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).
John Malkovich received a Donostia Award in 1998 and has been a regular visitor to the Festival since then, returning with various films including on one occasion as executive producer of Diego Luna’s , which won the Horizontes Award. This time around he is here in the role of president of the Official Jury, a responsibility that he feels is a privilege. “It’s fantastic to watch the 18 films in competition with bright, interesting people involved in cinema.” Asked what he hopes to contribute as president of the jury, he stresses his wide range of interests and wide range of experiences, and as for judging films, he thinks he’s always pretty empathetic. “I think that it’s not easy to make a good film. I have failed many, many times and so have others. I’m pretty aware of that”.
His future plans include going on a short tour with some classical music pieces and shooting a film with the Danish director, Susanne Bier for Netflix. He’s also got a thriller in the pipeline that he’s going to make with his friend, the director Peter Berg, although he still hasn’t signed the contract.