Ikastetxeak Belodromoan to explore the most beautiful and unknown mysteries of the forest

Thousands of girls and boys between the ages of 6 and 11 years will enjoy the screening in the Velodrome of Totoro auzokidea / Tonari no Totoro (My Neighbour Totoro, Hayao Miyazaki, 1988) as part of the Ikastetxeak Belodromoan initiative focused on creating a connection between the cinema and science. Jointly organised by the San Sebastián International Film Festival, Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC) and the Basque Film Archive, the showings of this Japanese movie classic delve into the mysteries of the forest to show the audience of schoolchildren the fascinating ecosystem composed by its inhabitants, stressing the importance of maintaining the ecological balance and biodiversity of nature.

The film will be screened dubbed into the Basque language on the Velodrome’s giant screen and will have subtitles in Basque for the deaf and the hearing impaired. Totoro auzokidea narrates the relationship between two little girls who go to live in the countryside where they discover magical creatures including Totoro, a spirit of the forest who will help them to rediscover hope.

Miyazaki, who received the Donostia Award for lifetime achievement in 2023, is one of the leading world masters of animated cinema. Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi / Spirited Away (2001) and Gake no Ue no Ponyo / Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (2009) also screened at the Velodrome in 2002 and 2009 respectively. Later, the co-founder of the Ghibli studio participated in Perlak with Kaze Tachinu / The Wind Rises (2013) and opened the 71st edition of the San Sebastián Festival with Kimitachi wa Do Ikiruka / The Boy and the Heron (2023).

The screening of his film Totoro auzokidea will be accompanied by an original presentation coming with several surprises. We will travel deep into the forest to see how the trees, the mushrooms and the tiny organisms live and help one another. Discovering these symbiotic micro-worlds and their underground communication networks will make us see the forest as an almost unexplored ecosystem. The guest scientist at this latest edition will be the biologist from Ondarroa, Nahia Gartzia Bengoetxea from the Forest Sciences Department at Neiker, the Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development. In her everyday work, Nahia analyses the forest floors and their relationship with human activities and the environment, with the aim of generating new and more sustainable forestry practices while improving resilience to climate change. With a Degree in Biology and Doctorate in Science from the University of the Basque Country, Nahia completed part of her doctoral thesis at the University of Hohenheim.

Pepper the social robot couldn’t miss the occasion and will, as usual, join the presenter Ugaitz Alegria to form a duo at this fun event for children. Thanks to the collaboration of a robotics research group from the University of the Basque Country / Robotics and Autonomous Systems Group, the audience of schoolchildren will once again enjoy the remarkable skills of this robot who has become all of an icon at the Velodrome during the Festival.

The poster for this year’s Ikastetxeak Belodromoan pays tribute to the mysteries of the forest and to the amazement prompted by nature; it has been created for the occasion by the illustrator from Mutriku, Malen Pazos with the graphic design by Arteuparte.

Since 2019, the screenings for schoolchildren programmed at the San Sebastián Festival enjoy the collaboration of the DIPC and the Filmoteca Vasca. With the logo San Sebastián. City of Film, City of Science, more than 13,000 pupils from some 80 schools will attend the six morning sessions taking place at the Velodrome on Friday 19th September, and from Monday 22nd to Friday 26th, both inclusive.