Natural takeover in San Sebastián: Maialen Beloki, until now deputy director, will lead the festival from 2027

The Board of Directors of the San Sebastian Festival, made up of the San Sebastián City Council, the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, the Basque Government and the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Spain, has elected Maialen Beloki as the new director of the San Sebastián Festival starting in 2027. Beloki has served as deputy director since 2016.

The decision has been adopted this afternoon by unanimity in one extraordinary meeting of the Council held in San Sebastián and is the result of the public tender convened on March 4 to name the person who will succeed José Luis Rebordinos, who has held the position of director of the Festival since 2011 and will leave that responsibility on December 31, 2026. Batea, human resources consulting company specialized in selection and headhunting, has managed the process.

Deputy director of the San Sebastián International Film Festival since 2016, she has been one of the key figures in the recent evolution of the contest, contributing so much to its international positioning as well as the expansion of its activity throughout the year. In this context, it has promoted the model Z365/Festival all year round, a strategic initiative focused on the development of new talents, cinematographic training and the generation of thought around cinema.

Graduated in Audiovisual Communication from the University of Navarra and PhD Cum Laude in Cinematographic Theory, Analysis and Documentation from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), she has a path that combines cultural management, teaching and research. She is part of the Academic Directorate of Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola, where she is also a teacher, and has collaborated as a teacher at Mondragon Unibertsitatea.

Throughout his career he has participated in strategic projects such as Donostia/San Sebastián European Capital of Culture 2016 and has developed an outstanding activity as a lecturer and author in the cinematographic field. Likewise, it has been part of different programs and initiatives to support the audiovisual sector, collaborating with institutions such as the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA).

His incorporation reinforces the commitment to a profile that combines “strategic vision, knowledge of the sector and commitment to cultural development", point out from the Festival's Board of Directors.