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Introduction to the film festival

Film Festival Highlights

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.

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.

Awards

The Official Jury must grant the following awards: Golden Shell for Best Film (for the producer) Silver Shell for Best Director Silver Shell for Best Actress Silver Shell for Best Actor Jury Prize for Best Cinematography Jury Prize for Best Screenplay The Official Jury is also free to grant a Special Prize to the film which it considers worthy of receiving the award for any reason, and must state the grounds for its decision. The Golden Shell cannot be awarded ex-aequo. The Official Awards will be announced and presented at the Festival Closing Gala.

Rules

Genre ：Action Comedy War Science fiction Ethics Horror Thriller Violence Adventure Crime Family Musical Romance Magical Fantasy Shootout Suspense Youth Inspirational Arthouse Biography Western Drama others Documentary
Subject ：Unlimited
Video Format ：MPEG4 DCP
Submitted feature films must: Be over 60 minutes in length. Have been produced in the 12 months prior to the start of the Festival. Respect the rules or guidelines for each of its sections. All films submitted will be considered for any of the Festival sections making up the programme, although each section has its own requirements and specifications. World and international premieres will be given priority in the selection process. However, each of the Festival sections has its own requirements and specifications. Films totally produced in Spain that wish to compete in the Official and New Directors sections and productions wishing to compete for the "Euskal Zinemaren Irizar Saria" Award must be world premieres. They must not have been screened at any other national or international festival or have been publicly premiered or screened prior to the Festival dates. Films produced or co-produced in countries other than Spain must not have participated in any other festival taking place prior to the dates of the San Sebastian International Film Festival. This excludes festivals accredited by the FIAPF in the category "non-competitive festivals" and national competitions at festivals in their countries of production. Films produced or co-produced in countries other than Spain must not have participated in film events in their country of production if these are accredited by the FIAPF as falling into the category: "competitive festivals". In keeping with the requirements and specifications of each section regarding the premier criteria (world, international, national) the inclusion of films in VOD platforms is not allowed, with the exception of cases where their use is strictly professional and with restricted access. Exceptionally, the Management Committee reserves the right to admit productions which have previously participated in certain non-competitive film events. Feature films submitted for pre-selection must be presented in their original version: Without subtitles if the original version of the film is in Spanish and/or Basque or in English and French. With subtitles in Spanish and/or Basque, English or French for original versions in other languages. The Festival makes no distinction between fiction and non-fiction and both options will be considered for all of its sections.

Evaluation

Jury Profile
Jury Name Judge photos Jury Profile

Authorization type

    Proxy Submission

Duration (several sessions)

    74

Film Festival Features

  • Red Carpet
  • Celebrity Guest
  • Filmscreen
  • Cash prize
  • Trophy
  • Copyright transactions
  • Certificate

Dates & Deadlines

  • 2025-12-16
    Submission start time

  • 2026-06-14
    Deadline

  • 2026-06-14
    Submission end time

  • 2026-08-02
    Finalist notification start time

  • 2026-08-02
    Finalist notification end time

  • 2026-09-18
    Award ceremony start time

  • 2026-09-26
    Award ceremony end time

Categories and fees

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