Zinemaldia 2026: how to enjoy the San Sebastián Film Festival as an outsider

From 18 to 26 September 2026, San Sebastián hosts the 74th edition of Zinemaldia, its International Film Festival. For nine days the city becomes one of the capitals of European cinema, and you notice it in the streets before you notice it on screen.

This guide is for anyone living here or passing through who wants to understand what is going on, without an industry badge or the jargon.

The main prize is the Golden Shell. But the city shows it in the streets before it shows on screen.

The awards

The top prize is the Golden Shell for best film. There are also Silver Shells for acting and directing, plus awards in each section. The winners are announced on the final day.

The sections, one line each

• Official Selection — the films competing for the Golden Shell.
• Perlak ("Pearls") — the best of the year's other festivals, already premiered elsewhere but not here.
• New Directors — first and second features. Where the surprises are.
• Horizontes Latinos — Latin American cinema, one of the festival's signatures.
• Zabaltegi-Tabakalera — the open section: no limits on format or length.

If you don't know where to start and time is short, Perlak is the safest bet: these films have already passed other festivals' filters.

Where

The main venue is the Kursaal, but screenings are spread across the city-centre cinemas and theatres: the Victoria Eugenia, the Príncipe, Tabakalera. They are all within walking distance of each other, which is one of the good things about the festival being in Donostia.

What you can do without a ticket

Quite a lot. The street atmosphere along the Boulevard, the Zurriola and around the Kursaal is free and part of the experience: that is where you feel the city is hosting a festival. If you are left wanting more cinema, our agenda has screenings and seasons all year round across the Basque Country.

Tickets and daily programme

The day-by-day programme and ticket sales are handled on the festival's official website. The headline screenings sell out fast, so if you have a specific title in mind, look early.

Meanwhile, in the city

Zinemaldia doesn't empty the rest of Donostia's agenda: those same days there are concerts, theatre and neighbourhood festivals. You can see it all together in the Donostia agenda, and follow the festival events we list in our Zinemaldia hub.