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).
Laurent Cantet is here in San Sebastián to chair the Official Section jury, and confesses that he still remembers how some members of the audience stayed to chat with him after his first full-length film, Resources humaines was screened here in 1999.One incident brought tears to his eyes: an elderly woman came up to him and embraced him and told him that this was the film that she had been waiting to see for a long time.“These are unforgettable moments that make being here very special.
”He explains that up to now he has only been a juror at “smaller” festivals where one film clearly stood out from all the rest, and he stresses that what’s interesting is to hear other people’s arguments that might make you change your opinion about a film. He thinks that the Jury here at San Sebastián has a very varied mix of actors and directors who all have viewpoints from all over the world and who may well provide a variety of sensibilities. As far as his perspective as a juror is concerned he acknowledges that he finds it hard to watch films in a different way to the one he’s used to.“This time we are forced to watch them more critically and think about which films deserve special attention. In any case he also tries to downplay his role: “when I won the Golden Palm I never thought I was the world champion. My story had touched the members of the Jury, but that’s all; I never told myself that it was the best film at the festival.”