The ZINEBI International Festival of Documentary and Short Film - Bilbao

The ZINEBI International Festival of Documentary and Short Film has been held in Bilbao since 1959. Bilbao City Hall, in cooperation with the Bizkaia Provincial Council, the Basque Government Department of Culture, the Ministry of Culture and the Foreign Ministry announce the staging of the 50th BILBAO INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF DOCUMENTARY AND SHORT FILMS, which will take place from November 21st until November 29th 2008.

Screenings of the official selection of films are divided in three categories (documentary, fiction and animation), and are held in the Arriaga Theatre, the official venue for the event. The festival programme also features a series of complementary events. Shorts and documentaries from different countries are chosen for the competition by the selection committee, and compete for the Mikeldi awards.

One of the criteria is that films and video productions entered for the competition may last no longer than 45 minutes, though the selection committee reserves the right to accept longer films and video productions in special cases. At last year’s festival, there were some 2,648 registered films coming from 75 countries, consolidating the festival’s reputation as one of the most important in the world in its field.