Festivals and Markets

San Sebastian is the largest film festival in Spain, occurring each September. It is an A-list FIAPF accredited event with a number of awards given out by the juries in its six competitive sections, screening about 200 films.

The main jury awards six prizes in the Official section, there is a cash prize in the New Directors section shared with the director and the Spanish distributor, plus Audience Awards across all sections, also carrying cash prizes.

Tips for Attendees

‘San Sebastian is an A-list competitive European festival and the biggest in the Spanish-speaking world. It has generated a huge awareness of our film internationally.’

‘The emphasis was very much on each individual film and the press and awareness generated from that. However, there were enough opportunities for discussions and some networking events informally.’

‘I believe that our presence in San Sebastian in Competition, in addition to winning an award, has increased the profile of the film immeasurably. It has created sales opportunities, particularly for Spain, and has had a flow on effect for other important festivals in Europe.’

‘I attended the Awards ceremony on closing night to pick up the screenplay award. The awards ceremony was televised on Spanish TV and extremely well reported around the world.’

‘The key tip for filmmakers attending the festival is one of being prepared to speak about your film passionately. In our case, our sales agents were extremely efficient, along with the festival, as they had already set up key ways to promote and highlight the film through organised press screenings and the press conference. The filmmaker then has to be ready to speak about the film intensively to the press, so you also have to be ready to work hard.’