Estibaliz Urresola’s ‘20000 Species of Bees’ wins the Tokyo International Film Festival Ethical Film Award

The Tokyo International Film Festival announced today that Estibaliz Urresola’s’20,000 Species of Bees has won the Ethical Film Award launched this year. Urresola´s acclaimed film is being screened at the Tokyo festival as part of the Basque Window organised by the Etxepare Basque Institute. The Regional Minister for Culture and Language Policy, Bingen Zupiria, will visit Japan in the coming days to take part in the Tokyo festival.

TIFF 2023 selected an outstanding collection of films that align with the festival´s ethical values, handpicked from the submissions received for this year´s festival. " The festival´s official announcement highlights that the chosen films specifically tackle pressing contemporary social concerns, including issues like gender equality, environmental awareness, poverty, diversity, and combating discrimination. ´The Fisher´, ´Power Alley´ and ´20,000 Species of Bees´ were shortlisted for the award, with the latter clinching the award.

The award will be presented to Urresola on 31 October, after a new screening of film. The director is now on her way to Tokyo.

Basque film meeting

The Minister of Culture and Language Policy, Bingen Zupiria, will preside over the presentation of the Basque Window in Tokyo next Monday, 30 October, as part of the Tokyo International Film Festival. Organised by Etxepare Euskal Institutua, the aim of this event is to present the Basque Window ´Spotlight: Basque Cinema´ and to be a meeting point for the Basque and international film industry. This initiative is part of the multi-sectoral initiative Euskadi Japan 2023, the Basque Government´s programme that seeks to strengthen relations between the Basque Country and Japan and create new projects and collaborations.

The presentation ceremony will take place at the Imperial Hotel in the Japanese capital and will be attended, in addition to Bingen Zupiria, by Irene Larraza, director general of Etxepare Euskal Institutua; Imanol Otaegi, director of Cultura Etxepare Euskal Institutua; the director of the film ´20,000 species of bees´, Estíbaliz Urresola; and the director of the film ´El sueño de la sultana´ Isabel Herguera.

Also, they will be there the representatives of the Japanese film industry, the Basque community in Japan, the students and lecturers of the lectureship promoted by the Institute at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and several members of its academic community.

Meeting of Basque Students

On 2 November, the Minister of Culture and Language Policy, accompanied by Etxepare Basque Institute director, Irene Larraza, will meet with students of the School of Basque Language and Culture of the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. The gathering of around thirty students will address issues related to Basque culture. Gari Ortigosa, a lecturer sponsored by the Etxepare Institute at the University of Tokyo, will spearhead this assembly of students dedicated to the study of Basque language and culture.

During his trip to Japan, the Minister of Culture and Language Policy, Bingen Zupiria, will also meet with other cultural stakeholders and learn about the situation of the local cultural sector.