2023-09-22 23:14:50
Although the arrival of the stars had already begun and the first screenings are already underway, the Zinemaldia curtain has officially risen this Friday, with the opening gala at the Kursaal in which the Donostia Award was presented to the Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. been the highlight.
Eva Hache and Gorka Otxoa were the presenters of a gala directed by Mireia Gabilondo with a script by Bob Pop. The gala started with a strident irrintzi and the Euskal Herriko Joaldunak parade through the stands of the Kursaal. Eva Hache and Gorka Otxoa kicked off the gala in Basque, celebrating “the union of cultures and languages” that is cinema. In a duo performance they have declared that “cinema changes us, reveals utopias to us, unites us, opens windows for us in dead ends”, in short, “cinema fascinates us.”
Among the stars present at the gala was Dominic West, known for his roles in series such as ‘The Wire’, ‘The Affair’ and ‘The Crown’, who greeted the audience with an ‘eskerrik asko, gabon’. He participated in the inaugural gala to present the Fipresci award, which went to ‘Kuollet lehdet / Fallen Leaves’, after being chosen best film of the year 2023 by the members of the International Federation of Film Critics. This production between Finland and Germany has been chosen by 669 voting critics from around the world, among all the films released after July 1, 2022. Its director, Aki Kaurismäki, could not be present at the ceremony, and it was Istafan Schmitz , CEO of Avalon, who received the award from the federation’s vice president Rita di Santo.
Actor Dominic West, at the gala. Arizmendi
The performers Ane Gabarain, Kepa Errasti and Sofía Otero have been in charge of presenting the ‘New Directors’ section, in which you can enjoy eleven films by emerging filmmakers. For her part, the Argentine actress and director Dolores Fonzi has come on stage to introduce ‘Culinary Zinema’, which remains a Zinemaldia classic in its film plus dinner format; and ‘Horizontes Latinos’, a section full of atmospheric and cinematographic phenomena that have furiously shaken festivals, screens, and spectators.
Telmo Irureta and Bob Pop, some “dandys on wheels”, have taken over to present the ‘Zinemira’ sections, dedicated to Basque cinema and where high-intensity cinematographic events will take place, and ‘Made in Spain’, which will offer 19 films, including 5 premieres. The actress and presenter Cayetana Guillén Cuervo, who wanted to show “her unconditional love for José Luis Rebordinos”, then jumped on stage to announce the ‘Perlak’ section, made up of an overwhelming list of titles and directors: Hirokazu Kore- eda, Todd Haynes, Michel Franco, JA Bayona, Wim Wenders and Aki Kaurismäki.
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When it was the turn of the Official Section, the participating films were shown on video, before giving way to the members of the Official Jury, who took the stage of a packed Kursaal, with Art Deco style scenery by Cesc Calafell. Director Claire Denis presides over the jury, and is accompanied by Chinese actress Fan Bingbing; the Colombian producer, director and writer Cristina Gallego; the French photographer Brigitte Lacombe; Hungarian producer Robert Lantos; the Spanish actress Vicky Luengo and the German director Christian Petzold.
In her speech, Claire Denis described the responsibility of presiding over the jury as a “great challenge”. «A film festival is something very exciting, a place of creation where competition is not the most important thing. All members of the jury are moved by a commitment to cinema and that will be the spirit that guides us. Thank you and happy festival,” she said.
After that, the San Sebastian singer María Berasarte has performed a very personal version ‘Al Alba’, the legendary song composed by Luis Eduardo Aute, in memory of the recently deceased people to whom this edition is dedicated: Manolo Pérez Estremera, Guadalupe Echevarría, Tito García Camino, Berenice Reynaud, Jose Luis Rubio and Seve Sánchez. For its part, the Gernika musical group Audience has been in charge of illustrating the gala with their live songs.
Donostia Award
To finish off the gala, there was the most special moment of the night. Zinemaldia director José Luis Rebordinos has taken the stage to symbolically present the Donostia award to the Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki.
It could not be in person, since the founder of Studio Ghibli does not travel outside his country, so he received the Donostia a few days ago and in a video he explained that “I am grateful for this prestigious award” and he hopes that those attending Zinemaldia “enjoy of the film”, and the European premiere of ‘The Boy and the Heron’, Miyazaki’s new film, stars at the start of the festival.
Rebordinos has referred to Miyazaki as “an unmatched master with an extraordinary imagination” and has explained that they have decided to give him the award this year for his “contribution to fantasy” with his animated films, of which he has highlighted that “they contain a lot of wisdom, deep content, an artistic proposal of great beauty and a humanist vision. He has also confessed that the first film he saw by Miyazaki, ‘My Neighbor Totoro’, “moved me in a way that a film has rarely achieved.”
Eva Hache and Gorka Otxoa, presenters of the gala. Arizmendi
Numerous institutional representatives have also attended the gala, such as the acting Ministers of Culture Miquel Iceta and the Minister of Economy Nadia Calviño, the Minister of Culture Bingen Zupiria, the General Deputy of Gipuzkoa Eider Mendoza, the Mayor of Donostia Eneko Goia, or the Government delegate in the Basque Country, Denis Itxaso.
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