Just two editions in, Noka Ekoizpena, a women-focused mentorship and production-acceleration program based in San Sebastián, is beginning to deliver on its promise: to help Basque and Navarrese female directors and producers push late-stage features over the line into production.
Funded by the Basque Government through Zineuskadi and backed by Creative Europe Media, the program works hand-in-glove with other regional entities such as the San Sebastián Film Festival Industry Office and Ikusmira Berriak, offering a structured path from script development to financing. Each receives intensive support across five modules — script doctoring, budgeting, legal frameworks, funding applications, and production planning — plus a €4,000 ($4,640) stipend, one-on-one mentorship, and exposure at Spain’s indie industry showcase Abycine Lanza.
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Early results are promising. From its inaugural edition, “Canción Animal” is moving into production with CSC Films and an international co-producer, while “La Koreana” is looks likely to be backed by a major Spanish company, after runs at Porto/Post/Doc, Berlinale Visitors and San Sebastián’s Ikusmira Berriak residency, where 2023 San Sebastián winner Estíbaliz Urresola boarded as a producer.
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For directors, the program has proved both a creative reset and a market launchpad. “I hadn’t planned on working so much on the script,” director María Monreal told Variety “but that turned out to be necessary too, and it has helped me a lot to better understand the film and know what I want to tell.” She is now seeking a lead producer and international co-production partners, targeting meetings at this year’s San Sebastián Festival.
Her producing partner, Laura Lizuma, a Latvian-born industry professional who has lived in the Basque Country for over a decade, said Noka had allowed her to re-anchor herself in the local sector. “Presenting at SSIFF will be a decisive moment, as we are looking for a majority producer to take it forward,” she told Variety..
Joana Moya, director of “La Koreana,” has found the scheme transformational. “Noka was the springboard that launched and positioned the project, not only within Basque cinema but also on broader stages such as Abycine Lanza,” she said. The program’s collaborative model also blurred the lines between tutor and partner: “The tutors ended up joining the team: Estíbaliz Urresola came on board as producer and Rocío Mesa continues to accompany the project from Andalusia.”
Fellow participant Zaira Zanguitu, director of “Pajarracos,” described the lab’s support in more metaphorical terms: “A workshop is like a long bike ride; it’s not the same if you have a battery…. Writing is a solitary activity, but Noka has been a collaborative space.”
Mentorship has been key. The second edition tutors include award-winning director Mar Coll and producer Valérie Delpierre, alongside Itsaso Arana and Chelo Loureiro, all contributing creative and production know-how as well as longer-term professional alliances.
For Nerea Castro, director of “Canción Animal,” Noka’s role was clear: “Thanks to Noka, I carried out a deep rewrite that allowed me to capture the essence of the film. The dossier also improved significantly, and it helped me sharpen both my vision and my way of communicating the story.” That project is now in casting, with Flor&Txabe searching for a lead actress and Basque singer-composer Ana Arsuaga already writing original songs.
More generally, there is a strong and growing sense of solidarity between participants. “I think there’s cinema of very high quality being made in Spain, and this new generation of women directors has a lot to do with that.” Monreal said: “I feel proud of what we are achieving in terms of equality in the sector, even though there’s still a long way to go.”
With both of its first-edition projects now advancing to production, new titles poised to enter financing rounds, and major producers boarding at an early stage, Noka Ekoizpena is positioning itself as a notable accelerator designed not just to mentor but to deliver women-led films to production.
