The XVII edition of Nest. Film Students, the San Sebastian Festival international film students meeting, opens its submission period today, 1st June. Organised by the San Sebastian Festival and the Tabakalera International Centre for Contemporary Culture, the meeting -this year renamed Nest. Film Students- offers an exchange of experiences on audiovisual subjects in the setting of one of the world’s biggest film industry events.

Nest, which will run for five days, from Monday 24th to Friday 28th September, is one of the Festival’s most important sections in its strategy to promote new talents.

The young participants screen their short films and attend meetings with professionals, workshops as well as the masterclasses held every year as part of the meeting. Last year the directors and producers Raymond Depardon, Claudine Nougaret, Todd Haynes, Christine Vachon, Marine Francen and Nobuhiro Suwa shared their knowledge with the students. Public, students and professionals watched and commented on the selection of short films, generating debates on cinematic practice and theory, the different models of production or how the film industry functions.

Each school can present a maximum of three shorts made during the last two academic years, from which approximately fifteen are selected to participate in Nest.

A specific jury made up of students from the participating schools and chaired by a personality from the film world – last year the Chilean filmmaker José Luis Torres Leiva, will decide the director to receive the Panavision Award, carrying a complete camera package including a RED Epic camera and Primo standard lenses for four weeks of filming, or a voucher worth €10,000 for renting any kind of Panavision material. Last year the chosen short was 212 by Boaz Frankel, from the Sam Spiegel Film and TV School in Jerusalem.

On the other hand, a specific jury of students from Basque schools, coordinated by a professor from HUHEZI, Mondragon University, and directed by the Development Management Department of Orona Fundazioa, will give the Orona Award with its €5,000 to the most innovative short film at the meeting. The work selected last year was Zeit der unruhe by Elsa Rosengren, from the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB).

Projects can be entered online from today, June 1st. The terms and conditions and other information related to Nest. Film Students is available on the official Festival website, www.sansebastianfestival.com, and on that of Tabakalera, www.tabakalera.eu. The deadline for submitting short films is July 2nd.

Nest. Film Students is part of the legacy of San Sebastian, European Capital of Culture 2016.