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).
A total of 158,194 spectators attended the more than 600 screenings of 238 films from 58 countries at the 71st San Sebastian Festival. This figure represents an increase of more than 5,400 attendees compared to 2022.
Another figure similarly demonstrating the vitality of the film industry, the return to in-person attendance of movie events and the Festival’s standing is reflected for the first time in the more than 5,000 accredited guests, meaning a rise of almost 10% compared to last year, which was already a record for the event, and of 78% since 2010, when the current management team came on board.
Contributing on this road to growth, started twelve years ago with the creation of the Europe-Latin America Co-production Forum, are gatherings taking place in 2023, such as the second edition of Spanish Screenings: Financing & Tech and the networks of new talents, filmmakers, programmers and industry professionals drawn together by Z365, the Festival all year round, including the initiatives Kabia and 2deo Topagunea for the first time in 2023.
These and other data can be found in the Festival’s 2023 report, available from today on its website and which, as well as figures and lists of films, WIPs and projects, includes details of the conversations, masterclasses and round tables organised for the edition alongside successful consolidation of the Ikusmira Berriak programme, confirmed with giving of the Golden Shell by the jury chaired by Claire Denis to Jaione Camborda’s O Corno / The Rye Horn. This is the fourth year in a row that a film with a woman at the helm has carried off the Official Selection’s highest award, and the first time it has gone to a female Spanish filmmaker.