CIMASUB, the Donostia-San Sebastián International Underwater Film Festival, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The festival, which will take place from November 12 to 14 at the Teatro Principal, has spent half a century bringing the beauty and diversity of the oceans to audiences and raising awareness of the importance of their conservation. This event invites us on an extraordinary journey through the world’s seas, combining spectacular underwater footage, fascinating stories of marine life, and messages promoting environmental awareness.
The Donostia-San Sebastián International Underwater Film Festival celebrates its 50th edition with a special programme combining cinema, photography, education and environmental awareness. Organised by the Real Sociedad’s Underwater Activities section, the festival will offer three free screenings, known as Bronze, Silver and Gold, at 7:00 pm each day at the Teatro Principal. A total of 22 audiovisual works by Spanish and international filmmakers will be screened, showcasing the richness and biodiversity of the oceans, as well as the challenges of their conservation. The closing ceremony, on Saturday 14 November, will feature a selection of the competition’s 100 best photographs, a tribute to the festival’s pioneers and the awards ceremony.
The programme will also include underwater photography exhibitions at various venues across the city, including the Aquarium, Garbera and Kirol Etxea (Anoeta Stadium), as well as Txikiziklo Submarino, an educational initiative aimed at schoolchildren, which will take place at the Aquarium.
Following the celebrations in Donostia-San Sebastián, CIMASUB will continue its 50th anniversary programme in Bilbao (Itsasmuseum) on 21 and 22 November, and in Vitoria-Gasteiz (Florida Cinemas) on 23, 26 and 30 November, with further film screenings and underwater photography exhibitions.
The programme will also include underwater photography exhibitions at various venues across the city, including the Aquarium, Garbera and Kirol Etxea (Anoeta Stadium), as well as Txikiziklo Submarino, an educational initiative aimed at schoolchildren, which will take place at the Aquarium.
Following the celebrations in Donostia-San Sebastián, CIMASUB will continue its 50th anniversary programme in Bilbao (Itsasmuseum) on 21 and 22 November, and in Vitoria-Gasteiz (Florida Cinemas) on 23, 26 and 30 November, with further film screenings and underwater photography exhibitions.
Presentation photo taken at the Náutico in Donostia-San Sebastián.
From left to right: Iker Ayestaran (designer of this edition’s poster), David Sánchez and Lourdes Anza (CIMASUB team)
Reaching its 50th edition is an extraordinary milestone for a festival that, since its beginnings in the 1970s, has introduced thousands of spectators to the beauty, fragility and secrets of the oceans through photography, cinema and underwater exploration. To mark this special occasion, the organisers wanted this year’s poster to visually reflect the uniqueness of such a landmark edition.
Unlike recent editions, in which underwater photography has taken centre stage in the festival’s official image, this year the organisers have opted for a completely different visual style. Created by Donostia-San Sebastián illustrator Iker Ayestaran, the poster features a classic diver equipped with typical 1970s diving gear and carrying an underwater camera from that era. This figure pays tribute to the pioneers who, with far more limited resources than those available today, ventured beneath the waves to capture photographs and footage that have since become part of the collective memory of underwater diving.
But the tribute goes even further. The image also recognises all those members of Real Sociedad’s Underwater Activities section who were instrumental in founding CIMASUB fifty years ago. Visionaries and sea enthusiasts, they set out to create a space in San Sebastián dedicated to underwater cinema and photography, planting the seeds of a project that has remained alive for five decades and become an international benchmark.
See the full programme at: https://ciclo.subacuaticasrealsociedad.com/programme
Unlike recent editions, in which underwater photography has taken centre stage in the festival’s official image, this year the organisers have opted for a completely different visual style. Created by Donostia-San Sebastián illustrator Iker Ayestaran, the poster features a classic diver equipped with typical 1970s diving gear and carrying an underwater camera from that era. This figure pays tribute to the pioneers who, with far more limited resources than those available today, ventured beneath the waves to capture photographs and footage that have since become part of the collective memory of underwater diving.
But the tribute goes even further. The image also recognises all those members of Real Sociedad’s Underwater Activities section who were instrumental in founding CIMASUB fifty years ago. Visionaries and sea enthusiasts, they set out to create a space in San Sebastián dedicated to underwater cinema and photography, planting the seeds of a project that has remained alive for five decades and become an international benchmark.
See the full programme at: https://ciclo.subacuaticasrealsociedad.com/programme
Please note
Free tickets can be collected on the day of the screening, in the morning at the Victoria Eugenia Theatre box office (11:00 am–1:30 pm) and in the afternoon at the Teatro Principal box office from 4:30 pm until the screening begins (maximum 3 tickets per person).
Free tickets can be collected on the day of the screening, in the morning at the Victoria Eugenia Theatre box office (11:00 am–1:30 pm) and in the afternoon at the Teatro Principal box office from 4:30 pm until the screening begins (maximum 3 tickets per person).
