The most Basque festival is already underway in San Sebastian
Esther Garcia has received in the Kursaal the first Donostia Prize awarded to a producer at the inaugural gala presented by actresses Silvia Abril, Toni Acosta and Itziar Ituño.
From today, the cinema will host all the screens of San Sebastian, and this time it will do so with more Basque and Basque productions than ever before. The opening ceremonyof the Festival has also served to award the first honorary award of this edition and has placed the capital of Guipuzcoana at the centre of the world of cinema for a long week.
From today until the 27th, 29 cinemas will project 254 productions (179 feature films, 7 medium films, 63 short films and 5 series), a total of 666 projections that will delight anyone who wants to be demonized by the magic of cinema.
And of all the films, the Basques will have an important presence, especially in the Official Section:Karmele (Asier Altuna), Zeru ahoak (Koldo Almandoz) and Maspalomas (Jose Mari Goenaga and Aitor Arregi) will project the Basque series
Itziar Ituño, Silvia Abriland Toni Acostapresent the gala Together they humorously represent what castings are like for actresses.
First producer to receive the Donostia Prize
The brothers Pedro and Agustin Almodóvar have awarded the Donostia Prize to the "mother" of the producer El Deseo,her partner Esther Garcia . The Spanish director has stressed that Garcia managed very well, imposing his authority with his left hand, in the world of film production full of men.
The Spanish producer, proud of the Festival's recognition, has remembered his parents: "While we enjoyed simple pleasures like a potato omelette, he listened to their stories as small as they were extraordinary." That life has always been the reference of his life, even when he takes full responsibility for a film on his shoulders.
As a proclamation, she has reminded women producers Pilar Miro and Josefina Molina , and has called for an end to the pay gap and gender-based violence, and against the genocide in the Gaza Strip. "Let us fight with our teeth tight to defend the vulnerable. We are all vulnerable," she said.
Producer Esther Garcia receives the Donostia Prize
The producer, born in Segovia, has received the award from the brothers Agustin and Pedro Almodóvar, with whom he has worked for much of his professional career. During his speech, he condemned the violence in Ukraine and Gaza and made a passionate defence of rights, especially women's rights.
The rigour and respect of Bayona
The jury, chaired byJ.A. Bayona, will be responsible for deciding the most important awards of the festival. In his opening speech, he has promised that all jurors will showtheir rigour, respect and generosity in evaluating the films of the Official Section.
Led by Juan Antonio Bayona, the jury of the Festival consists of seven film professionals
The jury will have to choose from the 17 films that will compete in the Official Section of the Festival. "In these uncertain times of noise and rupture," Bayona has argued at the opening ceremony that cinema is "more necessary than ever."
At the gala, which serves as a cover letter for everything that comes to us this long week, Cayetana Guillén Cuervo , president of the Spanish Academy of Performing Arts has paid a nice tribute, on behalf of the Festival, to actressMarisa Paredes .
In addition, Izaro has sung "Argia" and 27 nights havebeen presented , the film that has given him the official opening of the Festival.
The international film press has awarded a new award to theBrazilian Ainda Estou Aquí , which can be seen in the Pearls section and has been awarded to director Walter Salles .
"Ainda estou aqui/I'm Still Here" has been awarded the 2025 Fipresci Award at the opening gala of the Festival
The award, awarded by journalists specializing in cinema, has selected this Brazilian production in 2025. Walter Salles has been awarded at the Kursaal Palace.
Starting with the red carpet that has been surrounded by demonstrators, presenters, winners, the Almodóvar brothers and Juliette Binoche (who has also remembered the Israeli hostages) have spoken of Palestine's intolerable pain.
The cry for a boycott of Palestine and Israel has reached the red carpet of the Festival
Many people have gathered in front of the Kursaal, on the red carpet of the opening ceremony of the Festival, to show solidarity with Palestine and to denounce the genocide that Israel is committing. The film world, as well as the director of the Film Festival, José Luis Rebordinos, has supported the protest.
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