful Docs feature films were also shown on Filmin.
The online version of the festival did not include the sessions dedicated to landmark names of Basque with films such as Esther Ferrer. Hilos de tiempo, by Josu Rekalde, on the pioneer of performance art; and to Samuel Alarcón’s documentary short film, Déjame hablar, on Luis de Pablo. That was also the case of the selection of short films directed by acclaimed filmmakers (at the Oscars, in Cannes, in Venice or in Berlin) of our time, such as Luca Guadagnino, Jafar Panahi, Alice Rohrwacher or Guy Maddin, among others. The selection was entitled ‘Glimpses – Distirak’, and the tickets sold out for its only showing at the Golem Alhóndiga cinemas.
Guests: Anette Dujisin (J) · Eugenia Mumenthaler (J) · Izibene Oñederra (J) · Daniel Ribas (J) · Txani Rodríguez (J) · Carolina Cappa (J) · Charlotte Serrand (J) · Diana Toucedo (J) · Iratxe Fresneda (J) · David Pérez Sañudo (J) · Yurre Ugarte (J) · Bego Vicario · Aitor Gametxo · Maria Elorza · Koldo Almandoz · Xabier Larrazabal · Lur Olaizola · Estibaliz Urresola · Iván Miñambres · Josu Rekalde · Esther Ferrer · Marta Popivoda · Samuel Alarcón · Miguel Álvarez Fernández · Marta Popivoda · Isabel de Naverán · Javier Rebollo · Josep Morell · Jordi Vilar · Pablo Maqueda · Haizea G. Viana · Josi Sierra · Marta Gómez · Paula Iglesias · Ainhoa Urgoitia · Enrique Rey · Josi Sierra · Benito Ansola
After the outstanding response to the focus on Iranian women filmmakers the previous year, ZINEKI has organised a series for its 61st festival entitled Once more. Palestine. Palestinian Women Filmmakers, curated by Reem Shilleh, who was also a member of an International Jury for the Official Section – International Short Film Competition, which awarded this year’s ZINEBI Gran Prix to the film Entire Days Together, by the German filmmaker Luise Donschen. The IV ZIFF Prize went to Las Facultades, the film by the Argentinean filmmaker Eloísa Solaas, with the Jury awarding special mentions for the fiction feature film Aga’s House, by Lendita Zeqiraj from Kosovo, and the documentary Those That, at a Distance, Resemble Another, by the British-Argentinean filmmaker Jessica Sarah Rinland.
This year’s three Mikeldis of Honour went to the Chinese filmmaker Wang Bing and to the French filmmaker Claire Simon, in the Opening Ceremony of the Festival; and, in the Closing Ceremony, to the director Márta Mészarós, even though it was her granddaughter who came from Budapest to collect it, given the delicate state of health of the pioneer of Hungarian cinema. The Beautiful Docs showcase yet again proved to be popular with the audiences, who enjoyed Spanish premieres of the most recent documentaries of Zhang Yang, Ben Rivers, Barbara Kopple and Marina de Van, among others.
ZINEBI also programmed several special sessions: the pre-premiere of Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s El Hoyo (2019), winner of the Goya for the Best Special Effects; the documentary by Iván Argüello on the author Sergio Ramírez, which won the 2017 Cervantes Prize, entitled Sergio Ramírez. La herencia de Cervantes en Centroamérica (2019); and an entertaining tribute to early graduates in Audio-visual Communication from the UPV/EHU entitled Yo empecé pelando gambas. Mi primer cortometraje.
Guests: Fernando Franco (J) · Nahikari Ipiña (J) · Marcel Jean (J) · Susana S. Rodrigues (J) · Reem Shilleh (J) · Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė (J) · Chiara Marañón (J) · Adrian Martin (J) · Nere Falagan (J) · Amara Mosteiro (J) · Maru Solores (J) · Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia · Antonia San Juan · Ivan Massagué · Zorion Eguileor · Mario Pardo · Pedro Rivero · Carlos Juárez · Aranzazu Calleja · Haritz Zubillaga · Eloísa Solaas · Narges Kahlor · Silvia Navarro Martín · Miguel G. Morales · Lur Olaizola · Josu Venero · Jesús Mari Lazkano · Aitor Arregi · Jose Mari Goenaga · Paula Iglesias · Ana Serna · Lander Ibarretxe · Josu Martínez · Alfredo Marimon · Daniela López · Nayra Sanz · Helena Girón · Samuel Delgado · Catarina Mourão · Ghasideh Golmakani · Sol Prado · Xavier Marrades · Kim Allamand · Marta Porto · Carlota Mojica · Alba Cantero · Débora Vargas · Aurélien Grèzes · Francisca Durán · Camila Kater · Alexe Poukine · Larraitz Zuazo · Iñaki Goirizelaia · Bertha Gaztelumendi · Aitor Eneriz · Borja Crespo · Nacho Vigalondo · Alaitz Arenzana · Maria Ibarretxe
ZINEBI, to mark its 60th anniversary, commissioned the artist Maite Leyún to reinterpret the Mikeldi trophy of the Festival, which had been, up until then, a replica of the prehistorical zoomorphic sculpture found in Durango in the second half of the 20th century. Starting from the figure created thousands of years ago, and which is now on display in Bilbao’s Basque Museum, the artist sought “to create a new form that does not remind us of anything we know, but does recall the Mikeldi”. Indeed, this year’s two Mikeldis of Honour went to the Thai producer Apichatpong Weerasethakul, who collected the prize during the closing ceremony of the Festival, and which featured a series of most of his short films; and the Argentinean director Mariano Llinás, who came to Bilbao to premier his film La flor in Spain, and to direct a performance with the film’s stars lasting over 800 minutes at the Opening Ceremony at the Arriaga Theatre. The Beautiful Docs showcase featured the recent works of Rithy Panh, Frederick Wiseman, Dora García, Werner Herzog and Margarethe von Trotta, among others.
The Festival also organised the The Present is Female! Focus Iranian Women Filmmakers series, curated by the Iranian producer iraní Ghasideh Golmakani, who was also a member of the International Jury of the Official Section – International Short Film Competition, which awarded the ZINEBI Grand Priz to Elena López Riera’s documentary short film, Los que desean. The III ZIFF prize went to the Lithuanian prize ZIFF la artista lituana Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė for her film Acid Forest, while Andrea Bussmann’s Fausto received a Special Mention.
The El Arte del Tiempo video series, consisting of 16 Basque audio-visual works from the last three decades, was organised in conjunction with the Fine Arts Museum of Bilbao and was curated by Guadalupe Echevarría. In its 60th edition, ZINEBI furthered its commitment to films made in the Basque Country by awarding special Mikeldis of Honour to José Ángel Rebolledo, Anton Merikaetxebarria, Santos Zunzunegui, Alberto López Echevarrieta, Juan Ortuoste, Ramón Barea, Javier Rebollo and to Ernesto del Río, who had ceased to manage the Festival the previous year and had been replaced by Vanesa Fernández Guerra.
Guests: Concha Barquero (J) · Ghasideh Golmakani (J) · Zsuzsanna Kiràly (J) · Jodie Mack (J) · Carolina Martínez (J) · Eulàlia Iglesias (J) · Agnès Wildenstein (J) · Nele Wohlatz (J) · Ana Hormaetxea (J) · Lara Izagirre (J) · Norma Vila (J) · Elisa Carricajo · Pilar Gamboa · Laura Paredes · Valeria Correa · Elena López Riera · José Antonio Sistiaga · Teresa Sendagorta · Maria Elorza · Iker Maguregi · Richard Sahagún · Bogdan Muresanu · Xiana do Teixeiro · Stefan Bohun · Alessia Chiesa · Jorge López Navarrete · Luise Donschen · Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė · Ana Moreira · Kentaro Kishi · Naoko Ema · Samuel Patthey · Carlos Violadé · Josh Taylor · Mark Olexa · Francesca Scalisi · Delfina Spratt · Alex Puig Ros · Maria Hespanhol · Chen Li · Marta Bayarri · Oriol Ruiz · Caroline Ingvarsson · Sophia Bosch · Ana Nedeljkovic · Nikola Majdak · Margarida Madeira · Linnéa Haviland · Lara Zeidan · José María Avilés · David Pantaleón · Laura Rantanen · Iñigo Cobo · Txuspo Poyo · Blanca Oria
The winners of the second edition of ZIFF were American filmmakers Austin Lynch – son of David Lynch – and Matthew Booth and their film Gray House. The international jury also awarded two Special Mentions to the films Theran Taboo, Ali Soozandeh, and Drift, by Helena Wittman. The selection of Beautiful Docs included the latest creations of Wang Bing, Ai Weiwei, Agnès Varda and Amos Gitai, amongst others.
Nicaraguan Iván Argüello, member of the International Jury, presented several documentary short films about the Nicaraguan revolution, and the veteran Italian filmmaker and member of the ZIFF jury Silvano Agosti brought some of his most outstanding works.
There were tributes to the theatre group Los Goliardos, to the Ibiza-born Bilbao-based experimental filmmaker Francesc Juan (posthumously) and (also posthumously) to the poet, novelist, screenwriter and filmmaker from Madrid, Carlos Pérez Merinero.
This year the festival premiered another own-production named Bilbao Sinfonía, an audiovisual intervention with live music – performed by Aranzazu Calleja and Álvaro Segovia – on three short films about Bilbao shot in the 80’s by the local filmmakers Juan Ortuoste and Javier Rebollo.
The prestigious Basque composer Alberto Iglesias and the great Italian director Marco Bellocchio each collected a Mikeldi de Honor in the opening and closing ceremonies of this edition of the festival.
Basque directors David P. Sañudo, the collective Atxurra Taldea, Aitor Gametxo, Íñigo Salaberria, Koldo Almandoz and Violeta Trincado concurred in the International Competition.
Silvano Agosti (J) · Iván Argüello (J) · Aranzazu Calleja (J) · Guadalupe Echevarría (J) · Renata Gąsiorowska (J) · Lola Mayo (J) · Pedro Rivero · Peter Suschitzky (J) · Alejandra Trelles (J) · Joanes Urkixo (J) · Haritz Zubillaga (J) · Koldo Almandoz · Carles Balagué · Pedro Barea · Marco Bellocchio · Davide Cabaleiro · Frank Dolosor · Paulina Gálvez · Óscar Graefenhain · Pedro Guasch · Alberto Iglesias · Julia Irazustabarrena · Javier Maqua · Elbio A. Nielsen · Adrián Orr · David P. Merinero · Alberto Rojo · Álvaro Segovia · Susana Talayero · Violeta Trincado · Gloria Villalba · Helena Wittman
This edition added a brand new new international contest for debutant feature films to the program, under the name Zinebi First Film. The first International Jury members of this new competition were Portuguese filmmaker Rita Azevedo Gomes, Cuban scriptwriter Xenia Rivery and Basque director Jon Garaño. Argentinean filmmaker Nele Wholatz won the ZIFF award with her film The perfect future. The section Beautiful Docs reunited, amongst others, the latest works of the filmmakers Wang Bing, Sergei Loznitsa, Ulrich Seidl and Claire Simon.
The new project dedicated to audiovisual experimentation in the Basque Country Work, fight, resist, premiered the festival’s own production We, Euskalduna women, a documentary film directed by Larraitz Zuazo honouring the women’s fight against the shut-down of the shipbuilding company in Bilbao during the 80’s. The same framework also included the performance Las del tiragomas somos todas, directed by Iñaki Billelabeitia. There was a special session on the ‘underground’ origins of contemporary Basque cinema, a posthumous tribute to Bilbao resident and Australian filmmaker Alan Griffin, and a performance with images and live music by French filmmaker and musician Charlie Mars. The two Mikeldi de Honor were each awarded to veteran Spanish director Jaime Chávarri and Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi.
The Basque representatives in the International Competition were Ivan Sokolov, Las Chicas de Pasaik (María Elorza and Maider Fernández), Kepa Sojo, Begoña Vicario, Jon Garaño and José Mª Goenaga and Aitor Gutiérrez.
Rita Azevedo Gomes (J) · Pascal Gaigne (J) · Jon Garaño (J) · Virginia García del Pino (J) · Asier Guerricaechevarría (J) · Krini Kafiris (J) · Corina Moldovan · Florea (J) · Gregorio Muro (J) · Andréa Picard (J) · José Luis Rebollo (J) · Xenia Rivery (J) · Koldo Almandoz · Hadas Ben Aroya · Jaime Chávarri · Bahman Ghobadi · Alan Griffin · Charlie Mars · Kirmen Uribe · Begoña Vicario · Norma Vila · Nele Wholatz · Larraitz Zuazo
The section Beautiful Docs presented the latest works by prestigious documentary filmmakers such as Rosa von Praunheim, Kent Jones, Philippe Grandrieux, Tsai Ming-Liang, Chantal Akerman, Sergei Loznitsa and Guy Maddin, and young Spanish filmmaker Mauro Herce. The second edition of the #zinergentziak project showcased the newfestival’s own production, the collective film Distantziak, signed by young Basque filmmakers (Aitor Gametxo, Cris Ezquerra, Jesus M. Palacio and Maddi Barber). Once again, the program brought multidisciplinary projects such as the performance ZELAKO: zinema eta Belako, a joint venture of director Iñaki Billelabeitia and the renowned music band Belako.
The cycle Give the word take the gesture offered a deep reflection on the processes of reconciliation and historical memory after violent conflicts, and brought together Portuguese filmmaker and member of the International Jury Susana de Sousa Días, and Spanish filmmaker and videographer Javier Codesal.
The cycle Aesthetics of Uncertainty presented, a review of the works of the great New York filmmaker Leslie Thornton. There were also two special sessions, one dedicated to the Belgian experimental filmmaker Sara Vanaght and another one devoted to Danish filmmaker Jørgen Leth, who returned to Bilbao to present his documentary Pelota II, the sequel of Pelota, filmed many years before as an anthropological essay on this peculiar Basque sport.
ZINEBI signed the self-produced feature film consisting of seven short films shot entirely in Bilbao, entitled Bilbao Bizkaia Exterior Day (7 views and one city), whose aim was to enhance the value of short films and promote the city as a filming set.
The work followed the traditional style of sketch films and brought together seven fictions of formal content and imaging, from musical cinema to current comedy, including historical films and drama, with the desire to portray the transformations of Bilbao and the county of Biscay in the last 30 years as their common denominator. Thus, the film featured the short films Zonbi Eguna by Pedro Olea; The imaginary friend by Javier Rebollo, Mystery in Doña Casilda park by Enrique Urbizu,They walk by Mikel Rueda, Amatxu Maitea by Luis Marías, Parpadeos by Imanol Uribe and The eight deadly sins by Sra. Polaroiska. The three Mikeldi de Honor of this edition were each awarded to the Bilbao-born international director of photography Juan Ruiz Anchía, Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki and, posthumously, to the popular Bilbao-born actor Aitor Mazo.
Basque directors Isabel Herguera, David P. Sañudo, Ander Parody, Aitor Oñederra, George Todria, Íñigo Salaberria and Haritz Zubillaga participated in the International Competition.
José Mª Lara (J) · Florence Miailhe (J) · Mª José Santacreu (J) · Kepa Sojo (J) · Susana de Sousa Días (J) · Iñaki Billelabeitia · Bulegoa z/b · Josetxo Cerdán · Javier Codesal · Cristina Ezquerra · Joseba Gorordo · Mauro Herce · Mikel Insausti · Aki Kaurismäki · Jørgen Leth · Luis Marías · Aitor Mazo · Pedro Olea · Elena Oroz · Ander Parody · Sra. Polaroiska · Javier Rebollo · Mikel Rueda · Juan Ruiz Anchía · Iñigo Salaberria · David P. Sañudo · Leslie Thornton · Enrique Urbizu · Imanol Uribe · Sarah Vanaght
The non-competitive section Beautiful Docs showed the latest documentary works of the prestigious international filmmakers Corneliu Porumboiu (Romania), Sergei Loznitsa (Ukraine), Ben Rivers, Ben Russell, Frederick Wiseman and Jonas Mekas (USA) The #zinergentziak project was kick-started as an space for experimental avant-garde audiovisual creation in the Basque Country. It included the premiere of the collective film Errautsak, produced by the festival and directed by Igone Arreitunandia, Maider Fernández, Mikel Zatarain, Maider Fernández, Mawatres, Hodei Torres and Marisol Gil.
In addition, the festival dared to fuse film and performance and the collective Sra. Polaroiska with Victor Iriarte premiered the piece All about the birds. The cycle Own images. Connections between fiction, documentary, animation and graphic novel featured a workshop shared by Romanian animation filmmaker Anca Damian and Basque animation director Begoña Vicario. This edition also marked the Spanish premiere of a series dedicated to the singular cinema of Argentinean filmmaker José Celestino Campusano. A special session was devoted to the work of the German filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger. Argentinean actress Cecilia Roth and award-winning Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda each received the Mikeldi de Honor this year.
The Basque Filmmakers Lander Camarero, Aitor Gutiérrez, Koldo Almandoz, Villa Dolores (María Elorza, Maider Fernández and Aitor Gametxo), Ibon Antuñano, Asier Altuna, Gregorio Muro and Mikel Muro competed in the International Contest.
Carles Balagué (J) · Alberto García Ferrer (J) · Mwangi Hutter (J) · Olga Pärn (J) · Jon Sistiaga (J) · Asier Altuna · José Celestino Campusano · Anca Damian · Aitor Gametxo · Kikol Grau · Carla Juárez · Hirokazu Koreeda · Las Chicas de Pasaik · Fermín Muguruza · Ulrike Ottinger · Raul Peña · Cecilia Roth · Sra. Polaroiska · Jorge Tur · Begoña Vicario · José Luis Viloria · Mikel Zatarain
Oscar-winning American documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple returned to Bilbao to present her latest work Running from Crazy in the non-competitive section Beautiful Docs. which also included pieces by the young emerging Spanish filmmakers Neus Ballús and Lois Patiño, and the Italians Walter Fasano and Luca Guadagnino and their Bertolucci on Bertolucci, the life and work of the great Italian filmmaker.
Italian Asia Argento took part in the cycle Interpreters in the right direction, about the directing debuts ofsome young international actors.
The exhibition Filming with the router. Create, spread and watch movies through the Network showed experimental creations by Oriol Sánchez, David Phelps, Gina Telaroli, Carlos Vermut and Pierre Léon, amongst others.
Víctor Erice participated in the homage paid toSpanish filmmaker Paulino Viota, and the young award-winning Spanish filmmaker and also member of the International Jury,Oliver Laxe, presented his first feature film Todos vós sodes capitáns. The program included a special session on the great French anthropologist and documentary maker Éliane de Latour. This edition’s Mikeldi de Honor went to veteran Spanish filmmakers Agustín Díaz Yanes and Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón.
The Basque filmmakers in the contest were Miguel Ángel Refoyo, Aritz Moreno, Borja Cobeaga, Izibene Oñederra, Kepa Sojo, Alberto Vázquez, Jesús Pueyo and Asier Altuna.
Pernille Rose Grønkjaer (J) · Salomé Lamas (J) · Oliver Laxe (J) · Itziar Okariz (J) · Marcela Zamora Chamorro (J) · Asia Argento · Borja Cobeaga · Agustín Díaz Yanes · Sabin Egilior · Gonzalo Garciapelayo · Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón · Éliane de Latour · Pierre Léon · Izibene Oñederra · Luis E. Parés · Jesús Pueyo · Pedro Rivero · Oriol Sánchez · Kepa Sojo · Carlos Vermut · Paulino Viot
This edition added two new fixed sections to the program. Firstly, Beautiful Docs, an overview of global documentary feature films, out of the competition, focused on showcasing the best documentary feature films of each year after their tour of the most prestigious international festivals. It premiered with 12 pieces from 16 countries. Secondly, Bertoko begiradak. Glances from Euskadi, also out of the competition, a compilation of recent feature films from the Basque Country, specially documentaries.
Gilles Grand and Jean-Pierre Rehm introduced the National School of Fine Arts of Lyon and some of their latest productions were screened. The great French screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière joined the audience in an open discussion about his work, and prestigious Filipino filmmaker and member of the international jury, Khavn de la Cruz, presented his latest creation.
Awarded each with a Mikeldi de Honor were Carlos Saura, one of the founders of modern cinema in Spain, and the internationally awarded actor, theatre and opera director and French producer Patrice Chéreau, who delivered a monologue entitled Le grand inquisiteur, based on a chapter of Fiódor Dostoievski’s The Karamazov brothers, at the Arriaga theatre.
Lina Alabed (J) · Khavn de la Cruz (J) · Jon Mikel Euba (J) · Alan Griffin (J) · Gracia Querejeta (J) · Jean · Claude Carrière · Patrice Chéreau · Jossie Malis · Ana Murugarren · Pedro Olea · Carlos Saura · Koldo Serra
This edition included the cycle Palestine 194. Palestinian revolutionary cinema (1968-1992), curated by Nick Denes and Mohanad Yaqubi, member of the International Jury. Within the same framework, several works by the Japanese revolutionary and controversial filmmaker Masao Adachi were screened for the first time in Spain, including a feature film about his life and work produced by Frenchman Philippe Grandrieux.
The cycle Abierto por reforma, ficciones tras la muerte del cine was visited by two prestigious emerging filmmakers, Argentinean Mariano Llinás and Spanish Albert Serra. The great critic, theorist and French director Luc Moullet gave a masterclass on his vision of the itineraries of contemporary cinema, and Betzy Bromberg, director of the Film and Video Program of the California Institute of Arts (CalArts) and member of the International Jury, led a presentation on the trajectory and future of this important North American centre of artistic and audiovisual training. The festival awarded its two Mikeldi de Honor to the Basque actor Xabier Elorriaga and to the great Italian filmmaker Liliana Cavani.
This year’s Basque representatives in the International Competition weredirectors Roberto San Sebastián, Niko Vázquez and Eva Mateos, José Muniain, Roberto Castón, Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, Iván Caso, Javier Etxaniz and Gregorio Muro, Haritz Zubillaga, Jon Aitz Urrutxi and Jon Garaño.
Xabier Arakistain (J) · Betzy Bromberg (J) · Pepita Ferrari (J) · Elena Trapé (J) · Mohanad Yaqubi (J) · Masao Adachi · Álvaro Arroba · Zoe Berriatúa · Roberto Castón · Liliana Cavani · Colectivo Los Hijos · Xabier Elorriaga · Judy Irola · Mariano Llinás · Monica Maurer · Luc Moullet · Gregorio Muro · María Ruido / consonni · Albert Serra · Haritz Zubillaga
This edition brough to Bilbao an extensive retrospective entitled La mirada de Michelangelo, los documentales de Antonioni, revisiting this Italian master’sdocumentary pieces. It was presented by his widow, Enrica Fico Antonioni, and expert Carlo di Carlo.
Several films by some of the most important members of the Beatno-American generation had their space in the series Beat Beatitude. In this context, composer and singer Laurie Anderson revisited her musical carrer in a live concert. The cycle Spanish in Paris. The Spanish exile filmed in France was attended by the playwright and director Fernando Arrabal. A retrospective of Russian animation filmmaker Irina V. Evteeva, curated by the expert Carlos Muguiro, was also in the program, and Noé Mendelle, director of the Scottish Film Institute, explained the history and evolution of this important of British audiovisual training centre. ZINEBI awarded two Mikeldi de Honor this year, one to Spanish composer Luis de Pablo and another one to British director Nicolas Roeg.
The Basque filmmakers participating in the contest were Isabel Herguera, Asier Altuna, Pedro Rivero and Alberto Vázquez, Tucker Dávila Wood, Enrique García and Rubén Salazar, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Igor G. Piñas, Ángel Aldarondo and Borja Cobeaga.
Ana Cacopardo (J) · Irina V. Evteeva (J) · Luis Marías (J) · Natalia Marín (J) · Emily Wardill (J) · Asier Altuna · Laurie Anderson · Fernando Arrabal · Gorka Bilbao Palacios · Marta Cárdenas · Carlo di Carlo · Borja Cobeaga · Tucker Dávila Wood · Enrica Fico Antonioni · Isabel Herguera · Joaquín Lledó · Noé Mendelle · Carlos Muguiro · Luis de Pablo · Pedro Rivero · Mikel Rueda · León Siminiani · Ian White · Nicolas Roeg
