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).
Dear America is a passionate docu-drama which reveals the real American experience in Vietnam, the courage, the compassion, the companionship and the sadness, through letters written home by American soldiers who fougth there. couturié has even been able to include pieces which have never been seen before. Some of the scenes short, chosen by Couturié, were filmed by the soldiers using 8 mm cameras. The letters were edited for their humour and plaintiveness, but were never changed nor altered. "The letters in Dear America are the real truth about what being in a war zone signifies". Couturié: "I have achieved what I wanted to when I started on a positive film about soldiers in Vietnam, to create an image of them which is neither one of shil-killers nor unlucky drug addicts, but rather as recruits doing their military service who, in reality, would rather be at home with their friends, studying. this is a film against the war but for soldiers - it is not politically biased... showing the price paid by the youngsters who took part in it. "I wanted to separate the war from the fighter, and show taht the guilt of failure should not fall upon the boys whom America sent to fight in it".
A percentage of the benefits from Dear America will be donated to war veteran associations all over the world.