The festival was founded in 1953 with the first festival starting on September 21, 1953. 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.
Sections
These are the main sections of the festival:
Official Selection: According to FIAPF regulations, a selection of recent cinematographic works, which have not been shown in other festivals, compete for the major awards. Some films are included out of competition.
New Directors: First or second movies of new talents.
Horizontes Latinos: A selection of films from Latin America, unreleased in Spain.
Pearls: A selection of the best movies screened at other international festivals throughout the year.
Zabaltegi – Tabakalera: A competitive section aiming for heterogeneity with no formal norms.
Made in Spain: A showcase of the year's Spanish movies for their international launch.
Zinemira: A showcase of movies produced or directed by Basques.
Retrospectives: Retrospectives are included in the program to present the works of a renowned filmmaker or works that represent a particular theme.
Culinary Cinema: A non-competitive selection of gastronomy-related films.
Velodrome: Projections of movies for a big audience in a giant screen installed at the Velódromo de Anoeta.
Nest Film Students: Selected shorts, mostly graduation projects, from film schools around the world.
Awards
An international jury evaluates the films in the Official Section and awards the following prizes:
The following are the main awards for films in the pararell sections:
New Directors Award: decided by a special jury, the films in the New Directors section compete for this prize.
Audience Award: The audience chooses a film from among those in the Pearls section.
Youth Award: A jury composed of 350 youngsters aged between 17 and 21 chooses a film from those competing for the New Directors Award".
Horizontes Award: A specific jury chooses the best film in the Horizontes Latinos section.
"Otra Mirada" Award: TVE gives the Another Look'' award to the film, from any section, that best reflects the female world.
Sebastiane Award: a jury chooses the film, from any section, that best reflects the values and reality of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people.
