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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).
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The Movies for Kids programme brings six animated films for family audiences
Thousands of girls and boys between the ages of 6 and 11 years will enjoy the screening in the Velodrome of Totoro auzokidea / Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbour Totoro, Hayao Miyazaki, 1988) as part of the Ikastetxeak Belodromoan initiative focused on creating a connection between the cinema and science. Jointly organised by the San Sebastián Festival, the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) and the Filmoteca Vasca, the showings of this Japanese movie classic delve into the mysteries of the forest to show the audience of schoolchildren the fascinating ecosystem composed by its inhabitants, stressing the importance of maintaining the ecological balance and biodiversity of nature.
The film will be screened dubbed into the Basque language on the Velodrome’s giant screen and will have subtitles in Basque for the deaf and the hearing impaired. Totoro auzokidea narrates the relationship between two little girls who go to live in the countryside where they discover magical creatures including Totoro, a spirit of the forest who will help them to rediscover hope.
Miyazaki, who received the Donostia Award for lifetime achievement in 2023, is one of the leading world masters of animated cinema. Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi / Spirited Away (2001) and Gake no Ue no Ponyo / Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (2009) also screened at the Velodrome in 2002 and 2009 respectively. Later, the co-founder of the Ghibli studio participated in Perlak with Kaze Tachinu / The Wind Rises (2013) and opened the 71st edition of the San Sebastián Festival with Kimitachi wa Do Ikiruka / The Boy and the Heron (2023).
The screening of his film Totoro auzokidea will be accompanied by an original presentation coming with several surprises. We will travel deep into the forest to see how the trees, the mushrooms and the tiny organisms live and help one another. Discovering these symbiotic micro-worlds and their underground communication networks will make us see the forest as an almost unexplored ecosystem.
The guest scientist at this latest edition will be the biologist from Ondarroa, Nahia Gartzia Bengoetxea from the Forest Sciences Department at Neiker, the Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development. In her everyday work, Nahia analyses the forest floors and their relationship with human activities and the environment, with the aim of generating new and more sustainable forestry practices while improving resilience to climate change. With a Degree in Biology and Doctorate in Science from the University of the Basque Country, Nahia completed part of her doctoral thesis at the University of Hohenheim.
Pepper the social robot couldn’t miss the occasion and will, as usual, join the presenter Ugaitz Alegria to form a duo at this fun event for children. Thanks to the collaboration of a robotics research group from the University of the Basque Country / Robotics and Autonomous Systems Group, the audience of schoolchildren will once again enjoy the remarkable skills of this robot who has become all of an icon at the Velodrome during the Festival.
The poster for this year’s Ikastetxeak Belodromoan pays tribute to the mysteries of the forest and to the amazement prompted by nature; it has been created for the occasion by the illustrator from Mutriku, Malen Pazos with the graphic design by Arteuparte.
Since 2019, the screenings for schoolchildren programmed at the San Sebastián Festival enjoy the collaboration of the DIPC and the Filmoteca Vasca. With the logo San Sebastián. City of Film, City of Science, more than 13,000 pupils from some 80 schools will attend the six morning sessions taking place at the Velodrome on Friday 19th September, and from Monday 22nd to Friday 26th, both inclusive.
Little girls Satsuki and Mei move to a ramshackle house in the country with their father whilst their mother recovers from an illness in a nearby hospital. To their surprise, they soon discover that they are sharing the house with some rather unusual creatures and with very strange neighbours, including Totoro, a spirit of the forest. When the going gets rough, their new friends will help them to rediscover hope.
Movies for Kids
On the other hand, the San Sebastián Festival will present a selection of six animated titles for family audiences at its 73rd edition. During the first weekend and second Saturday of the event, the Principe cinemas will host the screening of the Movies for Kids section. All films can be seen dubbed into the Basque language thanks to the collaboration of Zineuskadi as part of the Zinema Euskaraz programme. With a price of 2 euros, tickets can be purchased in person and, from this year on, also online on the Festival and Kutxabank websites.
The adventurous Elfkin sprite Elfie yearns for a more exciting life in Super Elfkinak (The Super Elfkins), a German production signed by the director Ute von Münchwo-Pohl.
Sari nagusia ziztu bizian (Grand Prix of Europe) is a German production directed by Waldemar Fast in which the young mouse Edda dreams of becoming a racing car driver and finds herself caught up in an adventure to prevent the closure of an amusement park.
While trying to find her parents, a young girl ends up on a ship with pirates searching for treasure in the Spanish-Belgian co-production Barrakudaren altxorra (The Treasure of Barracuda), programmed as a world premiere. This is the latest work from Adrià Garcia, winner of the Goya for Best Animated Film with Nocturna (2007).
Tobias Schwarz and Aizea Roca direct the co-production between Germany, Spain and Belgium Heidi, Katamotzaren erreskatea (Heidi, Rescue of the Lynx), in which the popular children’s character takes on an evil businessman to save an injured lynx.
Directed by Karine Vézina and André Kadi, the Canadian production Kaixo, Frida! (Hola, Frida!) tells the tale of unique and passionate girl, Frida Kahlo, who tackled the difficulties with boundless imagination and turned pain into creativity.
A cat who must find his way in a water-covered world stars in Flow, from the Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis, who, with this second feature film premiered in Un Certain Regard at the Festival de Cannes, won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature film.
While trying to find her parents, Chispas accidentally ends up on Captain Barracuda’s pirate ship. The crew can’t read and only she can help them find the treasure of Phineas Crane, the most valuable and sought-after by all the pirates in the Caribbean.
A cat finds himself in a water-covered world, apparently with no trace of human life. He finds refuge on a boat populated by animals of other species. Getting on with them all will be an even greater challenge than surmounting his fear of water. During this adventure, they will have to prove their courage and overcome their differences to adapt to this new world. Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature following its premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes.
When Heidi finds an injured lynx in the mountains, she sets out on a brave mission with her friend Peter to return it to its family, facing up to an evil businessman who is threatening nature and her home.
This is the tale of a girl unlike the others. Her world is Coyoacán in Mexico. Bright, lively, interested in everything. And when the difficulties hit, she tackles them with boundless imagination. This little girl is called Frida Kahlo!
Edda dreams of becoming a racing driver. Unexpectedly, her wish comes true: by turning a decaying amusement park into a racing circuit! Together with her idol, the racer Ed, she will face the challenges of the European Grand Prix and discover a plot to sabotage the race. Will they manage to save the competition and avoid the closure of the park?
Adventurous Elfkin sprite Elfie dreams of a more exciting life, where she can combine her typical Elfkin secret help with fun and adrenaline. Much to the chagrin of the older members of her clan, who want everything to stay the same. But when Elfie meets Bo one day, her life takes an unexpected turn. Bo belongs to an Elfkin clan whose philosophy revolves around having fun and using high-tech gadgets to do daring and not necessarily legal things.
Monday to Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.