The 10 Basque short films will be screened at the Campos Eliseos Theatre on Friday, May 8, following the Festival’s opening gala, at 10:30 p.m.

FANT – Bilbao Fantasy Film Festival, organized by Bilbao City Council, presented this morning the 10 short films competing in the FANT LABURREAN – BASQUE FILMS section.

These short films will be screened after the Festival’s opening gala on May 8 at 10:30 p.m. at the Campos Eliseos Theatre. At the press conference held this morning in the Bastida Hall at Azkuna Zentroa were Gonzalo Olabarria, Bilbao City Councilor for Culture and Governance; Amaia Domingo, Festival Director; and the directors of the short films participating in this section: Daniel Gomez Mugica (“El agujero”, 2025); David Ontoria (“Aziza y el último hombre bueno”, 2025); Danel Garay (“Azpian”, 2025); Ekaitz Bertiz (“Erreka zoko hortan”, 2025); Andoni Fernandez (“Glory Hole”, 2025); Aitor Molina (“Hariaren amaieran / Al final del hilo”, 2025); and Igor García Piñas (“Zezena eta umea”, 2025). The selection is completed by Laura Barquin (“Azpian”, 2025, co-director), Egoitz Díaz Ibargoitia (“Última salida”, 2025); and Oihan Gastesi and Ander Arrieta (“Arditurri”, 2025). Both Gonzalo Olabarria and Amaia Domingo highlighted not only the quality of the works presented, but also the Festival’s commitment to supporting the talent of local creators. Short films have, in fact, become one of the hallmarks of FANT since its very beginning.

THE 10 SHORT FILMS IN THE FANT LABURREAN – BASQUE FILMS SECTION

“EL AGUJERO” 2025 / 10 min. Directed by: Daniel Gomez Mugica. Mikel goes out partying with his friends before one of them leaves abroad. While his friends drink, laugh, and flirt, he feels out of place, trapped by memories and emotions he cannot process. The appearance of his ex-girlfriend and a disturbing stranger leads him on a strange journey between reality and hallucination. In the nightclub bathroom, Mikel is pushed into a toilet and symbolically begins descending into an abyss. When he returns, everything has changed. What seemed like just another night becomes an intense and intimate delirium confronting his fears, loneliness, and rage.

“ARDITURRI” 2025 / 9 min. Directed by: Oihan Gastesi, Ander Arrieta. The Arditurri mines were closed in 1984. Nineteen years later, groups of speleologists and researchers decide to explore the interior to assess their condition and determine whether reopening them is possible. What seemed like a routine exploration mission becomes a struggle for survival. Deep below, true horror awaits.

“AZIZA Y EL ÚLTIMO HOMBRE BUENO” 2025 / 20 min. Directed by: David Ontoria. Asier and Sergio meet in a local venue to play a board game. The game’s concept comes from someone with extensive esoteric knowledge, and Asier invokes an African god while reading a card. The experience leaves a profound mark on him, and he hopes to witness something so extraordinary again one day.

“AZPIAN” 2025 / 5 min. Directed by: Danel Garay, Laura Barquin. Two sisters are swimming in a lake that hides a dark legend. The story adopts the formal elements of horror cinema to build an intimate narrative about the breakdown of a family and the emotional state of the two daughters.

“EL CUERPO DE CRISTO” 2025 / 12 min. Directed by: Bea Lema. A demon lurks around Adela’s house, stalking and hurting her. As a result, she visits a psychiatrist, and medication becomes the ultimate remedy for all her problems. But what she truly wants is to explain what is happening to her and to have someone listen. Reality finds its place only in religion and folk rituals, leading her to seek out a healer and confess how and when it all began.

“ERREKA ZOKO HORTAN” 2025 / 16 min. Directed by: Ekaitz Bertiz. Joxepi, the eldest daughter of the Iparragirre farmhouse, must take over her sick father’s job: smuggling a heavy package across the French border. But in the darkness of the night, border guards are not the most frightening thing hiding in the forest.

“GLORY HOLE” 2025 / 16 min. Directed by: Andoni Fernandez. Borja discovers a glory hole in the bathroom of a nightclub. He hesitates, but eventually decides to try it. Moments later, he realizes he cannot pull his penis back out of the hole. At that moment, Borja must confront his fate in the place he least expects; a fate that seems already written.

“HARIAREN AMAIERAN / AL FINAL DEL HILO” 2025 / 6 min. Directed by: Aitor Molina. Celio is a lonely boy who can see the red threads that connect soulmates.

“ÚLTIMA SALIDA” 2026 / 5 min. Directed by: Egoitz Diaz Ibargoitia. An experiment has spiraled out of control, and now chaos reigns throughout the building. Clara must escape as quickly as possible. She is alone, but she knows where the exit is. She must move fast—they are getting closer and closer. Time is running out.

“ZEZENA ETA UMEA” 2025 / 16 min. Directed by: Igor Garcia Piñas. In the 1960s, Gartzia, Miren, and their baby live in an isolated farmhouse. To escape poverty, Gartzia buys a powerful bull, but the plan goes wrong: they cannot control the animal. Tensions rise, and one day the baby disappears. In addition to the available awards (Jury and Audience Awards for Best Short Film in the Official FANT Section, and the Jury Award for Best Basque Short Film in the Official FANT Section), the Basque Actors’ Union will grant the Best Performance Award among these short films.

SUPPORT FOR BASQUE-LANGUAGE AUDIOVISUALS AND WOMEN CREATORS

The Bilbao Fantasy Film Festival aims to promote audiovisual creation, especially works produced in Basque, in line with the strategic goals of Bilbao Culture’s 2023–2033 Strategic Plan. For this reason, FANT is once again launching a call to support projects for producing fantasy short films in Basque. Selected projects may receive a €5,000 grant to produce a short film. Within the framework of the Festival, participants will present and defend their projects in a public session before a specialized jury appointed for the occasion. The Bilbao Fantastic Film Festival also supports cinematic works created by women.

In collaboration with GIDOI – the Basque Screenwriters Association, it has launched the third edition of the Women Authors Short Film Screenplay Competition, focused on fantasy and horror genre scripts and linked to FANT. The Festival’s collaboration with GIDOI aims to give visibility to female talent in the audiovisual sector and also has the support of (H)emen. As part of this collaboration, an industry event was held yesterday, May 6, in the Dome Hall of the Campos Eliseos Theatre under the title “Women Screenwriters, Cinema Moving Forward.” During the session, participants analyzed the role and creative contribution of women in the evolution of the sector through a panel discussion followed by a pitch session.

The screenwriters selected for the third edition of the Women Authors Short Film Screenplay Competition presented their projects to industry professionals. The winners of the competition promoted by GIDOI will be announced within the framework of FANT Bilbao on May 16 at 7:30 p.m. during the closing gala at BBK Hall.

TICKETS AND FESTIVAL PASSES

Tickets for the opening session and the Basque short films session will be available at the Campos Theatre for €5 each, while tickets for the closing gala and the screening of the award winners will be available at BBK Hall at the same price.

Tickets for screenings scheduled at the Azkuna Zentroa Auditorium and Cinema 1 at Golem Alhondiga cinemas will also be available for €5. Tickets may be purchased for €4 with a FAS Film Club or Azkuna Zentroa membership card, or if you are a subscriber to El Correo or the Campos Eliseos Club. Admission to Cinema 2 at Golem Alhondiga cinemas will be free until full capacity is reached.