Rebordinos sees the new Oscar rules as “strange”: “San Sebastián could have represented the Ibero-American world”

The director of the San Sebastián Festival, José Luis Rebordinoshas described as “rare” and “a little strange” the new Oscar rules that allow the winners of certain festivals to enter directly into the race for best international film.

“They are strange rules that we would have liked to be in, but it also makes sense because there are Berlin, Cannes and Venice, the three most important in Europe. Now we have to work so that if these strange decisions continue, we will be there,” Rebordinos said this Monday, after presenting in Madrid the third edition of the Loterías Award for short films with social themes.

The Hollywood Academy has announced important changes to the rules and eligibility requirements of the Oscars ahead of the 99th edition of the awards, which will be held in 2027. Among the most notable developments are measures against AI, the possibility of multiple nominations for an actor and the greater weight given to festivals when selecting candidates for best international film.

Rebordinos has defended that the San Sebastián Festival “could be there because it represents the entire Ibero-American world that is not in any of the festivals” selected by the Hollywood Academy.

“The Oscars are going through a somewhat complex time, where they have not quite found their identity. It’s a little strange, but we will have to work to try to be there“he insisted.

Likewise, the person in charge of the festival has alluded to the change in direction, which Maialen Beloki will take over starting in 2027, and has assured that he is facing his last edition “normally”, after 15 years at the helm of Zinemaldia. “I’m going to retire, but I will continue doing things with Spanish and Latin American cinema, if possible in the fourth line of fire“, he joked, after remembering that they have been “15 very beautiful, but hard years”, with conflicts that have often been managed “from within” without transcending the press.

Regarding Beloki, current deputy director of the contest, Rebordinos has stated that she is “a very capable woman, very prepared, who knows the festival very well” and that she does not need “great advice” to face the new stage. “She has already seen what she can copy from me and what she doesn’t have to do. I’m sure she has learned very good things and things she doesn’t have to do. She’s going to be a great director“, he declared.