During the months of March and April 2023, participants in the 9th edition of the Ikusmira Berriak residencies inhabited different parts of the Tabakalera building.

In this first phase of the residency, running from 6 March to 16 April, the San Sebastian Festival, Tabakalera International Centre for Contemporary Culture (TICCC) and Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola – the three institutions responsible for co-organising the programme – provide the moviemakers with the work spaces and physical requirements they need to dedicate themselves full time to developing the projects of the feature films for which they were selected. Sameh Alaa (When I Close My Eyes I See Your Eyes), María Alché (Hoy te amo y todo es hermoso), Maddi Barber (Claros de Bosque), Naomi Pacifique (after the night, the night), David Pérez Sañudo (La última noche de un Erasmus en Roma) and Hikaru Uwagawa (Ulysses) could therefore be found in different parts of the building, proceeding with their work in their studios at the Creators' Space, the cinemas, the café and the creative library, Medialab.

Press conference with residents, representatives of EQZE, TICCC and SSIFF and the expert committee.

It was a regular occurrence to meet some of these people as they made their way between these spaces, which is one of the outstanding particularities of the residency: the stay for these six weeks and later, in September, for another two weeks coinciding with the San Sebastian Festival. The majority of the activities require the physical presence of the participants, so that the members of the group can get to know one another and provide mutual support for their projects. The schedule designed ad hoc also included group gatherings and one-to-one mentoring sessions to suit their particular needs, added to the working days with the committee of experts (Olimpia Pont Cháfer, Javier Martin and Sergio Oksman), the editing workshop with Ariadna Ribas and the script advisory sessions with Anna Ciennik.

Once a week they had the option of using the Filmoteca Vasca cinema to screen their previous films and present themselves through either their earlier work or the influences on their approach to the cinema while giving a better idea of the projects on which they were working. During their shared moments, such as lunch on Mondays at the TABA – the TICCC café – there was also space for exchanging anecdotes and getting to know each other on a more personal level. All of this created connections that go further than simply having been residency colleagues.

Performance by Naomi Pacifique and Hikaru Uwagawa during the filmmakers' meeting.

This year some of the residents even formed a band. They gave an intimate concert at which they delighted those attending the Filmmakers Meeting, an event organised by the three co-organising institutions so that the residents of Ikusmira Berriak, those of Noka Mentoring and students at the EQZE could meet and chat in a relaxed atmosphere with a view to creating networks. In fact, several of those present at the meeting later came to a Zinemaldia Plus screening session where they were able to watch the earlier shorts made by all residents, followed by a Q&A with the moviemakers. Making the most of the presence of Benjamin Naishtat – co-director with María Alché of "Puan", a film at the post-production stage – a special Zinemaldia Plus session was organised with the screening of "Historia del miedo" followed by a talk by its director.

Residents talking to attendees at the filmmakers' meeting.

Filmmakers' meeting.

Now, when all of the participants have returned to their regular places of residence, they remain in contact with the experts while also receiving individual online tutorials with a number of well-known moviemakers: Alexandre Koberidze, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Catarina Vasconcelos, Elena López Riera, Laura Citarella and Damien Manivel respectively.

The Ikusmira Berriak programme is currently enjoying excellent international recognition: on the one hand, the growing number of projects submitted for the call reflects the strong interest in participating, while on the other, 19 of the 38 projects to have come out of the residency over these eight years have gone on to premiere and win awards at a number of international festivals. So far this year, we know that Raven Jackson's All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt had its premiere in the US Dramatic Competition at Sundanceand Antier noche by Alberto Martín Menacho (both residents of the 5th edition in 2019) at the Visions du réel international competition, while Creaturaby Elena Martín Gimeno (resident of the 6th edition in 2020) premiered at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs at Cannes Festival, where she won the Best European Film Prize.

We are eager to welcome the residents of the 9th edition as they inhabit the venues of the 71st San Sebastian Festival, alongside former residents bringing their films to the event. Ikusmira Berriak is a carefully tended growing community who come together in San Sebastian every year.

Interviews with the residents of the 9th edition of Ikusmira Berriak