73rd San Sebastian Festival - 19/27 September 2025
73SSIFF - 19/27 September 2025
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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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Agenda
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Film Talks
Conversations
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The British actor and director Harris Dickinson and producer Archie Pearch present Urchin at San Sebastián, Dickinson’s debut feature, which after screening in Un Certain Regard at Cannes —where it received the FIPRESCI Prize and the Best Actor Award— and at several international festivals, now arrives in Spain to compete in Zabaltegi-Tabakalera. In the conversation they will talk about the challenges of making a first film, their creative process, and Devisio Pictures, the London and New York-based production company they founded in 2023. They will also share the kind of company they aim to build and reflect on the present and future of their work.
Saturday 20th, September
13:00 h.
Free invitations available through the usual channels.
Tickets available from Sunday 14 September at 9am
Alberto Iglesias (Hable con ella [Talk to Her], La piel que habito [The Skin I Live In], Madres Paralelas [Parallel Mothers]) and Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Shape of Water, The King’s Speech) come together to talk about their careers in cinema and the creative process behind their scores. A conversation that offers insight into how they understand film music and how their compositions have shaped some of the most memorable films of recent decades. The session will be moderated by the composer Paula Olaz.
Saturday 20th, September
16:00 h.
Free invitations available through the usual channels.
Tickets available from Sunday 14 September at 9am
Twenty-five years after the turn of the century, the portrait of a generation takes clear shape. Audiovisual media has not only contributed to faithfully depicting the 2000s, but has also been key in building an emotional imaginary and a sense of generational belonging.From the local to the national, from the 2000s to the present, this conversation among industry professionals aims to analyze the driving forces behind the creation of such projects and to explore the challenges and opportunities that arise when bringing them to wider audiences.
Conversations - Industria
Saturday 20th, September
18:00 h.
Free invitations available through the usual channels.
Tickets available from Sunday 14 September at 9am
Danish filmmaker Joachim Trier will share with the audience his working process, his perspective, and the journey through his filmography, highlighting key titles such as Oslo, 31. august (Oslo, 31 de agosto) and Verdens verste menneske / The Worst Person in the World (La peor persona del mundo). Trier will present in San Sebastián his latest film, Affeksjonverdi / Sentimental Value (Valor sentimental), after winning the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival. The screening will take place in the Perlak section, which showcases the finest films of the international season.
Sunday 21st, September
10:00 h.
Free invitations available through the usual channels.
Tickets available from Sunday 14 September at 9am
Dialogue between creators, researchers and associations to reflect on violence, diversity, and collective forms of resistance. A day of critical analysis and the construction of possible futures for the audiovisual sector from a feminist perspective.Program 09:00 – 09:45 The traps of diversity: why not everything goes. ODA - Observatory of Diversity in the Audiovisual Media of Spain.09:45 – 10:00 Break (10 min)10:00 – 11:00 Women filmmakers facing sexual violence: representation and reparation in La Furia (2025)Moderator: Mercedes de Pablos (President of the RTVE Equality Observatory)With: Beatriz Aparicio (RTVE Equality Observatory), Gemma Blasco (Director and co-writer of La Furia), Mireia Graell (Producer of La Furia)11:00 – 11:45 Coffee break (45 min)11:45 – 13:00 Uncomfortable content: who’s afraid of diversity?Moderator: Mariona Borrull Zapata (Journalist / Critic)With: Alaitz Arenzana (Director and artist), Jule Goikoetxea (University of the Basque Country), Silvia Albert Sopale (Periferia Cimarronas)13:00 – 13:10 Technical break (10 min)13:10 – 14:15 Associations: the collective as resistanceWith: AAMMA (Pilar Crespo), DONA I CINEMA (Deborah Micheletti), MIA (Sonia Estévez), CIMA (Alba González de Molina), Dones Visuals (Yolanda Olmos), AMMA (Cecilia Ibáñez), (H)emen Elkartea (Kristina Zorita)14:15 – 14:30 Break (10 min)14:30 – 14:45 (H)emen group photoLocation: Main stairs of the Tabakalera building, next to the park
Monday 22nd, September
08:45 h.
Free invitations available through the usual channels.
Tickets available from Monday 15 September at 9am
La furia is one of the films supported by RTVE Corporation, directed by a woman and released in 2025. In this production, the perspective of women filmmakers has been fundamental in numerous areas: directing, screenwriting, production, cinematography and camera, production design, and art direction, among others. Productions like this exemplify the importance of portraying sexual violence and its consequences in cinema through thoughtful perspectives, both ethical and aesthetic, that break away from sexist stereotypes and from rape culture within the audiovisual field. (Within the "Feminist Analyses of the Current Audiovisual Industry" Conference).
In a global context where reactionary discourses are on the rise, some sectors of the audiovisual industry have begun labeling in a derogatory way narratives committed to equality, diversity, or human rights as “woke content.” This trend is starting to translate into explicit pressures to avoid certain approaches in productions: fewer racialized characters, fewer LGTBIQ+ stories, less memory, less questioning of the status quo.Are we facing a new form of censorship? What does it mean to create from a critical perspective in a moment of ideological regression? This roundtable invites reflection on content as a form of resistance: as a tool to imagine other possible worlds, to sustain political commitment through creation, and to defend the right to narrate from our own voices and experiences.(Within the "Feminist Analyses of the Current Audiovisual Industry" Conference).
Women’s associations in the audiovisual sector have been sustaining spaces of mutual support, political advocacy, visibility, and training for years. In this roundtable, we want to come together through collective action: to share ongoing projects, exchange tools, inspire one another, and above all, continue building a strong network.Because each territory has its own challenges and achievements, this conversation seeks to open a common map that embraces the diversity of contexts, strategies, and knowledge. It is a space to highlight associative work as a driving force for change in the sector, and to imagine new forms of collaboration that will strengthen our voices and our presence in the industry.(Within the "Feminist Analyses of the Current Audiovisual Industry" Conference).
The French filmmaker Claire Denis, one of the most distinctive and acclaimed voices in contemporary cinema, will take part in this conversation at the San Sebastián Festival. The session will focus on her extensive career, marked by seminal works, as well as on her latest film, Le Cri des Gardes / The Fence, which is competing this year in the Official Selection. It will be an opportunity to gain insight into her vision of cinema and the way she has built such a personal and influential body of work.
Conversations - Nest
Monday 22nd, September
10:30 h.
Tickets available from Monday 15 September at 9am
This conversation proposes a debate on the implications of the LGBTIAQ+ label in films, as well as the challenges and strengths of these productions. It will also explore the role played, on the one hand, by sales and distribution agencies, and on the other, by platforms and festivals —both generalist and specialized— in the processes of internationalization and distribution of films.
Conversations - Industria
Tuesday 23rd, September
10:30 h.
Public: free entry until full capacity. Accreditation-holders: free entry with badge.
The North American filmmaker Gia Coppola, who received the Special Jury Prize at San Sebastián last year for The Last Showgirl and is serving as a member of the Official Jury in this edition, comes to the festival to reflect on her path in cinema. From Palo Alto to Mainstream, she will talk about her creative process, the references that shape it, and the way she translates experience onto the screen. The session offers participants in the Nest section and the wider audience the chance to discover first-hand her way of seeing, creating and inhabiting film.
Nest
Tuesday 23rd, September
16:00 h.
Free invitations available through the usual channels.
Tickets available from Monday 15 September at 9am
At a time when creative support processes are becoming essential tools for the maturation of films, this conversation will bring together some of the laboratories and residencies in Spain. It will be a space to take stock of what has been achieved so far, to share lessons learned, and to exchange experiences that cut across different territories and working models.Beyond a one-off exchange, the round table aims to lay the foundations for an ongoing dialogue among these projects, whose main purpose is to accompany filmmakers in the development of their works. The intention is to open a collective conversation that strengthens networks, identifies needs, and projects joint strategies to reinforce the creative ecosystem and its international dimension.
Tabakalera-Laboratorio AV
Wednesday 24th, September
12:00 h.
Free invitations available through the usual channels.
Tickets available from Monday 15 September at 9am
The Catalan filmmaker Jaume Claret Muxart presents his debut feature, Estrany riu / Strange River, in Zabaltegi-Tabakalera, after its screening in the Orizzonti section at the Venice Film Festival. An alumnus of the Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola (EQZE) and of Ikusmira Berriak, the residency where he developed this very project, Claret Muxart will speak about the first steps of his career and the challenges of bringing a debut film to life. Within the framework of the Nest section, where he took part in 2020 with his short film Ella i jo, he will share with students and audiences the experiences and lessons that accompany the beginnings of a path in cinema.
Conversations - Nest
Wednesday 24th, September
15:30 h.
Tickets available from Monday 15 September at 9am
The "First Meeting of ACCIÓN, Spanish Film Directors" brings filmmakers together to discuss major challenges in the global audiovisual industry. Sessions will address creative freedom in film directing, the role of directors and producers in realizing their projects and maintaining artistic independence, directors' contributions to new formats and series, and copyright protection and artificial intelligence regulation. The meeting will also reflect on European cultural diversity and the need to protect independent production as the foundation of European cinema. Through roundtable discussions with renowned filmmakers and moderators, we will share experiences, strategies, and proposals to ensure that filmmakers' vision and creativity remain at the heart of their work. Program09:30 – Opening and Welcome09:45 – Creative Freedom of the DirectorWith: Pablo Berger, Isaki Lacuesta, Daniela Fejerman and Julio MedemModerator: Inés París11:00 – International Meeting. European Manifesto With: Bill Anderson (President of FERA), Marine Francen (Co-president of SRF), Jérôme Enrico (President of L’ARP), Pilar Pérez Solano (President of ACCIÓN)Moderator: Giovanna Ribes (ACCIÓN Delegate to FERA)13:00 – The Role of the Director-ProducerWith: Helena Taberna, Manuel Martín Cuenca, Paula PalaciosModerator: Javier Balaguer16:00 – Directing and SeriesWith: Belén Macías, Ramón Salazar, Juana MacíasModerator: Antonio Hens
Thursday 25th, September
09:00 h.
Free invitations available through the usual channels.
Tickets available from Tuesday 16 September at 9am
In an era of profound changes in the production, financing, and exhibition of cinema, the role of directors is constantly evolving. In the face of pressure from the market, platforms, and dominant discourses, how can creative freedom be defended? How can one maintain their own voice in an increasingly globalized and competitive medium? In this conversation, Isaki Lacuesta, Pablo Berger, Daniela Fejerman, and Julio Medem will share their reflections with the audience on creation, negotiations with the industry, and the challenges of maintaining a personal vision in each film. Moderated by Inés Paris, the session will propose an open debate on the limits of artistic autonomy in contemporary cinema and how directors can imagine new forms of creative freedom. (Within the "1st ACCIÓN Meeting of Film Directors from Spain" Conference).
After presenting a manifesto at the Cannes and Venice film festivals, European directors are speaking out in defense of European cultural diversity, which is under threat from economic and cultural pressures. At this meeting, they will appeal to European institutions to defend the production and free circulation of works and support the independent sector, the fundamental basis of European cinema.The session will address copyright defense, artificial intelligence regulation, and support for our culture, identities, languages, and freedom of thought through cinema. Bill Anderson, president of FERA; Marine Francen, co-president of SRF; Jérôme Enrico, president of L'ARP; and Pilar Pérez Solano, president of ACCIÓN will participate. Giovanna Ribes will moderate. (Within the "1st ACCIÓN Meeting of Film Directors from Spain" Conference).
This session will address the important roles of film directors and producers in contemporary cinema. Directors and producers take risks in all aspects of a project, safeguarding creative independence while balancing artistic vision with resource management.The discussion will focus on the tensions and synergies between the creative and industrial sides of filmmaking and the importance of this dual role in creating major international independent films.The panelists are Helena Taberna, Paula Palacios, and Manuel Martín Cuenca, three filmmakers who have developed their careers by combining directing and producing from different perspectives. Javier Balaguer will moderate the conversation.(Within the "1st ACCIÓN Meeting of Film Directors from Spain" Conference).
The session will address the differences between directing series and films. How can you maintain your own style when working collectively with other directors? How can you collaborate as a team while maintaining stylistic and narrative coherence throughout the entire project?Filmmakers Juana Macías, Belén Macías, and Ramón Salazar, who have extensive experience in film and television, will participate. They will discuss the challenges and nuances of directing serial fiction. They will discuss working with actors, narrative rhythm, differences between film and television, and constructing universes that accompany viewers throughout several episodes. Antonio Hens will moderate the conversation.(Within the "1st ACCIÓN Meeting of Film Directors from Spain" Conference).
Although artificial intelligence remains the leading technology, there is a growing interest in the sector in generating proposals that advocate for a more ethical use, committed to creation and to the incorporation of new, more inclusive and representative technologies into the audiovisual industry.The purpose of this conversation is to debate and understand the challenges and opportunities that arise in the development of these more inclusive and diverse technologies, in order to foster a positive and fruitful future for the sector.
Conversations - Industria
Tabakalera-Prisma
Thursday 25th, September
12:30 h.
Public: free entry until full capacity. Accreditation-holders: free entry with badge.
Filmmaker Jonás Trueba, President of the Nest Jury in this edition and producer of Historias del buen valle / Good Valley Stories, and José Luis Guerín, director of this film presented in the Official Competition, will share a conversation exclusively with students. Together, they will discuss the creative process, the experience of making films, and their collaboration on this project, from the perspective of two authors with extensive careers and a deep commitment to teaching in the field of cinema.Exclusive entry for students, upon request for an invitation.
Conversations - Nest
Friday 26th, September
11:00 h.
Tickets available from Tuesday 16 September at 9am
Co-organized with the Commissioner for the Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Spain’s Freedom, this conversation is part of the activities within the cycle “Youth, Cinema, Memory and Democracy”.How has cinema portrayed the Franco dictatorship? How have fiction films and documentaries influenced our image of Francoism? This conversation focuses on historical films, yes, but it does so from the perspective of the present: it seeks to explore how Spanish society has imagined and dealt with its past through cinema, and how it continues to do so today.The discussion will address how censorship, propaganda, and cultural policies shaped audiovisual discourses, as well as the aesthetic and narrative strategies some filmmakers used to question, either subtly or explicitly, the values imposed by the dictatorship. It will also explore the cinematographic memory of Francoism after Franco’s death, and how film discourses on the dictatorship have evolved over the past decades.The session will be moderated by Carmina Gustrán, Commissioner of the commemoration, and will feature Valeria Camporesi, Director of the Spanish Film Archive and renowned film historian; Santiago de Pablo, Professor of Contemporary History at the University of the Basque Country and specialist in the relationship between cinema and history; and Nicolás Sesma, professor and historian, author of Ni una, ni grande, ni libre, an account of the Franco dictatorship with abundant cinematographic references.
Friday 26th, September
12:00 h.
Free invitations available through the usual channels.
Tickets available from Tuesday 16 September at 9am
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