Z365" or "Festival all year round" is the new strategic point of the Festival in which converge investigation, accompaniment and development of new talents (Ikusmira Berriak, Nest); training and cinematic knowledge transfer (Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola, Zinemaldia + Plus, Filmmakers' dialogue); and investigation, disclosure and cinematic thought (Z70 project, Thought and Discussion and Research and publications).
The San Sebastian City Council will sponsor the San Sebastian, European Capital of Culture 2016 Audience Award at the 64th edition of the San Sebastian Festival, coinciding with the year of the capital event.
The San Sebastian, European Capital of Culture 2016 Audience Award in the year of the capital event is, together with the EROSKI Youth Award, the Festival’s most popular accolade since the winner is decided by the spectators who attend the first public screening of each film in the Pearls section.
For the Mayor, Eneko Goia, this agreement “draws even closer ties if possible” between the implication of the City Council and the Film Festival “in a special year such as this one of the European Capital event”. Precisely, the Mayor emphasized that the Audience Award “is the one that best represents the values promoted by the San Sebastian 2016 project: public participation and critical spirit”. The Mayor highlighted that Zinemaldia has in turn striven to lend “an extraordinary dimension to this year’s edition in an extraordinary year for the city”, and voiced his gratitude for the collaboration between both institutions in finding a meeting place that “enriches both the Capital event and the Film Festival”.
The Audience Award is made up of two different parts: a 1st Award for Best Film, carrying €50,000 euros, and a 2nd Award for Best European Film carrying €20,000. Contenders for these awards are all films in the Pearls section, except the closing film. This year the section consists of the latest works by filmmakers such as Stephen Frears, Mia Hansen-Løve, Hirokazu Koreeda, Emir Kusturica, Ken Loach, François Ozon and Paul Verhoeven.