Jabier Baraiazarra
Director of BMFF
Jabi Baraiazarra is founder and director of the Bilbao Mendi Film Festival, which he created together with Eduardo Martinez in 2008. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Basque Studies and MA in Communication Studies, but above all, he is a mountaineer. As a cameraman and director, he has worked on short films and documentaries, although his documentaries with Iker and Eneko Pou brothers are the ones that stand out. With them, he performed a project called “7 Walls, 7 Continents”, a piece of work that offered the viewers the opportunity to travel with the Basque mountain climbers to emblematic places of the "7" continents. Founding and organizing the Bilbao Mendi Film Festival was, with no doubt, the best way of spreading his passion for mountains among the audience.
Eduardo Martinez
President of BMFF
He has been climbing ever since he was a child. Thanks to this hobby, he has been able to travel across half the world. Rock is his favourite element, the environment he enjoys the most, but he has also been lucky enough to climb on skis the Muztagata. He has also been director of the Basque Mountaineering Federation courses, rock and mountain climbing specialist in a TV show called ‘The Edge of the Impossible’, promoter of the mountain races team in Kirolak-Gazteiz club, collaborator in the magazine ‘Runner's World’ and honorary associate professor at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Science of the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU). He founded the Bilbao Mendi Film Festival with Jabier Baraiazarra and he is the president of the contest since its first edition.
Aitziber Querendez
Translator
Aitziber has a BA in Spanish Literature from the University of Pau (France), and she finished off her education with a Master's Degree at the University of the Basque Country. Her work experience is mainly based on teaching. She has been a French teacher for years, although she has combined this career with other jobs. In the festival, Aitziber is the French interpreter and translator, but she is also responsible for attending to the jury’s needs, so that they can carry out their work better. Always with a smile on her face, her joyful character cheers up both guests and colleagues. She likes going to the mountain and travelling with her bicycle, but, above all, she loves literature.
