Five titles, four of them world premieres, make up the Culinary Zinema section at the Festival’s 74th edition, enabling spectators to see how the cuisine of Al-Andalus is reinterpreted at the Noor restaurant in Córdoba, while discovering the tradition of Mallorcan gastronomy, the role of chef Pedro Subijana as one of the proponents of New Basque Cuisine, the Burgundy wine culture and Yasuko Mitani’s exclusive restaurant in Tokyo. All five films will compete for the Culinary Zinema Award coming with 10,000 euros.

Culinary Zinema, which will also include five themed dinners connected to the screenings, was presented this morning at the Goe-Gastronomy Open Ecosystem by the director of the Basque Culinary Center, Joxe Mari Aizega, and by the director of the San Sebastián Festival, José Luis Rebordinos.

Noor: Cocinar pasados posibles / Noor: Eating History, the opening film directed by Carlos Velasco (Madrid, 1981) and Kate Hu (Taipei, 1982), is a non-fiction exploring how Paco Morales and Paola Gaulandi reinterpret the legacy of Al-Andalus through haute cuisine at their restaurant Noor in Córdoba. Together the directors, who form the creative duo Velasco & Hu, have co-directed several short films and the feature-length Para qué sirven las canciones de amor (2023) and Mar menor, mal mayor (2025).

The closing film, Mallorca, un receptari / Mallorca, a Cookbook heads to several towns and villages to shed light on the island’s traditional cuisine through the dishes made for generations using the local seasonal produce. Its director, Pablo Bujosa Rodríguez (Palma, 1980) is a creative producer and maker of documentaries. Worthy of note among his feature films are Spanish Hollywood (2009), J.L. Sert / Un sueño nómada (2013) and Postcards & Memories (2017).

MITANI – The Mariage of Sushi is a non-fiction filmed jointly by the Japanese Keita Ideno (Osaka, 1975) and the Australian Ivan Kovac (Newport Beach, 1974) as they delve into the world of Yasuhiko Mitani, owner of an exclusive sushi restaurant in Tokyo with space for only six diners and has a four-year waiting list. Ideno began his career as an editing assistant before going on to co-write and edit Kusama: Infinity (Heather Lenz, 2018), a participant in the documentary competition at Sundance, and directing Coroner to the Stars (2025). Kovac, for his part, has developed his career as a director of photography in advertising, music videos and the cinema. 

The North Americans Michael Dweck (Brooklyn) and Gregory Kershaw (Utica) formerly participated in Culinary Zinema with The Truffle Hunters (2020), premiered at Sundance like their debut, The Last Race (2018) and like Gaucho (2024), which also participated in Locarno’s Piazza Grande. This time they present Burgundy, a combination of fiction and non-fiction about the exclusive and seductive wine culture in the Burgundy region coming to San Sebastián following its out-of-competition premiere in the Venice Open section of the Venice Festival.

Finally, Subijana, más allá de un bigote / Subijana: The Man Behind the Moustache, is the latest work from Jorge Fernández Mayoral (Logroño, 1982) and Jesús Javier Ruiz Aquerreta (Pamplona, 1975). The non-fiction brings an intimate and personal look at the chef from Gipuzkoa Pedro Subijana, one of the leading proponents of New Basque Cuisine and an essential figure in the transformation of Spanish gastronomy. 

The Catalan Government’s Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food sponsors the Culinary Zinema section.

Themed Dinners

The five films in the section will be accompanied by themed dinners between September 22 and 25. Culinary Zinema will continue with its regular format of ten diners per table to encourage discussion and make for a richer experience. Students, along with the Basque Culinary Center’s teaching and events staff, will participate in all off the dinners, collaborating both in the kitchen and in the dining room.

Combined tickets for the screenings and dinners go on sale this Friday, August 28, at 10:00 AM via the websites sansebastianfestival.janto.es and tickets.kutxabank.es. Tickets for the screening and themed dinner are priced at €90, and the events will take place at the Basque Culinary Center—with the exception of Yasuhiko Mitani’s dinner, which will be held at the GOe – Gastronomy Open Ecosystem and is priced at €175. The Japanese chef will offer this unique gastronomic experience for a group of 16 people—an extraordinary occasion, given that he typically serves a maximum of six diners at his restaurant.

The themed dinners accompanying Culinary Zinema will start on 22 September following the screening of the film Noor: Cocinar pasados posibles / Noor: Eating History, in the shape of a menu designed by the protagonists of the film, Paco Morales and Paola Gualandi. The proposal will bring to the table the 3-starred Michelin restaurant’s particular approach to Moorish cuisine, based on historical and cultural research and on the contemporary reinterpretation of the Al-Andalus recipes, flavours and traditions. Cuisine recovering the legacy from a contemporary point of view, where each dish is the expression of a dialogue between history, culture and gastronomic creativity. This dinner will begin with a welcome reception hosted by APAR, offering the chance to interact with the film's producers and the chef himself, and will continue with an evening at an imperial-style table, where Chef Mitani will prepare the gastronomic experience's main dishes live.    

The dinner to follow the screening of MITANI – The Mariage of Sushi on 23 September will be prepared by its protagonist, the Japanese chef Yasuhiko Mitani. For the occasion, the culinarian will offer an exclusive gastronomic experience limited to 16 diners at the restaurant of GOe – Gastronomy Open Ecosystem. An intimate and unique event, crafted in collaboration with de team at APAR restaurant, offering a closer look at the philosophy, the technique and the sensitivity defining his cuisine, specialising in the traditional Edomae style combining meticulously matured seasonal fish with revolutionary pairings inviting the diners beyond the screen for a first-hand look at the culinary universe portrayed in the documentary.

The film Burgundy will be accompanied on Wednesday 23 by a dinner prepared by the six hands of Álex Lizarraga and Édgar Jiménez, from Milla Lore, and Antonio Belotti, from 887. The three chefs will merge their respective culinary approaches in a proposal of French inspiration especially conceived for the occasion and in a dialogue with the food and wine-making culture of Burgundy ubiquitous throughout. An experience bringing the essence of the film to the table and enabling the exploration, through cuisine, of the flavours, the identity and the character of one of the largest French gastronomic and wine-growing regions. Furthermore, just as in the film, part of the dinner will be paired with wines from two of Bertrand Devillard’s most important estates: Château de Chamirey and Domaine des Perdrix.

The film Subijana, más allá de un bigote / Subijana: The Man Behind the Moustache will be accompanied on Thursday 24 by a dinner with the participation of Eneko Atxa from Azurmendi, Roberto Ruiz from HIKA, Edorta Lamo from ARREA!, and David Yárnoz from Molino de Urdániz. Each chef will make their contribution to the menu consisting of a selection of dishes reflecting their peculiar manner of understanding cuisine, in a proposal uniting different takes on contemporary Basque gastronomy. The dinner will also serve as a tribute to the career of Subijana and to his role as one of the proponents of New Basque Cuisine, highlighting the legacy of a figure whose influence continues to inspire new generations of chefs. Furthermore, bringing the sweet touch to the evening, will be the dessert prepared by Armintz Gorrotxategi, fourth generation in the historical saga of Tolosa’s master chocolatiers, Gorrotxategi.

Mallorca, un receptari / Mallorca, a Cookbook, the film tracing Mallorca’s gastronomic tradition through its towns and villages, seasonal produce and recipes passed down from generation to generation will be accompanied on Friday 25 by a dinner prepared by the four hands of Maria Solivellas from Ca na Toneta and Celler Tonet, and Andreu Genestra from the Andreu Genestra restaurant. The two will bring to the table their particular connection with the cuisine of Mallorca and its territory, placing the emphasis on local produce, tradition and the island’s gastronomic memory from their respective approaches. A proposal upholding Mallorcan cuisine as an expression of identity and a living heritage that continues to evolve.