The residency and development programme for film projects Ikusmira Berriak opens its third call for proposals from today, February 6th. The initiative is run by the Tabakalera International Centre for Contemporary Culture and the San Sebastian Film Festival and provides four access categories: participants from the last festival’s International Film Students Meeting, producers from the Basque Autonomous Community, producers from the rest of Spain and foreign producers. As explained in the press release by Tabakalera's cultural director Ane Rodríguez Armendariz and festival director José Luis Rebordinos, “these new access routes strengthen the international dimension of Ikusmira Berriak”.

The programme offers a six-week residency and seeks to involve new talent as well as producers and people from the audiovisual industry who support innovation and new languages. During the first four weeks the producers develop their projects in Tabakalera’s Artist’s Space and take master classes with professionals. Film-makers such as Sergio Oksman, John Paul Sniadecki, Nicolas Klotz, Oskar Alegría and Andrés Di Tella, producers including Ada Solomon, Fernanda del Nido, Koldo Zuazua and Marianne Slot, and festival organisers such as Paz Lázaro have all visited and guided residents on the first two rounds. In the fifth week of the residency the participants get ready for the pitching session, which involves a project presentation to industry professionals during the sixth and final week. The session is part of the Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum of the San Sebastian Film Festival. The residents will have the opportunity to arrange meetings with attending professionals who are interested in collaborating in their projects, and will receive an access pass to the festival screenings and the industry activities on offer.

The eight projects selected in the first two rounds of Ikusmira Berriak are either in the process of being made or have good prospects in that regard. In terms of projects from the first round, Trote by Xacio Baño (Frida Films) has received funding from the autonomous government and from Televisión de Galicia and will be shot between May and July 2017. The short El extraño by Pablo Álvarez was premiered in the last edition of Zabaltegi-Tabakalera. Filming will begin on Fleurette French from Tamyka Smith this month, and Maider Oleaga plans to work this spring on IRA 26-2, which has received funding awarded by the Basque Government to the production of creative documentaries. In terms of the 2016 edition, Tándem Entertainment will produce Mikel Gurrea’s project titled Suro, selected for the L’Alternativa Professionals Symposium as part of the 23rd Barcelona Independent Film Festival. Loba, from Kiro Russo, has won first prize in LoboLAB at the Mar del Plata Festival, backed up by 100,000 Argentine pesos (6,000 euros). The short film Calipatria from Leo Calice and Gerhard Treml has reached the end of its funding, and Fantasía from Aitor and Amaia Merino has the backing of Doxa Producciones, which has presented the film at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).

Ikusmira Berriak shares out financial support amounting to 20,000 euros amongst the projects selected. REC Grabaketa Estudioa also offers its services by way of a prize for the post-production of a short film, valued at 10,500 euros, and of a feature film, valued at 35,000 euros. In the 2016 edition, Mikel Gurrea's project Suro and Leo Calice and Gerhard Treml’s Calipatria received REC’s support.

The deadline for receiving entries is April 3rd. The terms and conditions of the residencies are set out in detail on the programme webpage (www.ikusmiraberriak.eu).