Good cinema can already be breathed in San Sebastián

The 62nd edition of the San Sebastián International Film Festival kicks off with a total of seventeen films, four more than last year's edition, competing for the precious Golden Shell.

With a budget of 7.4 million euros, the 62nd edition of the San Sebastián International Film Festival kicks off this Friday with a total of seventeen films, four more than in last year's edition, competing for the precious Golden Shell.

Genre and committed cinema abounds this year on the billboard since, as the director of the festival, José Luis Rebordinos, has admitted, “cinema, as it could not be otherwise, reflects the economic crisis and the war conflicts that we are going through.”
This line of complaint includes films such as Game, from the South Korean Shim-Sung-bo; Tigers, by Danis Tanovich or the Spanish Lasa and broad, by director Pablo Malo.

But there will also be space in San Sebastián for thrillers and comedy with the presentation The Drop, by the American Michael R. Roskman; or the Spanish film The minimal island, by director Alberto Rodríguez.

Experimental cinema also has a place this year with Eden, the film by the French Mia Hansen where the soundtrack has a great role, or Casanova Variations, starring John Malkovich and in which different artistic disciplines are mixed.

Donostia is getting married

Throughout the 62nd edition of the San Sebastián Festival, numerous personalities from the international film scene will walk the red carpets and the different venues of the event.

Denzel Washington, who will receive his Donostia Award, and Antoine Fuqua will open the Festival on September 19 with The Equalizer. For their part, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Omar Sy and the directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano will be the guests of the closing gala on the 27th with the film Samba.

Notable actors and directors will accompany their films in the Official Selection: Susanne Bier, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Ulrich Thomsen (En chance til / Second Chance), John Malkovich, Veronika Ferres and director Michael Sturminger (Casanova Variations), Antonio Banderas and Gabe Ibañez (Autómata), Alberto Rodriguez, Raúl Arévalo, Javier Gutiérrez and Antonio de la Torre (La isla minima), François Ozon and Romain Duris (Une nouvelle amie / The New Girlriend), Cédric Kahn (Vie sauvage / Wild Life), Isaki Lacuesta in the company of Imanol Arias, José Coronado, Albert Pla, Emma Suárez and Carmen Machi (They died beyond their means), Carlos Vermut with José Sacristán, Bárbara Lennie and Luis Bermejo (Magical Girl), Noomi Rapace, Matthias Schoenaerts and the director Michaël R. Roskam (The Drop), the filmmaker Anahí Berneri and Leonardo Sbaraglia (Outdoors), Bille August and Paprika Steen (Stille Hjerte / Silent Heart), Pablo Malo with the actors Unax Ugalde, Jon Anza and Francesc Orella (Lasa eta Zabala / Lasa y Zabala) or the directors Christian Petzold (Phoenix) and Danis Tanovic (Tigers).

Jessica Chastain will present the film The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby at Perlas, while the film Wild Tales will be accompanied by Pedro Almodóvar, producer, director Damián Szifrón and its protagonist, Ricardo Darín.

Willem Dafoe will also be in Perlas with the film he stars in, Pasolini, by Abel Ferrara, as will Laurent Cantet and Jorge Perugorría (Retour à Ithaque / Return to Íthaca). The screenings of this section will also be attended by other filmmakers such as Naomi Kawase (Futatsume no mado / Still Water), Diego Luna (Chávez), Mathieu Amalric (La chambre bleue / The Blue Room, Ira Sachs (Love Is Strange) and Céline Sciamma (Bande de filles / Girlhood).

The final touch of the Pearls section will be on September 26 by the Donostia Award Benicio del Toro in the company of Josh Hutcherson, Claudia Traisac, Carlos Bardem and director Andrea di Stefano with the closing film, Escobar: Paradise Lost.

Viggo Mortensen will present the film Jauja at Horizontes Latinos, along with its director, Lisandro Alonso. On the other hand, the Spanish premiere of the series P'tit Quinquin, within Zabaltegi, will be attended by its director, Bruno Dumont. Also in this section, the film Negociador will be premiered, whose director, Borja Cobeaga, and its protagonists, Ramón Barea, Josean Bengoetxea and Carlos Areces, will present it at the Zinemira Gala on September 22.

Culinary Zinema will have guests this year such as director Lasse Hallström (The Hundred-Foot Journey) and Wayne Wang (Soul of a Banquet).

Concha Velasco will also visit this 62nd edition of the Festival to present the Zinemira Award to filmmaker Pedro Olea.

Maribel Verdú and director Paco Plaza will bring to the Ultravioleta Festival, a short film that is part of the Cinergía project, a new Gas Natural Fenosa initiative that will be presented in San Sebastián.