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).
In Six jours ce printemps-là / Six Days in Spring, Belgian director Joachim Lafosse revisits a poignant moment from his childhood, a story he had long been eager to share. The film recalls the period when his mother, recently divorced, took Lafosse and his brother on vacation. As she was unable to afford a proper holiday, the children suggested the idea of going to their paternal grandparents’ house. Due to the strained, even violent, relationship between their mother and her former in-laws, they all had to keep the visit shrouded in secrecy. “I’ll never forget that week”, said Lafosse at the press conference yesterday.
This film, competing in the Official Section, delicately unfolds a story about the fragility of family bonds, capturing the fear of children forced to hide and the emotional tension of parental conflict. Featuring Eye Haidara, Jules Waring, and young actors Leonis and Teodor Pinero Müller, the film is a moving tribute to Lafosse’s mother and the life lesson she imparted: to cherish life, embrace joy, and never give up, even in the face of adversity.