The Kursaal during the 53rd edition
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| Location | Donostia-San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain |
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| Founded | 1953 |
| Most recent | 2023 |
| Awards | Golden Shell, Silver Shells, Donostia Award, Sebastiane Award |
| Hosted by | Festival Internacional de Cine de Donostia-San Sebastián, Sociedad Anónima |
| No. of films | 200–250 |
| Language | International |
| Website | sansebastianfestival |
| Current: 71st San Sebastián International Film Festival | |
72nd | |
The San Sebastián International Film Festival (abbr. SSIFF; Spanish: Festival Internacional de San Sebastián, Basque: Donostia Zinemaldia) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in the Basque Country.[1][2]
Since its creation in 1953 it has established itself as one of the 14 "A" category competitive festivals accredited by the FIAPF, of which it has one of the lowest budgets. It has hosted several important events of the history of cinema, such as the international premieres of Vertigo, by Alfred Hitchcock (who attended the Festival) and the European premiere of Star Wars. It was the first festival attended by Roman Polanski and has helped advance the professional careers of filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola, Bong Joon-ho and Pedro Almodóvar.[citation needed]
José Luis Rebordinos has served as the director of the festival since 2011.[3]
The festival was founded in 1953 with the first festival starting on September 21, 1953.[4] Although it was originally intended to honour Spanish language films, films of other languages became eligible for consideration in 1955, when the festival was specialized in color films. It has been acknowledged by the FIAPF as an A category festival since 1957, with the exception of the 1980–1984 period, when no major awards were given.
Many important moments of the history of cinema have taken place in the festival, such as the European premiere of Star Wars, the international premiere of Vertigo, presented by Alfred Hitchcock, and Roman Polanski's first attendance at a film festival.[5]
These are the main sections of the festival:
An international jury evaluates the films in the Official Selection and awards the following prizes:
Former awards include:
The following are the main awards for films in the parallel sections:
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FIAPF-accredited film festivals
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| Non-competitive |
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| Documentary/ short |
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| International |
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| Other |
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