The Basque Country’s Talent Day (Talentuaren Gunea) intiative is nurturing the next generation of filmmakers by showcasing 14 projects by film students from the region to an audience of industry executives.
Taking place at the Basque Country Technology Park, in the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz on May 30, the event helped to familiarise film students with the film industry from whom they received invaluable feedback and in-kind support to develop their projects further.
The selected projects - three features, 1 TV series and 10 short films - were pitched to a group of more than 20 production companies and industry figures based in the Basque Country, representing companies and organisations including the San Sebastian Film Festival, Iberseries and streamer Filmin.
A jury representing a variety of leading Spanish festivals awarded the projects the chance to take part in lab programmes and pitching events at their future editions.
Marta Guillén’s documentary feature project A Thermomix In The Desert, about a filmmaker in crisis, won the FIPADOC award. This grants Guillén participation in the Biarriatz-based documentary festival. A Thermomix In The Desert also won the Lau Haizetara Award, which offers pitch preparation and a spot at the Documentary Co-Production Forum at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in September.
Two projects, Iker González Urresti’s fiction feature Mendi, and Saioa Miguel’s short La Batida, were awarded the D’A Film Lab Barcelona prize. Both will take part in the pitching section of the 2026 festival that offers the chance to meet-up with producers.
The Abycine Lanza Conexiones award, comprised of an invitation to take part at the market of the film festival that takes place in Albacete in October, was presented to Begoña Arana for the short film Itzuli.
A screenwriting mentorship was presented by the Basque Country Film School in Bilbat to Daniel González Alegrete and Santiago Skiappa, writer-directors of the fiction feature High, while Itxaso Jurado and Ainara Martínez de Albéniz, creators of TV series project Laboa, were chosen to attend Iberseries and Platino Industria.
The animation project Bitxos, by Lau Maquedano will be showcased at Weird Market in Valencia.
Lively networking
“A good sign Talent Day is working to connect emerging filmmakers with an industry interested in discovering new voices was the level of networking that followed the pitchings,” said Mar Izquierdo, head of Zineuskadi, the Basque promotional agency that runs the event.
“The production companies sought out more details from the projects that caught their attention.” Said Ione Feijóo, head of marketing of Zineuskadi.
Izquierdo points to the demonstrable impact Talent Day is having on Basque filmmakers. Filmmaker and visual artist Lucía Montero Sánchez de las Matas’s feature debut Peter won the Lau Haizetara award at the 2024 event.
Together with the project’s producer, Carlota Darnell, of Barcelona-based Cornelius Films, the rising filmmaker pitched Peter at the co-production forum of the San Sebastian Film Festival. French producer Martine Vidalenc of Midralgar came on-board as co-producer.
“I want to explore how mystery triggers creativity and the creative process of film itself,” says Montero Sánchez.
Peter, now at the financing stage, is one of many exciting projects by Basque filmmakers that are benefitting from institutional support at an early stage.
“Zineuskadi is carrying out a key role in strengthening and showcasing the buzzy Basque film industry,” notes jury member Manuel J. Lacasa from Abycine Lanza, the WIP platform at the Abycine festival in Albacete, who participated in Talent Day for a second year.
“A significant number of great films are being made and this is not a matter of chance, but the result of a consistent support to projects from the very beginning, when ideas are starting to develop.”
Contact: Basque Audiovisual, Ione Feijoo, komunikazioa@zineuskadi.eu
