The new image for the 61st edition of the San Sebastian Festival was unveiled after the competition, open to graphic designers the world over, received 1,046 proposals from 327 authors.

In the Official poster category, “Óptico”, by the Catalan designer and photographer Toni Pontí, who also won last year with his proposal for the Horizontes Latinos poster.

Toni Pontí tells us the story behind this year’s official poster:

"This year’s Festival takes off back to the 60s with its 61st edition to don the fresh, colourful, liberated pop gloss of that glorious decade. Great years for the coming together between film and graphic design thanks to the soaring heights attained by credits and title sequences. And they were off. Graphic artists like Saul Bass or Maurice Binder. Movies like Stanley Donen’s Charade, Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo or Strangers on a Train, Terence Young’s Dr. No, the comedies of Blake Edwards, the soundtracks of Henry Mancini or even Louis de Funès and Berlanga..."

“It all started when the inside of number six decided to go it alone and set out for the Festival... At first glance the illustration predominating the poster is optical, a shutter, a fragmented lens, an eye... but also an enclosed area containing people (stalls, a theatre, the festival...) or even a labyrinth: the line followed by the circle of the six until turning inwards and placing itself smack bang in the centre of the illustration, converted into the pupil in the eye of the Festival, of the Festival-goer. The shutter lens turns in perpetual motion, referring to the continuous festival movement, its freshness, youthfulness and validity. The first line of the circle continues until coinciding with the number 61, to become the entrance door to the Festival”.

The Festival will run from Friday 20th to Saturday 28th September. We are eager to watch this little video before every screening hopefully for a even a better edition than last year´s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoakEaNakuw&feature=share&list=UU6ScD2J0bxxAQhbsWcjraRw

The winners of the second online poster competition called by the Festival for its New Directors, Horizontes Latinos, Zabaltegi and Pearls sections also were presented.