The Ikusmira Berriak programme of residencies and audiovisual project development opens today, February 5, its call for the submission of programmes for its fourth edition. Participants in the last five editions of the International Film Students Meeting, moviemakers from the Basque Autonomous Community, filmmakers from the rest of Spain and foreign directors can submit their projects for the corresponding categories of the programme promoted by the Tabakalera International Centre for Contemporary Culture, and the San Sebastian Festival, with the collaboration of REC Grabaketa Estudioa and the Basque Film Archive.

The programme, which saw a rise of 320% in the number of entries received last year, offers a six-week residency. During the first four weeks, the filmmakers develop their projects at the Tabakalera Creators’ Space, where they receive advice and workshops from professionals including Sergio Oksman, John Paul Sniadecki, Oskar Alegría and Andrés Di Tella; producers like Ada Solomon, Fernanda del Nido and Koldo Zuazua; and festival programmers such as Paz Lázaro (Berlinale) or Carlo Chatrian (Locarno Festival). In the fifth week of their stay they prepare for the pitching session, when they present their projects to industry professionals during the sixth and last week of the residency as part of the San Sebastian Festival. The residents will have the opportunity of meetings with professionals attending the event who are interested in collaborating with their projects. They will also be given a pass to all of the Industry screenings and activities at the Festival.

“Following three editions, the Ikusmira Berriak project is now well-established and a benchmark in its sector. Testament to this is that projects selected during previous calls—which we had the privilege to host in our Artist's Space and to support during their development—have reached completion and are now on show,” explained Tabakalera’s cultural director, Ane Rodríguez Armendariz.

Three projects selected in the first three editions of Ikusmira Berriak have now been completed and screened at the Festival: the short film El extraño, by Pablo Álvarez; Calipatria, by Leo Calice and Gerhard Treml, and Gwendolyn Green by Tamyka Smith were presented in Zabaltegi-Tabakalera in 2016 and 2017. This year we expect to include the premiere of the two feature films of the first edition, Trote, helmed by Xacio Baño and Muga deitzen da Pausoa, by Maider Oleaga, now at the post-production stage.

Furthermore, Tàndem Entertainment and Lastor Media will produce Mikel Gurrea’s project Suro, selected for the L’Alternativa Professionals Day at Barcelona Independent Film Festival, for MEDIA Cataluña’s Sources2 workshop, and for the Sam Spiegel Film Lab, with which he will continue to develop his project until July. Loba, by Kiro Russo, won the LoboLAB first prize, which comes with 100,000 Argentine pesos (6,000 euros), at the Mar de Plata Festival. Fantasía, by Aitor and Amaia Merino, which has the backing of Doxa Producciones, was presented at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.

Regarding the projects from the last edition, Eles Transportan a Morte, by Samuel M. Delgado and Helena Girón, will be co-produced by Filmika Galaika and El Viaje Films; Julia Pesce continues to develop her project Águila de Papel; Stephanie, by Leonardo Van Dijl, has the backing of De Wereldvrede (Cargo, New Directors, San Sebastian Festival, 2017); and Las letras de Jordi, by Maider Fernández Iriarte, won the REC Grabaketa Estudio Award for pos-production and will be produced by Sr. y Sra.

“The Ikusmira Berriak projects are starting to arouse a great deal of interest at some of the most important international festivals. This year the features by Xacio Baño and Maider Oleaga set out on their international journey,” underlined the San Sebastian Festival Director, José Luis Rebordinos.

Ikusmira Berriak, part of the legacy of San Sebastian, European Capital of Culture 2016, distributes a sum of 20,000 euros between the selected projects. Furthermore, REC Grabaketa Estudioa offers its services as an award for the post-production of a short film, amounting to 10,500 euros, and for a feature film, to 35,000 euros.

The submission presentation deadline ends on April 5. The terms and conditions of the residencies are detailed on the programme website (www.ikusmiraberriak.eu). The four selected projects will be announced in June.