FILMS

In this new edition, 57 films will be screened.

• 51 will participate in the Official Selection, competing for the festival's official awards.

• Another 4 will be presented in the non-competitive Zabalandi section: "Corpórea", "The End of Eternal Spring", "Konfiantza itsua" and "Leizeta".

• Eliza Kubarska's "K2 touching the sky" (2015) has also been programmed in recognition of this year's IAMF Grand Prix.

• And "Oinez", the film of the project that last year received the Mendi Film Bizkaia Ternua grant, is premiered.

 

The producers and l@s director@s opt for Mendi Film for the premiere of their works:

• 17 international premieres

• 1 European premiere

• 27 international premieres

• 9 premieres in the Basque Country 

Where they come from:

·       The films represent 15 countries in Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania: Spain (16), USA (11), France (6), United Kingdom (4), Canada (4), Switzerland (4), Italy (3), Poland (2), Australia (1), Austria (1), Slovakia (1), Slovenia (1), Japan (1), and two co-productions, one Franco-Spanish and one Franco-Pakistani.

·       • 14 of the films are authored and/or produced by the Basque Country:

o   Official selection:

212 MOUNTAINS | Dir: Luis Arrieta Etxeberria

CANTO RODADO | Dir: Ekhi Alde

HERMELINDA Y DIANDRA | Dir: Aner Etxebarria, Pablo Vidal

ICEWATERFALLS | Dir: David Arnaud

LA GARA | Dir: Julen Elorza

LA SENDA NO MARCADA | Dir: Igor Bellido Molina

NOIZKO BASOA | Dir: Mikele Landa

UDALATX, URA ETA ATXA | Dir: Eñaut Iturbe Anduaga, Iban Ayesa Azkoaga

ZERBAIT ALDATU DA | Dir: Mikel Sarasola

o   Zabalandi:

CORPÓREA | Dir: Itxaso Díaz

EL FIN DE LA ETERNA PRIMAVERA | Dir: Migueltxo Molina

KONFIANTZA ITSUA | Dir: Ana Zamorano

LEIZETA | Dir: Ion Fontela

o   Mendi Film Bizkaia Ternua grant:

OINEZ | Dir: Leire Egaña

• The films will have subtitles in Basque and Spanish.

  

AWARDS 

A total of 24,800 euros is going to be shared out among the 12 prize-winners.

·       Grand Prize: “Eguzkilore” trophy & €6,000

·       Best Director: “Eguzkilore” trophy & €3,000

·       Best Script: “Eguzkilore” trophy & €2,000

·       Best Cinematography: “Eguzkilore” trophy & €2,000

·       Jury Award: “Eguzkilore” trophy & €2,000

·       Best Original Soundtrack: “Txalaparta” trophy & €2,000

·       EITB Award for Best Film in Basque: “Eguzkilore” trophy & €2,000

·       Best Mountaineering Film: “Eguzkilore” trophy & €1,200

·       Best Climbing Film: “Eguzkilore” trophy & €1,200

·       Best Culture & Nature Film: “Eguzkilore” trophy & €1,200

·       Best Sport & Adventure Film: “Eguzkilore” trophy & €1,200

·       Best Short Film: “Eguzkilore” trophy & €1,000

 

ILLUSTRIUS GUESTS and MAIN CHARACTERS 

·       IAMF GRAND PRIX awarded directors:

o   Eliza Kubarska

o   Pavol Barabas

o   Michael Dillon

o   Alastair Lee

o   Fulvio Mariani

o   Sender Films

·       All of them have been awarded at the Mendi Film, as well as the following directors:

o   Henna Taylor

o   Jean-Michel Jorda

o   Migueltxo Molina

o   Jen Randall

o   Aner Etxebarria

o   Pablo Vidal

o   Mikel Sarasola

o   Ben Page

o   Luis Arrieta

·       Athletes and celebrities who will join us in Bilbao:

o   Edurne Pasaban, mountaineer and entrepreneur

o   Kazuya Hiraide, mountaineer

o   Madaleine Sorkin, climber

o   Aniol Serrasolses, extreme kayaker

o   Mikel Sarasola, extreme kayaker and filmmaker

o   Maialen Chourraut, Olympic medalist whitewater canoeist

o   Nora Lopez, whitewater canoeist

o   Xabier Zarranz, mountain runner

o   Bertrand Delapierre, film director

o   Fulvio Mariani, film director

o   Oliviero Gobbi, film producer and grandson of Toni Gobbi

o   Eduardo Martínez de Pisón, geographer and popularizer

o   Yhabril, outdoor photographer 

 

JURY 

The International Jury, made up of five members, will evaluate the works in the Official Selection. The jury members are:

·       Filmmaker and climber Eliza Kubarska (Poland)

·       Journalist, producer and writer Michael Pause (Germany)

·       Filmmaker, producer and scriptwriter Patricia Ayala (Colombia)

·       Composer, orchestrator and arranger Nerea Alberdi (Basque Country, Bilbao)

·       Composer and arranger Juantxo Zeberio Etxetxipia (Basque Country, Tolosa)

 

EXHIBITIONS 

·       The "HARRI, ORRI, ARkatz" exhibition, with contents based on climbing topos, will be held at the Yacimiento de la plaza Corazón de María (from the 24th of November to the 7th of January).

·       The exhibition of the 20-prize winning works from the CVCEPHOTO international mountain activity, photography competition at the Sala BBK (from the 9th to the 14^th of December).

·       The exhibition of the Bilbao photographer Yhabril with 20 of his best works "Yhabril. Light, mountain, action!” will be displayed in Metro Bilbao stations (from the 15^th of November to December 30th).

 

TALKS

In addition to films and exhibitions, four conferences will be held during the festival.

·       The award-winning works of the ninth edition of the CVCEPHOTO competition (December 9th)

·       The presentation of the book "El arte en el croquis de escalada" in connection with the exhibition "HARRI, ORRI, ARkatz" (December 10th)

·       The conference "Lo que ví en las montañas" by the geographer, traveller and mountaineer Eduardo Martínez de Pisón

·       "Gailurra! Comic and mountain", led by the prestigious expert in comics, Kike Infame.

 

WOP MENDI FILM AWARD and THE IAMF GRAND PRIZE 

The mountaineer and business woman Edurne Pasaban will receive the WOP Mendi Film 2023 Award on December 8th, at the Opening Session of the festival at the Euskalduna Palace. Eliza Kubarska, this year's winner of the IAMF Grand Prize -the highest award of the International Alliance for Mountain Fim-, will preside over the revival of "K2 touching the sky" for which she received the Best Director Award at the Mendi Film 2015, as part of the session scheduled at the Sala BBK on the evening of December 12th.

 

MENDI PRO 

This year Mendi Pro is going to stage a valuable series of conferences concerning the mountain film industry for this year's edition, aimed in one way or another at professionals working in the sector and amateurs who want to get into this industry.

The directors Eliza Kubarska, Dani Salas and Heather Mosher will give conferences. Aid and tax incentives for filmmaking activities offered by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and the Bizkaia Treasury will be presented. And the projects of the Mendi Film Bizkaia Ternua Grant will be premiered and presented.

 

MENDI FILM BIZKAIA-TERNUA GRANT 

Three years ago, Mendi Film, the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and the outdoor clothing brand Ternua created a grant to support initiatives by young filmmakers (18-35) with an endowment of €10,000 and an advisory service.

The filmmaker who received a scholarship in the third edition was Leire Egaña, who created the short film "Oinez", which will be premiered at the MENDI PRO conference on 11 December and 16 December at the Euskalduna Palace.

 

INCLUSIVE: SIGNING

In the sessions with invitad@s, and with films in the original Spanish version that do not have subtitles in the sam