About us | Ikusmira Berriak

IKUSMIRA

ad. curiosity, eagerness/desire to see, eagerness/desire to learn
ad. [point of view] viewpoint, perspective
adject. inquisitive; eager to learn and discover

Ikusmira Berriak is a programme of residencies for filmmakers to support and promote up-and-coming talent and audiovisual creation.

The residency offers space, time, context and resources for developing filmmaking projects. The programme was born in 2015 from the collaboration between the San Sebastian Festival and Tabakalera and, since 2018, also has the participation of the Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola (EQZE).

Ikusmira Berriak, in the Basque language, means new points of view, new outlooks; as its name indicates, the programme pursues a dual objective of lending integral support to new filmmaking talents and discovering new contemporary narratives and perspectives.

SPACE

The residency takes place in the Tabakalera building: a globally pioneer, innovative and unique project housing an international centre for contemporary culture (the Tabakalera cultural project), an international centre for thought, research, experimental practice and pedagogical innovation (the Elías Querejeta Film School) and a national film archive (the Filmoteca Vasca).

The building’s ecosystem therefore combines the past, present and future of filmmaking, taking an integral approach towards supporting the community of filmmakers thanks to projects shared by the different institutions which contribute a specific body of knowledge accumulated over years of professional experience

A dynamic space for opportunities whose dedication to filmmaking is possible thanks to the variety and quantity of resources brought to the table by each institution.

TIMELINE

A stay of eight weeks divided into two stages including a 7-month mentoring programme (from March to September).

March and April.

Stage 1

During the first stage, running for six weeks, the residency provides the tools for residents to develop their filmmaking projects. Each filmmaker is accompanied by the committee of experts and the mentors assigned to their project, who analyse their work and advise them from a multidisciplinary point of view (filmmakers, curators, industry professionals, etc.). Individual and group sessions designed to suit the specific needs of each selected project enable the residents to work on a variety of creative processes.

May to August.

Online mentorships and financial aid for each of the selected projects.

September.

Stage 2

During the second stage, coinciding with the San Sebastian Festival, the filmmakers return to complete the last two weeks of their residency. This is when they participate in San Sebastian Festival’s professional activities where, with their producer, they pitch their projects online to accredited industry guests, participate in networking meetings and events and work to a personalised agenda of one-to-one meetings with professionals interested in participating in their projects.

NEXT CALL: JULY – SEPTEMBER, 2025

CONTEXT

Ikusmira Berriak is co-organised by three of the institutions housed in the Tabakalera building: the San Sebastian Festival, Tabakalera International Centre for Contemporary Culture and the Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola.

All of the institutions aim to create a system lending integral support to filmmaking talent: a system not limited to enabling a project to see the light and gain visibility; but designed to train, accompany and back their makers constantly over time. This support, starting in the classroom and continuing until their work makes it onto the screen, aims not only to help new filmmakers on their way, but to assist them in building a career and developing a professional life in the field of filmmaking.

RESOURCES

The filmmakers make the most of the spaces and services offered by the centre and of all of the activities taking place in the building: cinemas, labs, exhibition galleries, film collections, specialised libraries and work spaces, not to mention the help of professionals and institutions in the sector.

Tabakalera Artists’ Space.

A physical space for everyday work including a studio for personal use, a common area and audiovisual facilities: image and video editing studios, a sound booth and set.

Allowance.

Every resident receives a financial allowance in the shape of per diems to cover their daily costs during the two stages of the residency.

Travel and accommodation.

Travel costs for both stages are included, as is accommodation during the artistic residencies at the One Shot Tabakalera House hotel, plus accommodation for the producers in September.

Development grant.

In June, mid-way between the two stages, each resident will receive a grant as a contribution to the development of each of the selected projects.

San Sebastian Festival.

In September, each resident is given an industry pass and a personalised agenda of meetings with professionals interested in participating in their projects.

Screen.

Free access to all films programmed in the Tabakalera cinema under the shared public screen initiative during the period of the residency.

Carte Blanche.

A carte blanche showing as part of the shared screen programme enabling each filmmaker to highlight the images and stories to have influenced their training and creative process.

Filmoteca Vasca.

Access to the Filmoteca Vasca cinema (with seating for 46 viewers) to screen their works or others that they are interested in watching.

Medialab – Tabakalera.

Direct access to Medialab, the creation and experiments library offering knowledge, technology and spaces to foster learning processes while experimenting with and developing projects; local communities and networks are also promoted and strengthened as key elements of the social transformation.

EQZE academic programme.

The filmmakers have access to classes, meetings, screenings and other educational activities running throughout the regular academic year. They can also meet the academic team to study the possibility of attending classes as guest students for the duration of the residency.

EQZE technical facilities.

Use of the EQZE technical facilities, including camera and recording equipment, developing and digital labs, image and sound post-production booths and a screening atelier.