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).
The opening gala will once again be the starting point for nine days of films and glamour. This year the stage design as usual will display aesthetic references to the Film Festival Official Poster with its coloured lines, and Juanra Martín, the artistic director, has created a static set with uneven broken shapes that recall Chillida and provide an original imaginative solution to the austerity that is a prerequisite this year.
Although there will no live music or dancers, the festival gala general coordinator, Diego Galán, stressed that austerity and elegance do not have to be mutually exclusive.
The ceremony will be hosted by Edurne Ormazabal, accompanied by the actress Bárbara Goenaga and the actor Francis Lorenzo. About thirty personalities from the world of cinema will come on stage to present the various sections in the festival.
The gala will kick off at 20:00 and will be broadcast live on ETB, and shown two hours later on Spanish public television.