The Ourense Film Festival became the setting for a landmark event in the audiovisual landscape during its 31st edition.
The ‘Foro La Región’ programme welcomed one of the most influential, respected and transformative figures in international cinema over the past decades: José Luis Rebordinos. The director of the prestigious San Sebastián International Film Festival until this year chose Ourense to share his experiences and reflections in one of his final public appearances before retirement.
San Sebastián Festival: Present and future challenges
Born in Errenteria in 1961, Rebordinos has devoted his career to cultural management and a lifelong passion for cinema.
Holding a degree in Special Education, he served on the Donostia Zinemaldia’s Executive Committee for fifteen years before becoming its Director in 2011. He also directed the city’s Horror and Fantasy Film Festival for 21 years and the Human Rights Film Festival for eight. For 22 years, he led Donostia Kultura’s Film Unit and the Nosferatu book collection, while co-authoring several publications on Basque and Asian filmmakers. A member of the European Film Academy (EFA), the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain, and an Honorary Member of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Argentina, he received Spain’s Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts in 2015 and was appointed Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters of France in 2021. His career has also been recognised with honorary distinctions in Argentina in 2024 and 2025.
Under his leadership, the San Sebastián International Film Festival underwent a profound process of modernisation, strengthening its industry activities, opening co-development opportunities with Latin American cinema and placing sustainability at the heart of its strategy. His participation at OUFF through the ‘Foro La Región’ programme was not only a tribute to his outstanding career, which also includes serving on juries at festivals such as Tokyo, Locarno and Biarritz, but also a unique opportunity for Galicia’s cultural community. Film professionals and cinema lovers from Ourense were able to hear his personal experiences and discuss the challenges facing an industry in constant transformation. It was an unforgettable event in which OUFF connected Ourense with the very summit of world cinema.
