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).
Raven Jackson competed here in Nest 5 years ago with her short Nettles and is now back with her first feature in the Official Selection which she presented yesterday in the Kursaal. It’s a poetic experimental film evoking the non-linear memories of a black woman in Mississippi over several decades. The title All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt came from a conversation the director had with her grandmother and although the film is fictional, it is filled with memories of her own life and family. “I wanted to create a story that honoured people I know and love.” Shooting on location was very challenging in rural Mississippi in summer but the locals let them into their homes and really helped them to find a sense of place. Asked about the sound design Jackson explains that they worked to create a sense of interiority for the characters through sound, as well as mirroring nature and the seasons and she confesses that it is existentialist directors like Terrence Malick that she most admires. “I feel like those filmmakers who celebrate nature and small moments gave me permission to explore these.”