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Film Festival Name: San Sebastian International Film Festival – SSIFF
Location: San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain
Founded: 1953
Awards: Golden Shell, Silver Shells, Donostia Award, Sebastiane Award
Language: International
Website: http://sansebastianfestival.com/
Phone: +34 943 48 12 12
E-mail: ssiff@sansebastianfestival.com
San Sebastian International Film Festival: Overview
The San Sebastian International Film Festival (SSIFF) is an annual international film festival held in San Sebastian, in the Basque Country, Spain, generally in September. Founded in 1953, it is accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) in the “competitive film festivals” category.
Historically, the FIAPF’s non-specialised competitive category was commonly referred to as “Class A”. San Sebastián first received that status in 1957 and, after periods in other FIAPF categories, consolidated its position in the category in 1985. The festival’s principal competitive award is the Golden Shell, awarded to the best film in the Official Selection.
José Luis Rebordinos has served as director of the festival since 2011. In April 2026, Maialen Beloki [eu] was appointed to succeed him on 1 January 2027.
Venue:
The festival is held across a number of cinemas, theatres and cultural venues in San Sebastián. The Kursaal is its principal venue. The Kursaal’s main auditorium is used for screenings from the Official Selection, as well as festival ceremonies and other events.
Other festival venues include the Victoria Eugenia Theatre, the Principal Theatre, Tabakalera, the Príncipe, Trueba and Antiguo Berri cinemas, the Antonio Elorza Velodrome and the San Telmo Museum. Tabakalera serves both as a screening and cultural venue and as the festival organisation’s permanent headquarters.
SSIFF Awards:
Films competing in the Official Selection are judged by an international Official Jury. Under the festival’s current regulations, the jury must grant the following awards:
- Golden Shell for Best Film
- Silver Shell for Best Director
- Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance
- Silver Shell for Best Supporting Performance
- Jury Prize for Best Cinematography
- Jury Prize for Best Screenplay
The Official Jury may also grant a Special Jury Prize to a film it considers deserving of particular recognition. The Golden Shell cannot be awarded ex aequo.
Until 2020, the festival presented separate Best Actor and Best Actress awards. In 2021 these were replaced by the gender-neutral categories of Best Leading Performance and Best Supporting Performance.
