Zinetika Festival

What Zinetika Festival is

Zinetika is an international festival devoted to dance film, cinema, live performance and technology. Founded by Laida Aldaz, it combines screenings, performances and professional encounters across venues in San Sebastián, Bilbao and Pamplona.

Program and annual call

The festival issues an annual call for films, with recent submission windows running from March 1 through May 31. Its 2024 edition unfolded over three weekends: Pamplona at Civivox Condestable and Civivox Iturrama on November 30 and December 1, Bilbao at the Guggenheim Museum on December 7, and San Sebastián at Gazteszena and Cines Trueba on December 15 and 16. Organizers reported full attendance at activities across the three cities.

Awards and recognition

In 2025, Sisters by Dutch filmmaker Daphne Lucker received the principal award in the Other category, while Gaza: La Danse pour Survivre by Palestinian filmmaker Iyad Alasttal earned an honorable mention. The 2023 awards included Old Man at the Corner Store by Nadav Heyman and Anabella Casanova for Best Film, Jeppe Lange's Laws of Motion for Best Director and a special mention for Mohammed Abbasi's I am my mother.

Original productions

Alongside its festival program, Zinetika develops original work:

• In Perspective: a multidisciplinary performance bringing dance, architecture and music into non-theatrical spaces through cinematic perspectives.
• To Let Go: a Laida Aldaz performance installation built around two oversize visual-poetry books containing four screens.
• The Room: a single-shot experimental short filmed in January 2020 about isolation and routine.
• Inside: a work using two dice, ten dancers and chance as a creative method during confinement.

Contact

Email: info@zinetikafestival.com. Social media: Facebook, X and Instagram under @zinetikafestival and @ZinetikaFest.

Filmmakers and visitors can use the festival's current call and program to confirm the active edition, submission rules, fees, screening rights, venues, dates, ticketing and accessibility.