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Excellent start to the festival: Edurne Pasaban, Juanito Oiarzabal, Mikel Urdangarin, Greg Durso, Allie Bianchi, ‘Best Day Ever’, ‘Sinkronia’…
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Bilbao, December 8, 2025. The BBK Mendi Film Bilbao Bizkaia festival kicked off with a packed house and an unbeatable atmosphere. The three days, from Friday to Sunday, were lively and full of inspiration.
Among the film premieres, the premiere of ‘Oiarzabal. Between Juan and Juanito,’ presented by its director Javier Álvaro and the protagonist himself, was very moving. Mikel Urdangarin premiered “Itsasora,” about the sailor Unai Basurko, while the duo Gorka Ipiñazar and Haizea Huegun premiered “Sinkronia,” about the artist Gotzon Huegun. Also noteworthy were the internationally acclaimed “Best Day Ever,” represented in Bilbao by its stars Greg Durso and Allie Bianchi, “In Cold Blue,” by skier Victor de le Rue, and “B-I.G.” 'A World First', by climber Jacob Schubert, and 'Climbing for Life', a fictional film about Junko Tabei, the first woman to climb Everest 50 years ago, were among the highlights.
The comic about Edurne Pasaban was very well received at its presentation on Saturday. The protagonist herself, along with screenwriter Ramón Olasagasti, illustrator César Llaguno, colorist Felipe H. Navarro, and editor Argiñe Areitio of SUA edizioak, presented the work and signed books for fans.
Film and culture festival promoted by the Mendi Fans, the Mendi Zales: 18th BBK Mendi Film Bilbao Bizkaia
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Bilbao, 25 November 2025. The BBK Mendi Film Bilbao Bizkaia festival has presented its 18th edition at the Euskalduna Bilbao. It will be held there for 10 days, from December15th to the 14th, Euskalduna Congress centre becoming a Mountain Culture Base Camp.
Director Jabier Baraiazarra and communications manager Aitor Elduaien detailed the content and programme for this new edition. The presentation was attended by the festival's sponsors and the directors of the Basque films that will premiere at the festival, as well as Juanito Oiarzabal and Javier Álvaro, who presented the film, OIARZABAL. ENTRE JUAN Y JUANITO.
Sponsor representatives:
• Carlos Sergio, Director of Sports for the Bizkaia Regional Government
• Nora Sarasola, Director of Social Action for the BBK Foundation
• Iñigo Iturrate, General Director of Euskalduna Bilbao
• Joselu Blanco, Director of Programming for EiTB
• Anne Zufiaur, Director of Communications for Ternua-Dikar
• Jon Viteri, Director of Afesa Medioambiente
The festival arrives with great energy at the main event of the year. Mendi Film has commissioned a study to measure its economic, social and cultural impact last year. The study was carried out by the University of the Basque Country and the company Cultumetría, under the coordination of Professor Álvaro Fierro. Jabier Baraiazarra summarised the most notewothy results:
Economic impact:
- Last year's edition of Mendi Film, generated an induced economic impact of almost one million euros (€936,637), an increase of 23% compared to the 2023 edition.
- 92% of this economic impact remained in the Basque Autonomous Community (85% in Bizkaia).
- In the 2024 edition, Mendi Film created 16 jobs (8 direct and 8 induced).
- It distributed €24,800 in prizes and €10,000 in grants (this year, €12,000).
Social and cultural area:
Two surveys were conducted in which 800 people took part, and the festival was rated very positively:
- Average score for the festival: 9.2/10
- Audiovisual quality: 8.6/10
- Identification with the festival's values: 92%
- For 86% of participants, Mendi Film is an ideal cultural ambassador for Bilbao, Bizkaia and the Basque Country.
In general, the most frequent concepts in the evaluations were:
- Quality of the festival content and visual and emotional impact
- Good organisation
- Connection with Basque culture and identity
- Ability to create community and raise awareness of the importance of mountains
- And the desire for the festival to continue for a long time to come.
Mendi Tour 2025: 14,000 spectators
In this regard, the Mendi Zale community continues to grow. At the press conference, data was presented about the Mendi nationwide Tour, which has just ended its season in the Picos de Europa, in Potes, in the heart of the Liébana Valley: between January and November of this year, 14,000 spectators have enjoyed the films from last year's festival. The tour visited 49 venues in Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, Navarra, Álava, Cantabria, Asturias, Galicia, Castilla y León, Madrid, Valencia, Catalonia and Gran Canaria with a total of 87 screenings.
Euskalduna Congress Palace Bilbao: Base Camp
One of the main innovations of Mendi Film this year is the single venue: all screenings and activities will be held at Euskalduna. It will be the festival's Base Camp. To create atmosphere, as it is the set for the festival, the area will be decorated with various promotional stands from the Liébana region of Cantabria. Another new feature is that the Opening Ceremony will be held on Saturday instead of Friday. On 6 December, starting at 7:45 p.m., there will be an incredibly special event featuring the premiere of the film about Juanito Oiarzabal, OIARZABAL. ENTRE JUAN Y JUANITO, directed by Javier Álvaro Palomares.
55 films
In total, the festival has programmed 55 films for this new edition. Of these, 45 will be screened in the Official Selection, competing for the Mendi Film Awards, which will distribute €24,800 in prizes, and another 10 will be screened out of the competition in the Zabalandi section.
In addition, some of the most notable recent titles in mountain cinema will be shown on the big screen at Mendi Film. Jabier Baraiazarra gives us the lowdown:
• GIRL CLIMBER about climber Emily Harrington
• CHAMPIONS OF THE GOLDEN VALLEY, a real ski competition in Afghanistan with great social significance. The film is about to be nominated for an Oscar for best documentary. Its director, Ben Sturgulewski, and producer, Katie Stjernholm, will be among the festival's special guests.
• BEST DAY EVER, adapted mountain biking, an American film that recently won the audience award and the award for best mountain sports film in Banff, Canada, and the Grand Prize in Santiago, Chile.
• TRANGO is pure adrenaline and suspense. The first ski descent of the Great Trango Tower, starring Christina ‘Lusti’ Lustenberger and Jim Morrison.
• Junko Tabei, the first woman to climb Everest, appears in two films to mark the 50th anniversary of her feat: the fictional Japanese film CLIMBING FOR LIFE, which participated in the San Sebastian Film Festival, and LADY EVEREST, by Asturian director Isabel Díaz Novo, which will premiere here at Mendi Film.
• ITSASORA, the aforementioned debut feature by musician Mikel Urdangarin, is a tribute to the navigator and adventurer Unai Basurko.
Information on all the films in the festival can be found on the website mendifilmfestival.com and in the physical catalogue.
In addition to the premiere of OIARZABAL. ENTRE JUAN Y JUANITO (a film backed by EiTB and RTVE), there are two films that are very much in keeping with Mendi Film: HARRI, ORRI, ARKATZ and SUSTRAIAK.
• HARRI, ORRI, ARKATZ. The icing on the cake of the Expocroquis project. First a book, then an exhibition, and now a film. Directed by Jon Herranz, currently head of production at Mendi Film, who as a filmmaker has shown several works at the festival: ‘Novato’, “Panaroma”, ‘Mar Alvarez’... HARRI ORRI ARKATZ is based on the story of Eli Azurmendi, Rafa Elorza and Juancar Sanz, leaders of the Expocroquis project.
• SUSTRAIAK: this year's film from the Mendi Film Grant promoted by the Department of Culture, Sports and Basque Language of the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and Mendi Film. Three young African migrants arrived in Pamplona and integrated into Navarran society through climbing. The film is directed by Luis Arrieta, director of works such as ‘Mendiak 1976’ and ‘212 Mountains’. The production is supported by EITB.
Basque mountain film production
This year, 12 films by Basque filmmakers are being presented. The filmmakers did not miss the presentation:
ALDABIDE – Jon Mendizabal
CANTOS Y FLORES – Julen Elorza
ERRIO – Ibon Gaztañazpi
HARRI, ORRI, ARKATZ – Jon Herranz
ITSASORA – Mikel Urdangarin
IZARREN ZAUNKA – Nagore Eceiza
NATURA FUGIT – Jesus Mari Lazkano
SINKRONIA – Gorka Ipiñazar, Haizea Huegun
SUSTRAIAK, RAÍCES PERDIDAS – Luis Arrieta
THE ROAD WE NEVER RODE – Iñigo Lamana
TRAS LA HUELLA NORUEGA – Unai Jaureguibeitia
UN DÍA AL AÑO – Alfonso García
Janire Etxabe, head of the GEURE(R)A project, also took part in the presentation, as did Eli Azurmendi. Etxabe's vertical dance project has been turned into a book and a performance, with Azurmendi creating the illustrations. Azurmendi is also one of the people responsible for the Expocroquis project, which inspired the film HARRI, ORRI, ARKATZ, and will offer several drawing and illustration courses as part of the festival’s activities.
Awards
The Mendi Film awards will total €24,800, divided into 12 prizes. The winners will receive trophies created by the San Sebastian artist Iñigo Aristegui. And speaking of awards, it is essential to highlight this year's WOP Mendi Film Award. Catherine Destivelle will receive recognition from The Walk On Project and Mendi Film for her transmission of mountain values as a mountaineer and climber, as well as a publisher and disseminator of books.
Film and much more: Culture
Ben Sturgulewski and Katie Stjernholm will take part in the Mendi Pro conference, focusing on the mountain film industry. Friday 12 December in the morning. Mendi Film will present several films that reflect the connection between women and the mountains. In addition, a special round table discussion has been organised, an international initiative in the making, led by its promoters: ‘Laboratorio Donne. 9b+ Femenino Plural’ (Women's Laboratory. 9b+ Feminine Plural). Speakers: Riccarda de Eccher, Elena Goatelli, Gentzane Osaba, Lucia Guichot, Nieves Gil and Irati Zabala. Saturday 13 December in the afternoon. For the little ones and for families, there is a special session called ‘Mendi Magikoa’: short films, theatre by the Les Bobe Bobe company, Eriz Magoa... Sunday 14 December at midday. This year, Mendi Film has two main exhibitions: the most awarded work in the CVCEPHOTO mountain activities photography competition and ‘Nature and Culture. Mountains as a source of inspiration’, from the Tatra Museum in Poland, in collaboration with the Basque mountaineering museum EMMOA. In addition, this year's edition of Mendi Film will have a strong literary touch, as eight books will be presented. One of them is the comic book EDURNE PASABAN. The Sua publishing house and Mendi Film have created a joint collection that deals with key moments and characters in Basque mountaineering. This is the fourth issue; the first was ‘Everest’, the second ‘Iñurrategi Anaiak’ and the third ‘Andrés Espinosa’. As in the earlier issues, Ramón Olasagasti wrote the script and texts, and the illustrations are by César Llaguno; the colouring was done by Felipe H. Navarro and Pedro Villarejo. The public presentation of the book will take place on Saturday 6 December at midday, in a session starting at 12:00.
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