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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).
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Fatih Akin opens the Official Selection with Ghost Song, a mesmerising tale woven from grief, love, and longing. Farasha and Faris, both 20, cross paths at a party, but Farasha dies that very night. For 40 nights, she visits Faris in his dreams, turning their encounter into a farewell. The story began with an idea Akin’s son had at ten, growing alongside his children and mirroring his journey as a father and storyteller. While filming, Akin lost his own father, and for a time, found himself unable to dream of him, becoming frustrated.
Raised by religious parents, Akin has always woven spirituality into his films. With Ghost Song, he explores mourning as a universal ritual, both speaking to believers and sceptics, using cinema as a way to face loss, process grief and find healing, especially for the young. Drawing early inspiration from Japanese anime like Suzume, the film embraces a stark, dreamlike black-and-white palette. As Akin says, when two people fall in love and one is lost, it can feel like the world has ended. Ghost Song is his search for a path through that darkness.
Monday to Sunday from 09:00 to 14:00
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