Born in Errenteria in 1961, José Luis Rebordinos is a member of the European Film Academy (EFA) and an Honorary Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Argentina. In 2015, the Council of Ministers awarded him the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts. In 2021, the French Ministry of Culture appointed him Chevalier de l'ordre des arts et des lettres. With a degree in Special Pedagogy, he has been director of the Film Unit of Donostia Kultura for 22 years, director for 21 years of the Horror and Fantasy Film Week and for 8 years of the San Sebastian Film and Human Rights Festival. For 22 years he has directed the Nosferatu book collection.

He is co-author of several books on Basque filmmakers such as Elías Querejeta, Montxo Armendáriz, Antxon Eceiza, Julio Medem, Javier Aguirresarobe, etc., as well as on Asian cinema (Shinya Tsukamoto, poet and film guerrilla) or on different subjects (El dolor, los nervios culturales del sufrimiento / Breve historia del cortometraje vasco).

Before becoming Director of the San Sebastian Film Festival on 1 January 2011, he was a member of its Management Committee for 15 years. In October 2017, he was a member of the jury of the Asian Future section at the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival. In August 2018, he was a member of the First Look Jury at the Locarno Film Festival. He has been a selector of the BWIP (Bloody Work in Progress) section since the first edition of Blood Window in 2013, Ventana Sur, Argentina. He is also a member of the Cultural Advisory Board of Casa Asia.