Introduction
Identity
Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola (EQZE) is a postgraduate university school dedicated to film studies. Based in Donostia-San Sebastián, the school trains professionals to research and preserve the cinema of the past, curate and programme the cinema of the present and create the cinema of the future.
The school runs three courses:
- Master’s degree in Film and Audiovisual Preservation Studies
- Master’s degree in Film and Audiovisual Curating Studies
- Master’s degree in Filmmaking and Audiovisual Creation
Teaching activities are conducted in tandem with the work carried out by the research department, in whose projects students are encouraged to participate.
Through its unique approach to film history and tradition, EQZE identifies itself as the ‘school of the three tenses of cinema’, a model that is unique in international film education.
Structure
EQZE was founded in 2017, drawing on the expertise of three film institutions: the Basque Film Archive, the San Sebastián International Film Festival and the Tabakalera International Centre for Contemporary Culture. Being under the same roof as institutions of this nature places the school at the heart of a unique film ecosystem. All three institutions participate in developing the syllabuses and research programmes, and form part of the school’s academic management team.
The project was initiated and funded by the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council’s Department of Culture as part of its commitment to the film and audiovisual industry. In 2019, EQZE’s lifelong learning Master’s degrees were officially recognised as degrees conferred by the University of the Basque Country (EHU), thereby bestowing on them full academic and professional validity. EQZE is also an associate member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF).
Methodology
The methodology of Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola combines research, experimental practice and the development of a personal project. The pedagogical model is based on the non-separation of thought and filmmaking practice, and on the dissolution of boundaries between disciplines and professional categories.
Each student traces an individualized itinerary within a collective learning experience over the 15 months of the program.
The school is conceived as an open pedagogical project in a state of permanent construction, subject to constant reflection and questioning.
Equality and diversity
Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola is a space characterised by freedom and care. The school is committed to equal opportunities and respect for diversity and strives to ensure that all members of the EQZE community are treated well.
To ensure this, the school has an in-house harassment and discrimination prevention and support protocol that is aligned with the regulatory framework in effect at EHU.
Protocol for acting in the event of cases of harassment and discrimination [PDF]
Commitment to the local area
EQZE is a publicly funded institution and embraces this fact as part of its identity. It is therefore committed to ensuring that the knowledge it generates—through teaching, research and cinematographic practice—benefits the local region, community and industry that help support it.