One of the ‘red carpets’ in the Festival exhibition at Tabakalera. /
The Portable Agenda
The Zinemaldia is the image of the best Donostia, cultured, open, participatory, a harmonized mix of visitors and indigenous people. That is told in Tabakalera / The Traffic
70 years ago, a group of San Sebastian merchants was inspired by Cannes to hold a film festival to extend the tourist season. Seven decades later, this festival is one of the most important in the world (I’m not saying this, it’s Thierry Frémaux, director of Cannes, the number one contest), it’s one of the main cultural events in Spain, State or whatever you want to call it ( says the Observatory of Culture of the Fundación Contemporánea), it is one of the best letters of introduction of this city in the world and it is a festival that brings people from all over to San Sebastián and we also enjoy the people of Donostia. The Zinemaldia is a good summary of the Donostia that we like and that we like to show off: cultured, open, fun, multilingual, participatory, a mix of visitors and outsiders.
Because unlike what happens in other big festivals in San Sebastián, we people from San Sebastian are part of the cake: we fill the halls, the talks, the activities. In Cannes, the ‘cannetarras’ are waiters: here, tasters of the menu (and also waiters, of course: the Festival is a source of wealth for the hotel industry, the service sector and the local economy).
All of this is reflected in the fun exhibition that opened this week at Tabakalera to celebrate the Festival’s 70th anniversary, curated by Carlos Rodríguez and Asun Lasarte, from Morgan Crea. The staging is original, ‘invading’ Tabakalera with red carpets, photocall elements and even mini-cinemas with the old Victoria Eugenia seats (those resounding seats that presided over the set of Keridos Monstruos for several seasons and that were so difficult to move our technicians ). The content of the sample are videos and projections. There are many gems: time and successive visits are needed to savor little-known pictures of the stars in the city. Perhaps the exhibition could have been enriched with more classic materials for a visitor who wants a more conventional visit, but the whole is a party that pays homage to the people, those of us who live here or ‘work’ the festival.
The visit to Tabakalera is also enriched by the other exhibition, opened yesterday, with no less original artistic contributions from different directors (we’ll talk about that another day). This summer there are a good handful of exhibitions of interest in San Sebastián: Chillida and Oteiza’s in San Telmo, the controversial ‘oteizas’ in the Diocesan, Javier Pérez’s in Kubokutxa (conceptually strange and very attractive) and photographs of Ruth Orkin in Artegunea, also recently opened.
Pd ¿Vuelve Woody? Let’s play a little: Woody Allen performs with his jazz band in Seville on September 27, shoots his new feature film in Paris in October and is a prominent part of the 70th anniversary of Zinemaldia. Will he return to Donostia this time body and soul after the pandemic forced him two years ago to present his San Sebastian comedy telematically from New York? Make game.
QUIETLY
Traffic: change a lot, communicate little
Let’s say that in Donostia these days they don’t talk about anything else: writing about traffic isn’t glamorous, but it seems inevitable. Unless there is a major cause I do not use the car to go to the center, but I see the chaos produced by the changes, the works and the arrival of tourists. I try to be generous: one imagines that the technicians will have weighed each performance and that this mess will lead to something better. But at the moment one finds situations, at least, confusing. Such a revolution would require a plus of communication and advice.
I think the commitment to a pedestrian and sustainable center, with all the consequences, is wonderful. But now it is not understood. Faithful to the doctrine of guilleviglionist positivity, I take it for granted that each change has a vocation to improve, or something like that. Explain it.
Dear Idoya: Relay on the Topic
It has been the ‘alma mater’ of Topic Tolosarra, that fascinating puppet museum, so alive, together with the remembered Miguel Arreche. Now Idoya Otegui is leaving the management because of the persistent Covid, an example that this bug thing is serious. He has done an enormous job, sometimes more recognized abroad, with as much humanity as talent. He is succeeded by a duo, Estitxu Zaldua and Juanjo Herrero, full of enthusiasm. Idoya will remain close in case there is a helping hand. The curtain does not fall completely.
mezquiaga@diariovasco.com