Attendee numbers continue to rise (181,000) at the San Sebastián Festival, beating the record for accredited guests (5,500) for the fourth year running

A total of 181,183 spectators flocked to the 666 screenings of the 254 titles hailing from 56 countries at the San Sebastián Festival’s 73rd edition, meaning an audience rise of 5.15% compared to the 172,301 recorded in 2024. 

Not only does the Festival continue to grow with respect to attendee numbers, but for the fourth year in a row it has also beaten the record of accredited guests, who now stand at 5,556, 4.55% more than last year. 43% of this figure corresponds to industry accreditation holders (2,411), film delegations and representatives of official institutions (2,067) and the remaining 19% to journalists and photojournalists (1,078). In 2025, 618 media were recorded, almost 7% up on the previous edition, 387 of which were from Spain, and 231 from other countries, translating into respective increases of almost 3% and 14%.

From the opening gala to the closing ceremony, the Festival was the context and loudspeaker for peaceful protests against the genocide meted out against Palestine by Netanyahu’s government. Prior to the start of the 73rd edition, the executive clearly stated its position on issuing a press release in which it called for an “immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages taken by Hamas”, with activists and filmmakers making similar calls throughout the nine days.

This stance against injustice was also present in retrospective fashion thanks to the Youth, Cinema, Memory and Democracy cycle, organised in collaboration with the Commissioner for the Holding of the 50th Anniversary of Spain in Freedom. The initiative, brainchild of the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, paved the way for collective thought on the place held by the past in the present and the future.

Los domingos / Sundays, the film for which Alauda Ruiz de Azúa bagged the Golden Shell, once again highlighted the ability of the cinema to act as a discussion forum. On a similar note, the Festival included 213 presentations and chats, as well as the Film Talks with figures such as Claire Denis, Gia Coppola, Harris Dickinson, Alexandre Desplat and Alberto Iglesias and Joachim Trier.

And, thirteen years after the previous study, in 2025 the Festival has once again published a report placing the economic impact of the 72nd edition held in 2024 at 47.9 million euros. A figure demonstrating that, as well as providing a meeting place for audiences of film buffs, the specialised press and industry members, the San Sebastian Festival goes above and beyond its condition of cultural gathering to also become an important economic engine for the city and its surrounding area, with an equally beneficial impact in terms of job creation, notoriety and outreach.

The Festival’s 2025 report can be found from today on its website. In addition to figures and lists of films, WIPs and projects, said report includes excerpts of the talks organised by the Thought and Discussion department as well as references to the Filmmakers Dialogues organised throughout the year in collaboration with the Koldo Mitxelena Kulturunea cultural centre. Specifically, the report also includes nods to the activities organised under the heading of ‘Z365, the Festival all year round’, whose bill of screenings was followed by more than 13,000 people.