José Luis Rebordinos is spending his final San Sebastián International Film Festival as its director, and he is doing so with few regrets and even fewer apologies. The longtime head of Spain's most prominent cinema gathering will step down after this edition, closing a tenure defined as much by red-carpet premieres and career tributes as by an unusually forthright willingness to wade into politics - a posture that has set San Sebastián apart from its peers on the international festival circuit.
Rebordinos has led the festival, held annually in the Basque city on Spain's northern coast, for well over a decade. In that time he has watched the wider festival landscape grow more cautious about controversy, as institutions balance artistic ambition against political risk and the sensitivities of sponsors, governments and visiting talent. San Sebastián, under his direction, has largely resisted that drift.
A Festival That Says What It Thinks
Under Rebordinos, the festival has repeatedly used its platform to address subjects beyond cinema. The event has taken public positions on matters including the Israel-Hamas war, drawing criticism from some quarters and praise from others. The festival has also signed on to statements concerning the conflict in Ukraine and has lent its name to cultural declarations on issues such as climate and freedom of expression.
That track record has made San Sebastián something of an outlier. Cannes, Venice and Berlin, the other major European festivals, have all navigated political flashpoints in recent years - sometimes through the choices of their programmers, sometimes through the remarks of jury presidents and filmmakers. But few festival directors have spoken as directly, and as often, in their own institutional voice as Rebordinos.
He has argued that a festival cannot claim to champion artists and stories while staying silent about the conditions in which those artists work and live. In his view, neutrality is itself a stance, and often a comfortable one for those who are not the target of the injustice in question.
Balancing Politics and Practicality
The approach has not been without friction. Taking political stands carries real costs for a festival of San Sebastián's size, which relies on a mix of public funding, private sponsorship and international participation. Each statement risks alienating a segment of the industry or a funder. Rebordinos has acknowledged those tensions while insisting that the festival's credibility depends on being willing to absorb them.
He has also been careful to distinguish between the institution taking a position and censoring the work of filmmakers. The festival has continued to programme films from a wide range of countries and political perspectives, and Rebordinos has defended the principle that artists should be judged on their work even when the festival disagrees with a government involved in its production.
That balance is one of the trickier inheritances his successor will receive. A festival that speaks out invites louder demands to speak out again, and each new global crisis brings fresh pressure. Retreating into silence after a tenure like Rebordinos's would itself be a conspicuous choice.
A Changing City and a Changing Industry
His years at the helm also coincided with broader shifts in the film business. Streaming platforms have upended distribution and, with it, the role of festivals as gatekeepers and launchpads. San Sebastián has adapted, adding competitive sections and industry forums designed to connect Spanish-language and European cinema with international buyers and platforms.
The festival's identity has always been bound up with its host city and region. The Basque Country's distinctive culture, its culinary reputation and its compact, walkable geography give San Sebastián a character that larger festivals cannot easily replicate. Under Rebordinos, the event leaned into that intimacy even as its international profile grew.
The programming has reflected a similar dual loyalty: a commitment to Spanish and Latin American cinema alongside a steady stream of major international titles and star-driven galas. That mix has made San Sebastián a key stop for talent promoting films in Europe, and a launch point for Spanish-language productions seeking global attention.
What Comes Next
Rebordinos's departure marks the end of a distinct era for the festival, and the search for his successor will inevitably become a debate about what San Sebastián should be in the years ahead: a purely celebratory showcase, or a festival with a voice. His tenure suggests the two need not be mutually exclusive, but it also shows that the second path demands a director willing to take hits.
As this year's edition unfolds, the tributes to Rebordinos are likely to center on his passion for cinema and his loyalty to filmmakers. Less frequently mentioned, but perhaps equally central to his legacy, is the precedent he set: that a top-tier festival can take a side, and still fill its theatres. Whether his successor chooses to follow that precedent is now the open question hanging over San Sebastián.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter