Maialen Beloki Named New Director of San Sebastián Film Festival

Maialen Beloki Named New Director of San Sebastián Film Festival

Maialen Beloki has been selected as the new director of the San Sebastián Film Festival, succeeding José Luis Rebordinos, who will be stepping down at the end of this year. Beloki, who has been serving as one of the deputy directors of the festival since 2016, will officially assume the role in January 2027. The decision to appoint her was made during an extraordinary meeting of the festival’s Executive Board, which includes representatives from the San Sebastián City Council, the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, the Basque Government, and the Spanish Ministry of Culture. The selection process for the new director began on March 4 through an open competition to find a suitable successor to Rebordinos, who has been at the helm of the festival since 2011.

Maialen Beloki holds a degree in Audiovisual Communication from the University of Navarra and a PhD in Film Theory, Analysis, and Documentation from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). Her professional background encompasses a mix of cultural management, teaching, and research. She is actively involved in the Academic Board of Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola, where she also teaches, and has served as a professor at Mondragon Unibertsitatea. Beloki has been engaged in various strategic projects, including Donostia/San Sebastián European Capital of Culture 2016, and has been a prominent figure in the cinema industry as a speaker and author. She has also been involved in programs and initiatives supporting the audiovisual sector, collaborating with organizations such as the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA).

The process of selecting the new director was overseen by Batea, a human resources consultancy specializing in recruitment and headhunting.