The 27th edition of the Malaga Film Festival (Mff) opens today (March 1) with animated feature Dragonkeeper and a strong line-up of Spanish and Latin American world premieres. The festival is a popular annual meeting point for the Spanish film industry, attended by most buyers and sellers, and showcases the best in new Spanish-language filmmaking.
The world premiere of Salvador Simó and Jian-Ping Li’s Dragonkeeper opens the festival, marking the first time Malaga has raised its curtain with an animated movie. A Spain-China co-production, Dragonkeeper is based on books by Carol Wilkinson, with an English-language voice cast that includes Bill Nighy and Mayalinee Griffiths.
The world premiere of Salvador Simó and Jian-Ping Li’s Dragonkeeper opens the festival, marking the first time Malaga has raised its curtain with an animated movie. A Spain-China co-production, Dragonkeeper is based on books by Carol Wilkinson, with an English-language voice cast that includes Bill Nighy and Mayalinee Griffiths.
- 3/1/2024
- ScreenDaily
Chilean film and TV shows scored 309 awards around the world in 2023, CinemaChile announced in January. One month later, CinemaChile, the national promotion board, is turning 15 at Berlin. The consequence of longterm uninterrupted promotion of an industry must not be underestimated.
Over the last 15 years, film and TV have seen two seismic revolutions: Streamers’ Dtc distribution; the explosive rise of production levels across the globe.
The latter has left huge hostages to fortune, suddenly underscoring the significance of national support orgs such as CinemaChile. Below, 10 points on CinemaChile by way of introduction to the often ignored missing link in the latest evolution of the international independent industry: National film agencies.
Why National Film Agencies Are So Useful These Days
In 2005, Argentina released 74 features, Brazil 73, Mexico 33 and Chile 11. Cut to 2022, and those figures had skyrocketed respectively to 230, 173, 88 and 38, a 176% increase in collective levels from 191 films to 529. As slews of films challenge for sales and theatrical release abroad,...
Over the last 15 years, film and TV have seen two seismic revolutions: Streamers’ Dtc distribution; the explosive rise of production levels across the globe.
The latter has left huge hostages to fortune, suddenly underscoring the significance of national support orgs such as CinemaChile. Below, 10 points on CinemaChile by way of introduction to the often ignored missing link in the latest evolution of the international independent industry: National film agencies.
Why National Film Agencies Are So Useful These Days
In 2005, Argentina released 74 features, Brazil 73, Mexico 33 and Chile 11. Cut to 2022, and those figures had skyrocketed respectively to 230, 173, 88 and 38, a 176% increase in collective levels from 191 films to 529. As slews of films challenge for sales and theatrical release abroad,...
- 2/18/2024
- by John Hopewell and Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
They claim the Flemish cultural sector will now suffer without De Schutter’s expertise and international contacts.
Over 150 leading figures from the European and international industry have signed an open letter in support of Christian De Schutter, former managing director of Flanders Image, whose sudden removal from his role was announced in a short email sent by Koen Van Bockstal, CEO of Flanders Audiovisual Fund (Vaf), on December 20.
“We’re all flummoxed by the situation and as his longtime colleagues we think we deserve some sort of explanation. We know that many people in Belgium, including your leading filmmakers, are also confused and angered,...
Over 150 leading figures from the European and international industry have signed an open letter in support of Christian De Schutter, former managing director of Flanders Image, whose sudden removal from his role was announced in a short email sent by Koen Van Bockstal, CEO of Flanders Audiovisual Fund (Vaf), on December 20.
“We’re all flummoxed by the situation and as his longtime colleagues we think we deserve some sort of explanation. We know that many people in Belgium, including your leading filmmakers, are also confused and angered,...
- 1/12/2024
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
In bigger picture terms, the major highlights of Ventana Sur were a masterclass by Cannes head Thierry Frémaux and an impromptu speech by San Sebastián director José Luis Rebordinos, heads of the most important film festivals in the world and Spanish-speaking world, supporting the continued existence of Incaa. There words came after Argentinian President elect Javier Milei had vowed on the campaign trail to shutter Argentina’s state-backed film-tv agency if voted into power.
In industry terms, never has Ventana Sur been this big, its final attendance numbers sky-rocketing to 4,300, some 30% up on 2022, beyond even the wildest expectations of organizers, Cannes Marché du Film and the Incaa.
Put that down in part to new sections – Shoot the Book, Fantasmática, and Show Shorts – and enlargement of other sections, such as El Principio del Film and Solo Series. Latin America seems to have a bottomless well of new talent. The biggest reason,...
In industry terms, never has Ventana Sur been this big, its final attendance numbers sky-rocketing to 4,300, some 30% up on 2022, beyond even the wildest expectations of organizers, Cannes Marché du Film and the Incaa.
Put that down in part to new sections – Shoot the Book, Fantasmática, and Show Shorts – and enlargement of other sections, such as El Principio del Film and Solo Series. Latin America seems to have a bottomless well of new talent. The biggest reason,...
- 12/3/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Tokyo’s International Film Festival returned this evening for its first completely unrestricted, post-covid-19 edition with a well-attended screening of Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days.
Fresh from an appearance at Thierry Frémaux’s Lumière Film Festival in Lyon, Wenders, who is also the head of the competition jury at Tokyo this year, was in attendance and introduced the pic alongside most of his cast, including leading man Koji Yakusho. Yakusho won the best actor award at Cannes for his performance in the pic.
During a comedic opening speech, Wenders told the audience inside Tokyo’s Takarazuka Theatre that he had long dreamt of completing a feature shot entirely in Japan, with Yakusho as the lead actor, and a premiere screening at the Tokyo International Film Festival. However, Wenders said there was one milestone he never thought the film would achieve.
“I didn’t dare dream that it was going to be...
Fresh from an appearance at Thierry Frémaux’s Lumière Film Festival in Lyon, Wenders, who is also the head of the competition jury at Tokyo this year, was in attendance and introduced the pic alongside most of his cast, including leading man Koji Yakusho. Yakusho won the best actor award at Cannes for his performance in the pic.
During a comedic opening speech, Wenders told the audience inside Tokyo’s Takarazuka Theatre that he had long dreamt of completing a feature shot entirely in Japan, with Yakusho as the lead actor, and a premiere screening at the Tokyo International Film Festival. However, Wenders said there was one milestone he never thought the film would achieve.
“I didn’t dare dream that it was going to be...
- 10/23/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The Spanish world premiere that made the most waves at this year’s San Sebastian Festival was not a film but a series, “La Mesías,” written, directed and produced by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo.
“A masterpiece,” proclaimed Spanish website Cineconñ; national newspaper El Mundo greeted it as the first work of maturity from hugely unconventional auteurs.
Now bound for Mipcom, where the series receives a market screening, “La Mesías” says much about the ambitions of its creators and its backer, Movistar Plus.
In 2017, Telefónica-owned Movistar Plus, Spain’s biggest SVOD-pay TV player, rocked the San Sebastian Festival with “The Plague,” then the biggest series ever made in Spain.
“La Mesías” follows Ambrossi and Calvo’s overseas breakout “Veneno,” which was picked up by HBO Max for the U.S. market, and made Ambrossi and Calvo among the most-courted young showrunners in Europe.
“We’ve had to say ‘no’ to a lot of things,...
“A masterpiece,” proclaimed Spanish website Cineconñ; national newspaper El Mundo greeted it as the first work of maturity from hugely unconventional auteurs.
Now bound for Mipcom, where the series receives a market screening, “La Mesías” says much about the ambitions of its creators and its backer, Movistar Plus.
In 2017, Telefónica-owned Movistar Plus, Spain’s biggest SVOD-pay TV player, rocked the San Sebastian Festival with “The Plague,” then the biggest series ever made in Spain.
“La Mesías” follows Ambrossi and Calvo’s overseas breakout “Veneno,” which was picked up by HBO Max for the U.S. market, and made Ambrossi and Calvo among the most-courted young showrunners in Europe.
“We’ve had to say ‘no’ to a lot of things,...
- 10/15/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
There’s something fittingly appropriate about the way that The Spirit Of The Beehive director Victor Erice became the first Basque director to receive a lifetime achievement Donostia Award at the 71st San Sebastian Festival, while the Golden Shell for Best Film also went to San Sebastian-born Jaione Camborda for The Rye Horn, which is scripted in Galician and Portuguese. It encapsulates not just the way that the old meets the new at the festival but how, under José Luis Rebordinos’s directorship since 2011, it has continued to champion home-grown voices and non-hegemonic languages. Erice brought Close Your Eyes, his first film […]
The post The Public Experience: San Sebastian International Film Festival 2023 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post The Public Experience: San Sebastian International Film Festival 2023 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 10/3/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
There’s something fittingly appropriate about the way that The Spirit Of The Beehive director Victor Erice became the first Basque director to receive a lifetime achievement Donostia Award at the 71st San Sebastian Festival, while the Golden Shell for Best Film also went to San Sebastian-born Jaione Camborda for The Rye Horn, which is scripted in Galician and Portuguese. It encapsulates not just the way that the old meets the new at the festival but how, under José Luis Rebordinos’s directorship since 2011, it has continued to champion home-grown voices and non-hegemonic languages. Erice brought Close Your Eyes, his first film […]
The post The Public Experience: San Sebastian International Film Festival 2023 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post The Public Experience: San Sebastian International Film Festival 2023 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 10/3/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Spanish director becomes the fourth consecutive woman director to win the festival’s top prize
The Rye Horn (O Corno), the second feature by Jaione Camborda, has won the top prize, the Golden Shell, at the 2023 San Sebastian Film Festival.
Set on an island off the coast of Galicia in 1971, the film tells the story of a woman who earns a living harvesting shellfish. She is also known on the island for helping other women in childbirth but has to flee and try to cross the border into Portugal after an unexpected event.
Camborda, who was born in San Sebastian,...
The Rye Horn (O Corno), the second feature by Jaione Camborda, has won the top prize, the Golden Shell, at the 2023 San Sebastian Film Festival.
Set on an island off the coast of Galicia in 1971, the film tells the story of a woman who earns a living harvesting shellfish. She is also known on the island for helping other women in childbirth but has to flee and try to cross the border into Portugal after an unexpected event.
Camborda, who was born in San Sebastian,...
- 9/30/2023
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
It’s Friday, aka Insider Day. Jesse Whittock back again to run you through the international film and TV stories dominating the headlines this week.
BBC’s Social Media Guide
Steadying the flagship: Easily one of the BBC’s biggest ongoing headaches is around how the broadcaster’s most popular stars and presenters engage on social media platforms. The issue blasted back into life earlier this year when Match of the Day presenter and Twitter/X fanatic Gary Lineker tweeted to liken the language used by the British government around its asylum seeker policy to that of Germany in the 1930s and was temporarily suspended by the BBC. After an outcry over the suspension, which included many of Lineker’s colleagues stopping work in solidarity, he was reinstated and the BBC plunged into an existential crisis over how it remains impartial while allowing freedom of expression to its biggest stars.
BBC’s Social Media Guide
Steadying the flagship: Easily one of the BBC’s biggest ongoing headaches is around how the broadcaster’s most popular stars and presenters engage on social media platforms. The issue blasted back into life earlier this year when Match of the Day presenter and Twitter/X fanatic Gary Lineker tweeted to liken the language used by the British government around its asylum seeker policy to that of Germany in the 1930s and was temporarily suspended by the BBC. After an outcry over the suspension, which included many of Lineker’s colleagues stopping work in solidarity, he was reinstated and the BBC plunged into an existential crisis over how it remains impartial while allowing freedom of expression to its biggest stars.
- 9/29/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
In 2017, Movistar Plus, Spain’s biggest SVOD-pay TV player, rocked the San Sebastian Festival, the highest-profile movie event in Spain and Latin America region, with “The Plague,” the biggest series ever made in Spain.
Movistar Plus, owned by Telefónica, looks set to make waves again at this week’s San Sebastian by world premiering another big, bold series: “La Mesías.”
It’s written, directed and produced by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo – known in Spain as Los Javis – marking their follow-up to overseas breakout “Veneno,” a raunchy but highly grounded bio of Spanish trans icon Cristina Ortiz. “Veneno” was picked up by HBO Max for the U.S. market and made Ambrossi and Calvo among the most courted young showrunners in Europe.
“We’ve had to say ‘no’ to a lot of things, to big offers, a lot of money from and outside Spain, to keep faithful to ourselves, and...
Movistar Plus, owned by Telefónica, looks set to make waves again at this week’s San Sebastian by world premiering another big, bold series: “La Mesías.”
It’s written, directed and produced by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo – known in Spain as Los Javis – marking their follow-up to overseas breakout “Veneno,” a raunchy but highly grounded bio of Spanish trans icon Cristina Ortiz. “Veneno” was picked up by HBO Max for the U.S. market and made Ambrossi and Calvo among the most courted young showrunners in Europe.
“We’ve had to say ‘no’ to a lot of things, to big offers, a lot of money from and outside Spain, to keep faithful to ourselves, and...
- 9/28/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
At this year’s Annecy, the most important animation festival in the world, Basque animations were out in force.
With a diverse showcase ranging from the nostalgic cartoon charm of “Conej Steps Out” by student outfit Funnie Fantasies, to UniKo’s tantalising taster excerpts for feminist story “Sultana’s Dream” by Isabel Herguera and the short “Body of Christ” by Beatriz Lumez, Basque animators made a mark.
The festival’s spotlight on Spanish female creators further underscored this region’s depth of talent. Coupled with an array of compelling projects seeking co-production, from Agurtzane Intxaurraga’s “Run, Kuru, Run!” to “The Invisibles” by Imanol Zinkunegi, it’s clear: Basque animation is a force on the rise. According to San Sebastian Festival director José Luis Rebordinos, the Basque Country’s “fledgling animation industry is an opportunity.”
Youth Focused
European, national, and regional support will be key to bolstering this momentum. A question,...
With a diverse showcase ranging from the nostalgic cartoon charm of “Conej Steps Out” by student outfit Funnie Fantasies, to UniKo’s tantalising taster excerpts for feminist story “Sultana’s Dream” by Isabel Herguera and the short “Body of Christ” by Beatriz Lumez, Basque animators made a mark.
The festival’s spotlight on Spanish female creators further underscored this region’s depth of talent. Coupled with an array of compelling projects seeking co-production, from Agurtzane Intxaurraga’s “Run, Kuru, Run!” to “The Invisibles” by Imanol Zinkunegi, it’s clear: Basque animation is a force on the rise. According to San Sebastian Festival director José Luis Rebordinos, the Basque Country’s “fledgling animation industry is an opportunity.”
Youth Focused
European, national, and regional support will be key to bolstering this momentum. A question,...
- 9/26/2023
- by Callum McLennan
- Variety Film + TV
”I adore his cinema,” said festival director José Luis Rebordinos of Hayao Miyazaki. ”He is in my list of all-time favourite directors.”
The 71st edition of the San Sebastián Film Festival opened September 22 with the Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki’s latest feature: The Boy And The Heron. The film screened in the official section out of competition at the Spanish festival, which has registered a 10% increase in industry professionals in its growing market activities.
At the ceremony, conducted mainly in Spanish and Basque, festival director José Luis Rebordinos paid homage to Miyazaki, recipient of one of the two Donostia...
The 71st edition of the San Sebastián Film Festival opened September 22 with the Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki’s latest feature: The Boy And The Heron. The film screened in the official section out of competition at the Spanish festival, which has registered a 10% increase in industry professionals in its growing market activities.
At the ceremony, conducted mainly in Spanish and Basque, festival director José Luis Rebordinos paid homage to Miyazaki, recipient of one of the two Donostia...
- 9/23/2023
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
The list features 10 rising actors and filmmakers with the potential for breakout international careers.
The third edition of Spain Stars of Tomorrow, part of Screen International’s talent-spotting series, has been unveiled.
The list features 10 rising actors and filmmakers with the potential for breakout international careers.
Scroll down for profiles of the stars
The 2023 line-up will be presented on September 26 at a special launch event at the San Sebastian film festival.
The list of talents, featuring six actors and four filmmakers, was once again curated by Screen’s Spain correspondent Elisabet Cabeza.
The actors selected are Nourdin Batan, who made...
The third edition of Spain Stars of Tomorrow, part of Screen International’s talent-spotting series, has been unveiled.
The list features 10 rising actors and filmmakers with the potential for breakout international careers.
Scroll down for profiles of the stars
The 2023 line-up will be presented on September 26 at a special launch event at the San Sebastian film festival.
The list of talents, featuring six actors and four filmmakers, was once again curated by Screen’s Spain correspondent Elisabet Cabeza.
The actors selected are Nourdin Batan, who made...
- 9/22/2023
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
Spanish cinema has undoubtedly been making a strong imprint on the international film festival circuit throughout the last few years and, crucially, there’s a new wave of female filmmakers that are driving this charge.
Carla Simon’s Alcarràs took the Golden Bear in Berlin last year, while Elena Lopez Riera and Clara Roquet debuted their respective films The Water and Libertad in Cannes as well as Elena Martin’s feature debut Creatura, which played in the festival’s Directors Fortnight section this year.
So at this year’s San Sebastian International Film Festival, it’s unsurprising that the trend is continuing as three Spanish films in official competition this year are directed and produced by women: Isabel Coixet’s Un Amor, based on a bestselling novel by Sara Mesa, which is produced by Marisa Fernández Armenteros and Sandra Hermida; Sultana’s Dream, the debut feature from Isabel Herguera which...
Carla Simon’s Alcarràs took the Golden Bear in Berlin last year, while Elena Lopez Riera and Clara Roquet debuted their respective films The Water and Libertad in Cannes as well as Elena Martin’s feature debut Creatura, which played in the festival’s Directors Fortnight section this year.
So at this year’s San Sebastian International Film Festival, it’s unsurprising that the trend is continuing as three Spanish films in official competition this year are directed and produced by women: Isabel Coixet’s Un Amor, based on a bestselling novel by Sara Mesa, which is produced by Marisa Fernández Armenteros and Sandra Hermida; Sultana’s Dream, the debut feature from Isabel Herguera which...
- 9/19/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
The San Sebastian International Film Festival has long been considered the most intimate of the A-list festivals, neatly wrapping up a hectic fall festival season as delegates descend on the enchanting seaside city in Northern Spain. But in the last few years, the event has cemented itself into a festival reputed for championing new talent and emerging voices across all sections of its programming.
Indeed, in the last four years, San Sebastian has awarded its top prize, the Golden Shell, to either directorial debut titles or second features, a sure sign that it takes its role as a promoter of rising talent seriously.
This year’s edition, which takes place September 22-30, is no different, with the official competition having 11 films from first or second-time directors including: Raven Jackson’s debut All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, which premiered in Sundance; Isabel Herguera’s animation Sultana’s Dream; Noah Pritzker’s second feature Ex-Husbands,...
Indeed, in the last four years, San Sebastian has awarded its top prize, the Golden Shell, to either directorial debut titles or second features, a sure sign that it takes its role as a promoter of rising talent seriously.
This year’s edition, which takes place September 22-30, is no different, with the official competition having 11 films from first or second-time directors including: Raven Jackson’s debut All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, which premiered in Sundance; Isabel Herguera’s animation Sultana’s Dream; Noah Pritzker’s second feature Ex-Husbands,...
- 9/19/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Third edition of talent showcase to be unveiled at the start of the San Sebastian Film Festival on September 22.
The 2023 line-up of Spain Stars of Tomorrow, part of Screen International’s prestigious talent-spotting series, will be unveiled at the San Sebastian Film Festival on September 22.
A launch event will take place during the festival on September 26 to introduce the 10 rising actors and filmmakers with the potential for breakout international careers to the industry.
The third edition of Spain Stars welcomes the Spain Film Commission as headline partner, and the San Sebastian Film Festival as supporting partner.
A dedicated Spain Stars...
The 2023 line-up of Spain Stars of Tomorrow, part of Screen International’s prestigious talent-spotting series, will be unveiled at the San Sebastian Film Festival on September 22.
A launch event will take place during the festival on September 26 to introduce the 10 rising actors and filmmakers with the potential for breakout international careers to the industry.
The third edition of Spain Stars welcomes the Spain Film Commission as headline partner, and the San Sebastian Film Festival as supporting partner.
A dedicated Spain Stars...
- 9/14/2023
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
’No Me Llame Ternera’ features interview with a former leader of the Basque terrorist group Eta.
The San Sebastian Film Festival has rejected public calls for it to withdraw a Netflix documentary from its line-up that features an exclusive interview with a former leader of Basque terrorist group Eta.
Directed by Jordi Évole and Màrius Sánchez, No Me Llame Ternera is set to open the festival’s Made in Spain section on September 22.
The documentary explores some of Eta’s decisive moments until it disbanded in 2018, and has an interview between Évole and Josu Urrutikoetxea, also known as Josu Ternera,...
The San Sebastian Film Festival has rejected public calls for it to withdraw a Netflix documentary from its line-up that features an exclusive interview with a former leader of Basque terrorist group Eta.
Directed by Jordi Évole and Màrius Sánchez, No Me Llame Ternera is set to open the festival’s Made in Spain section on September 22.
The documentary explores some of Eta’s decisive moments until it disbanded in 2018, and has an interview between Évole and Josu Urrutikoetxea, also known as Josu Ternera,...
- 9/13/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
The San Sebastian Film Festival has issued a statement standing by its decision to screen a Netflix-backed documentary about Josu Urrutikoetxea, the former leader of the Basque separatist militant group Eta.
The documentary entitled No me llame Ternera revolves around an exclusive interview between renowned Spanish journalist Jordi Évole and Urrutikoetxea, who goes by the nickname of Josu Ternera. The title translates as “Don’t call me Ternera”.
Over its 60-year history, Eta killed 883 people as part of its campaign to create a separate Basque state northern Spain and southwest France, before it was dissolved in 2018.
On the run for 16 years, Urrutikoetxea was arrested in France in May 2019 having been found guilty in absentia of being a member of a terror group. He was acquitted in a retrial in 2021 for lack of evidence.
The inclusion of No me llame Ternera as the opening film of San Sebastian’s Made...
The documentary entitled No me llame Ternera revolves around an exclusive interview between renowned Spanish journalist Jordi Évole and Urrutikoetxea, who goes by the nickname of Josu Ternera. The title translates as “Don’t call me Ternera”.
Over its 60-year history, Eta killed 883 people as part of its campaign to create a separate Basque state northern Spain and southwest France, before it was dissolved in 2018.
On the run for 16 years, Urrutikoetxea was arrested in France in May 2019 having been found guilty in absentia of being a member of a terror group. He was acquitted in a retrial in 2021 for lack of evidence.
The inclusion of No me llame Ternera as the opening film of San Sebastian’s Made...
- 9/12/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Swedish pic Mother, Couch! starring Taylor Russell and Ewan McGregor alongside Ellen Burstyn is one of the titles San Sebastian has set to compete for its New Directors award during its 71st edition, running September 22 — 30.
The film is from the debut feature filmmaker Niclas Larsson and follows three estranged children who are brought together when their mother refuses to move from a couch in a furniture store. The previously unannounced film is a US – Danish – Swedish co-production. Unlike the other titles announced today, the mystery project had no accompanying image.
Eleven productions from nineteen countries will compete for San Sebastian’s Kutxabank-New Directors Award. Of all the selected movies, seven are debut works, while the rest are second features. The Kutxabank-New Directors Award comes with a 50,000 euro cash prize divided equally between the director and the distributor of the film in Spain. Films in the New Directors section are also...
The film is from the debut feature filmmaker Niclas Larsson and follows three estranged children who are brought together when their mother refuses to move from a couch in a furniture store. The previously unannounced film is a US – Danish – Swedish co-production. Unlike the other titles announced today, the mystery project had no accompanying image.
Eleven productions from nineteen countries will compete for San Sebastian’s Kutxabank-New Directors Award. Of all the selected movies, seven are debut works, while the rest are second features. The Kutxabank-New Directors Award comes with a 50,000 euro cash prize divided equally between the director and the distributor of the film in Spain. Films in the New Directors section are also...
- 7/27/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Before Venice gets into go mode and unveil their line-up, Artistic Director José Luis Rebordinos has given us a sampling of the films that will premiere in the competition section for the 2023 San Sebastian Film Festival (Sept. 22nd-30th). Two American films with the item out of Sundance in Raven Jackson‘s All Dirt Roads Taste Of Salt is joined by strongNoah Pritzker‘s Ex-Husbands. These two are in in some major auteur company with Argentinian filmmaker Martín Rejtman confirming that his long-gestating La práctica is in the can while neighboring tandem in Maria Alché and Benjamin Naishtat bring their comedy Puán (shot by Hélène Louvart) to the comp as well.…...
- 7/7/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Buenos Aires — Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beasts,” Manuela Martelli’s “The Meltdown” and Demián Rugna’s Shudder co-pro “When Evil Lurks” were three highlights at 2022’s Ventana Sur. Wrapping Dec. 2, it offered a dazzling myriad of projects, bold initiatives in genre and from Spain and confirmation that the sector has still to emerge from the pandemic when it comes to independent distributors’ appetite for new titles.
Following a brace of takeaways with more to follow:
Ventana Sur Growth
From an art film base, few markets have so cannily addressed potential international film market growth, whether genre/fantasy fare; animation, drama series, video games or established IP exploitation. Each now has its own distinct Vs forum, often supported by some of the world’s most powerful players: France’s Cine+Club for arthouse Primer Corte/Corte Final and its Annecy Festival for Animation!, for instance. Various sections grew this year, genre...
Following a brace of takeaways with more to follow:
Ventana Sur Growth
From an art film base, few markets have so cannily addressed potential international film market growth, whether genre/fantasy fare; animation, drama series, video games or established IP exploitation. Each now has its own distinct Vs forum, often supported by some of the world’s most powerful players: France’s Cine+Club for arthouse Primer Corte/Corte Final and its Annecy Festival for Animation!, for instance. Various sections grew this year, genre...
- 12/3/2022
- by John Hopewell and Pablo Sandoval
- Variety Film + TV
The dream child of 10 Basque businessmen who hoped to prolong San Sebastián’s summer season into late September, the San Sebastian Film Festival was born on Sept. 21, 1953.
Presented by bullfighter Mario Cabré, who romanced Ava Gardner, and comprising just 19 films, won by “La guerra de Dios,” directed by Rafael Gil., rescued from a potential Republican firing squad by Luis Buñuel not so many years before. Fireworks, bullfights and quayside parties regaled the film week.
From that first edition remain the beauty and gastronomy of San Sebastian, a Belle Epoque resort boasting the spectacular white-sand Concha Bay, steep-backed hills, an old quarter of higgeldy-piggeldy streets and a trio of three-star Michelin restaurants. 70 years later, San Sebastián still stuns.
For its first 20 years, held under dictator Francisco Franco, San Sebastián proved, however, a window onto a freer world for a privileged elite, a window onto a freer world graced by Federico Fellini,...
Presented by bullfighter Mario Cabré, who romanced Ava Gardner, and comprising just 19 films, won by “La guerra de Dios,” directed by Rafael Gil., rescued from a potential Republican firing squad by Luis Buñuel not so many years before. Fireworks, bullfights and quayside parties regaled the film week.
From that first edition remain the beauty and gastronomy of San Sebastian, a Belle Epoque resort boasting the spectacular white-sand Concha Bay, steep-backed hills, an old quarter of higgeldy-piggeldy streets and a trio of three-star Michelin restaurants. 70 years later, San Sebastián still stuns.
For its first 20 years, held under dictator Francisco Franco, San Sebastián proved, however, a window onto a freer world for a privileged elite, a window onto a freer world graced by Federico Fellini,...
- 9/23/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Spanish fest has more Latin American films and projects than ever before.
This year’s San Sebastian InternationaI Film Festival has the highest number of Latin American films across its official selection and marketplaces than ever before, according to festival director José Luis Rebordinos.
The line-up includes three titles in official selection: two from Argentinian directors - Manuel Abramovich’s Pornomelancolia and Diego Lerman’s The Substitute – and The Wonder from Chilean director Sebastian Lelio.
“It’s a very good moment for Latin America cinema for both quantity and the high quality of the proposals,” says Rebordinos.
Argentina in focus...
This year’s San Sebastian InternationaI Film Festival has the highest number of Latin American films across its official selection and marketplaces than ever before, according to festival director José Luis Rebordinos.
The line-up includes three titles in official selection: two from Argentinian directors - Manuel Abramovich’s Pornomelancolia and Diego Lerman’s The Substitute – and The Wonder from Chilean director Sebastian Lelio.
“It’s a very good moment for Latin America cinema for both quantity and the high quality of the proposals,” says Rebordinos.
Argentina in focus...
- 9/21/2022
- by Emilio Mayorga
- ScreenDaily
Continuing its energetic push into international markets via its Spanish Screenings initiative, Spain’s film and export authorities look set to back a record presence of execs and movie/TV titles at Buenos Aires’ Ventana Sur, Latin America’s biggest film-tv market.
Co-organized by Cannes Marché du Film, Cannes Film Festival and Argentina’s Incaa film-tv agency, Ventana Sur runs Nov. 28–Dec.2.
Announced Sunday at a San Sebastian press conference, Spanish Screenings on Tour will see five projects or productions-in-post from Spain play at each of four key Ventana Sur forums. These take in animation platform Animation! where five titles will be presented as part of a Spanish Screenings Anímate initiative, its genre market Blood Window (Spanish Screamings), women directors’ project section Punto de Género (Spanish Screenings Perspectives) and TV focus SoloSerieS (Spanish Screenings Series), said Beatriz Navas, director general of Spain’s Icaa film-tv agency.
Projects or productions in...
Co-organized by Cannes Marché du Film, Cannes Film Festival and Argentina’s Incaa film-tv agency, Ventana Sur runs Nov. 28–Dec.2.
Announced Sunday at a San Sebastian press conference, Spanish Screenings on Tour will see five projects or productions-in-post from Spain play at each of four key Ventana Sur forums. These take in animation platform Animation! where five titles will be presented as part of a Spanish Screenings Anímate initiative, its genre market Blood Window (Spanish Screamings), women directors’ project section Punto de Género (Spanish Screenings Perspectives) and TV focus SoloSerieS (Spanish Screenings Series), said Beatriz Navas, director general of Spain’s Icaa film-tv agency.
Projects or productions in...
- 9/18/2022
- by John Hopewell and Pablo Sandoval
- Variety Film + TV
The controversial film is playing in competition at the festival.
Austrian director Ulrich Seidl will no longer travel to San Sebastián to present his film Sparta, which is screening in competition at the festival.
The move comes after the film was pulled by the Toronto International Film Festival following an article in the German magazine Der Spiegel which alleged the Romanian child actors in the film were not protected enough on set.
In particular the article alleged the filmmaker did not tell the youngsters or their guardians of the film’s themes before they were exposed to nudity, alcoholism and violence.
Austrian director Ulrich Seidl will no longer travel to San Sebastián to present his film Sparta, which is screening in competition at the festival.
The move comes after the film was pulled by the Toronto International Film Festival following an article in the German magazine Der Spiegel which alleged the Romanian child actors in the film were not protected enough on set.
In particular the article alleged the filmmaker did not tell the youngsters or their guardians of the film’s themes before they were exposed to nudity, alcoholism and violence.
- 9/17/2022
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
Ulrich Seidl has canceled his trip to San Sebastian for the premiere of his latest film Sparta following a report in German magazine Der Spiegel that raised concerns about the treatment of younger cast members during the production.
In a statement, Seidl said: “I am very grateful to José Luis Rebordinos for standing by Sparta from the beginning, despite the media pressure and despite the great turmoil that suddenly accompanied it. It means a lot to me. The initial impulse to come to San Sebastian was not to leave alone the film that my team and I have worked on for so many years. However, I realized that my presence at the premiere might overshadow the film’s reception whereas it is now time for Sparta to speak for itself.”
Sparta will still screen at the festival in competition on September 18 as scheduled. The film was pulled from TIFF following the allegations.
In a statement, Seidl said: “I am very grateful to José Luis Rebordinos for standing by Sparta from the beginning, despite the media pressure and despite the great turmoil that suddenly accompanied it. It means a lot to me. The initial impulse to come to San Sebastian was not to leave alone the film that my team and I have worked on for so many years. However, I realized that my presence at the premiere might overshadow the film’s reception whereas it is now time for Sparta to speak for itself.”
Sparta will still screen at the festival in competition on September 18 as scheduled. The film was pulled from TIFF following the allegations.
- 9/17/2022
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Austrian director Ulrich Seidl has cancelled his visit to San Sebastian for the Sept. 18 world premiere of “Sparta,” amid allegations of impropriety and child exploitation made against the director.
The world premiere will still go ahead at San Sebastian with the film playing in main competition contending for San Sebastian’s Gold Shell.
Seidl’s decision comes after the Toronto Film Festival pulled “Sparta” and on Sept. 14, FilmFest Hamburg announced that it would no longer be giving Seidl its Douglas Sirk Award, though it would be screening “Sparta.”
“I am very grateful to [San Sebastian director] José Luis Rebordinos for supporting “Sparta” from the beginning, despite the media pressure and the sudden and unexpected polemics it has created. It means a lot to me,” Seidl said via a written statement transmitted on Saturday by Spanish SVOD platform Filmin, which distributes the film in Spain.
“My initial impulse was to attend San Sebastian and...
The world premiere will still go ahead at San Sebastian with the film playing in main competition contending for San Sebastian’s Gold Shell.
Seidl’s decision comes after the Toronto Film Festival pulled “Sparta” and on Sept. 14, FilmFest Hamburg announced that it would no longer be giving Seidl its Douglas Sirk Award, though it would be screening “Sparta.”
“I am very grateful to [San Sebastian director] José Luis Rebordinos for supporting “Sparta” from the beginning, despite the media pressure and the sudden and unexpected polemics it has created. It means a lot to me,” Seidl said via a written statement transmitted on Saturday by Spanish SVOD platform Filmin, which distributes the film in Spain.
“My initial impulse was to attend San Sebastian and...
- 9/17/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Packing its first full-on onsite edition since the pandemic, Spain’s San Sebastian Festival has never been busier or bigger. 10 Takes on what is shaping up as a vibrant edition:
Playing Off Powerful Market Forces
Nine of Netflix’s 20 Top 10 non-English-language films and TV series are sourced from Spain or Latin America. Platforms are battling to tie down talent.
This year, eight movies from Spain and Latin America play in competition alone at San Sebastian, the most important film event in the Spanish-speaking world. The fest’s main sidebar is its New Directors strand. San Sebastian’s focus on the Spanish-speaking world and new talent now aligns with powerful market forces. That fact plays out over the 2022 edition.
San Sebastian’s New Creative Investors’ Conference
CAA Media Finance is teaming with San Sebastian to organize the festival’s first Creative Investors’ Conference, running Sept. 19-20. Attendees take in international film...
Playing Off Powerful Market Forces
Nine of Netflix’s 20 Top 10 non-English-language films and TV series are sourced from Spain or Latin America. Platforms are battling to tie down talent.
This year, eight movies from Spain and Latin America play in competition alone at San Sebastian, the most important film event in the Spanish-speaking world. The fest’s main sidebar is its New Directors strand. San Sebastian’s focus on the Spanish-speaking world and new talent now aligns with powerful market forces. That fact plays out over the 2022 edition.
San Sebastian’s New Creative Investors’ Conference
CAA Media Finance is teaming with San Sebastian to organize the festival’s first Creative Investors’ Conference, running Sept. 19-20. Attendees take in international film...
- 9/16/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
The aim is to match European partners to Latam projects.
San Sebastian’s Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum, (September 19-21) has become a key part of the festival’s industry programme.
Together with the Horizontes Latinos sidebar, the Wip Latam platform and the extensive Latin American presence in the festival’s other sections, the Forum has helped to cement San Sebastian’s reputation as an important bridge to Europe for Latin American industry filmmakers and executives.
This year, there are 14 projects taking part, among them features by Ulises Porra, Beatriz Seigner and Rodrigo Ruiz Patterson.
The aim is for European producers...
San Sebastian’s Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum, (September 19-21) has become a key part of the festival’s industry programme.
Together with the Horizontes Latinos sidebar, the Wip Latam platform and the extensive Latin American presence in the festival’s other sections, the Forum has helped to cement San Sebastian’s reputation as an important bridge to Europe for Latin American industry filmmakers and executives.
This year, there are 14 projects taking part, among them features by Ulises Porra, Beatriz Seigner and Rodrigo Ruiz Patterson.
The aim is for European producers...
- 9/16/2022
- by Emilio Mayorga
- ScreenDaily
San Sebastian festival director José Luis Rebordinos: “It’s a sweet moment for the Spanish industry”
The San Sebastian festival director reflects on the innovations for the 70th anniversary
José Luis Rebordinos has been the director of the San Sebastian International Film Festival since 2011.
He talks to Screen about this year’s 70th anniversary edition which will celebrate San Sebastian’s history as well as the exciting present moment for Spanish cinema and host an expanded industry section.
The festival opens today, Friday September 16, and runs until September 24.
San Sebastian prides itself as a festival that showcases both new and established Spanish filmmakers. How would you describe the Spanish productions selected this year?
There’s a...
José Luis Rebordinos has been the director of the San Sebastian International Film Festival since 2011.
He talks to Screen about this year’s 70th anniversary edition which will celebrate San Sebastian’s history as well as the exciting present moment for Spanish cinema and host an expanded industry section.
The festival opens today, Friday September 16, and runs until September 24.
San Sebastian prides itself as a festival that showcases both new and established Spanish filmmakers. How would you describe the Spanish productions selected this year?
There’s a...
- 9/16/2022
- by Elisabet Cabeza
- ScreenDaily
The San Sebastian International Film Festival has long been one of the Spanish-speaking world’s most prominent film festivals and as the 70th edition of the festival is nearly underway, the much-loved European event has looked to beef up its industry components in a bid to attract a wider pool of delegates, notably from North America.
This year will see the launch of the new San Sebastian Festival Creative Investors’ Conference, which is co-organized with CAA Media Finance. The two-day conference, which runs September 19-20, will see a host of top global industry execs from companies such as 30West, A24, Anonymous Content, Focus Features, Mubi, Neon, Netflix and Wild Bunch International among others, touch down in the Basque Country.
“Something we’ve had in mind for some years now is to improve and enlarge our industry activities,” festival director José Luis Rebordinos tells Deadline, who says the initiative was organised...
This year will see the launch of the new San Sebastian Festival Creative Investors’ Conference, which is co-organized with CAA Media Finance. The two-day conference, which runs September 19-20, will see a host of top global industry execs from companies such as 30West, A24, Anonymous Content, Focus Features, Mubi, Neon, Netflix and Wild Bunch International among others, touch down in the Basque Country.
“Something we’ve had in mind for some years now is to improve and enlarge our industry activities,” festival director José Luis Rebordinos tells Deadline, who says the initiative was organised...
- 9/13/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
With the Berlin Film Festival’s Golden Bear awarded to Spanish director Carla Simón and four of the country’s titles featuring in competition at Cannes, there’s a quiet air of confidence among Spanish industry professionals, including José Luis Rebordinos, director of the San Sebastian Film Festival.
“This has been the best year for Spanish cinema,” Rebordinos tells Deadline shortly after revealing the line-up for San Sebastian’s latest edition, running from September 16-24.
This year the prominent Spanish festival, celebrating its 70th edition, kicks into gear with some 200 films across its six competitive and seven non-competitive sections. The selection will be bookended by Friday night’s opening film Prison 77 (Modelo 77), from Spanish filmmaker Alberto Rodríguez, and Neil Jordan’s latest film Marlowe, starring Diane Kruger and Liam Neeson, which will close the festival. The full lineup includes the European Premiere of Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio’s The Wonder,...
“This has been the best year for Spanish cinema,” Rebordinos tells Deadline shortly after revealing the line-up for San Sebastian’s latest edition, running from September 16-24.
This year the prominent Spanish festival, celebrating its 70th edition, kicks into gear with some 200 films across its six competitive and seven non-competitive sections. The selection will be bookended by Friday night’s opening film Prison 77 (Modelo 77), from Spanish filmmaker Alberto Rodríguez, and Neil Jordan’s latest film Marlowe, starring Diane Kruger and Liam Neeson, which will close the festival. The full lineup includes the European Premiere of Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio’s The Wonder,...
- 9/13/2022
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Fernando Franco’s coming of age drama “The Rite of Spring” and Mikel Gurrea’s rural drama “Suro” will vie for the top Golden Seashell at September’s 70th San Sebastian Festival, the highest-profile film event in the Spanish-speaking world.
Also making the cut are Jaime Rosales’s female emancipation tale “Wild Flowers” and Pilar Palomero’s teen motherhood story “La Maternal.”
The four titles form part of a Spanish film line-up which looks to be “the strongest Spanish movie presence at San Sebastian in the 11 years I’ve been directing the festival,” San Sebastian director José Luis Rebordinos said on Friday.
One or two more Spanish films could still be added to the selection, including one more in New Directors, he went on.
Galvanizing the selection is new talent. Five of the 10 movies in San Sebastian’s principal sections for new movies – main competition, out of competition, special screenings,...
Also making the cut are Jaime Rosales’s female emancipation tale “Wild Flowers” and Pilar Palomero’s teen motherhood story “La Maternal.”
The four titles form part of a Spanish film line-up which looks to be “the strongest Spanish movie presence at San Sebastian in the 11 years I’ve been directing the festival,” San Sebastian director José Luis Rebordinos said on Friday.
One or two more Spanish films could still be added to the selection, including one more in New Directors, he went on.
Galvanizing the selection is new talent. Five of the 10 movies in San Sebastian’s principal sections for new movies – main competition, out of competition, special screenings,...
- 7/15/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Buenos Aires’ Ventana Sur, Latin America’s biggest film-tv market, has set dates for its 2022 edition, which promises to be the first full-on reunion of its burgeoning regional industry in three long years.
Running Monday, Nov. 28 to Friday, Dec. 2, Ventana Sur has also launched a call for applications for Proyecta, its film co-production forum organized by Cannes’ Marché du Film and the San Sebastian Festival and targeting first or second film projects in development seeking co-production between Europe and Latin America.
Launched in 2009, the Cannes Festival/Film Market initiative, organized in partnership with Argentina’s Incaa agency, looks vital to regional rebuild in Latin America.
It also catches the industry as it is pulled by opposing pressures. Many film-tv professionals are anxious to curb non-essential travel. Yet film and TV industries are being positioned by regional and national governments alike in Latin America as a priority growth sector for post-pandemic recovery.
Running Monday, Nov. 28 to Friday, Dec. 2, Ventana Sur has also launched a call for applications for Proyecta, its film co-production forum organized by Cannes’ Marché du Film and the San Sebastian Festival and targeting first or second film projects in development seeking co-production between Europe and Latin America.
Launched in 2009, the Cannes Festival/Film Market initiative, organized in partnership with Argentina’s Incaa agency, looks vital to regional rebuild in Latin America.
It also catches the industry as it is pulled by opposing pressures. Many film-tv professionals are anxious to curb non-essential travel. Yet film and TV industries are being positioned by regional and national governments alike in Latin America as a priority growth sector for post-pandemic recovery.
- 7/4/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
TikTok is determined to bring together the worlds of auteur cinema and short-form mobile video.
On Thursday, TikTok unveils that it has become an official sponsor of the San Sebastian Film Festival, Spain’s leading cinema event, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, running Sept. 16-24.
The move follows TikTok’s sponsorship of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, the first time the digital media giant and the world’s most acclaimed arthouse festival joined forces.
San Sebastian festival director José Luis Rebordinos welcomed the TikTok deal, saying the short-video platform would help bring the austere Spanish festival to a new generation. “The festival has the vocation of listening to all audiences and TikTok is a good partner in achieving that mission,” he noted.
The collaboration will see San Sebastian give the TikTok community access to a wide variety of exclusive content through the festival’s official TikTok account,...
TikTok is determined to bring together the worlds of auteur cinema and short-form mobile video.
On Thursday, TikTok unveils that it has become an official sponsor of the San Sebastian Film Festival, Spain’s leading cinema event, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, running Sept. 16-24.
The move follows TikTok’s sponsorship of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, the first time the digital media giant and the world’s most acclaimed arthouse festival joined forces.
San Sebastian festival director José Luis Rebordinos welcomed the TikTok deal, saying the short-video platform would help bring the austere Spanish festival to a new generation. “The festival has the vocation of listening to all audiences and TikTok is a good partner in achieving that mission,” he noted.
The collaboration will see San Sebastian give the TikTok community access to a wide variety of exclusive content through the festival’s official TikTok account,...
- 6/30/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spain’s Malaga and San Sebastian Film Festivals are launching a new and vastly fortified version of the Spanish Screenings, the Malaga Festival’s traditional showcase of recent Spanish movies screened to international buyers.
Recast as the Spanish Screenings Xxl, the event will run March 21-24 at Spain’s Malaga Festival, then segue to September’s San Sebastian event. Over 2022 and 2023, a Spanish Screenings on Tour event will take place at a destination outside Spain, targeting Eastern Europe and Asia.
The Spanish Screenings’ total budget for 2022 and 2023 combined will be €4.20 million ($4.74 million), Miquel Iceta, Spain’s Minister for Culture and Sport, said Wednesday at a presentation of the Screenings in Madrid.
Beatriz Navas, head of the Icaa Spanish film agency, used the presentation to announce that Spain’s Ministry of Culture and Sport will plow €3 million ($3.39 million) a year in 2022 and again in 2023 into the international distribution of Spanish productions.
Recast as the Spanish Screenings Xxl, the event will run March 21-24 at Spain’s Malaga Festival, then segue to September’s San Sebastian event. Over 2022 and 2023, a Spanish Screenings on Tour event will take place at a destination outside Spain, targeting Eastern Europe and Asia.
The Spanish Screenings’ total budget for 2022 and 2023 combined will be €4.20 million ($4.74 million), Miquel Iceta, Spain’s Minister for Culture and Sport, said Wednesday at a presentation of the Screenings in Madrid.
Beatriz Navas, head of the Icaa Spanish film agency, used the presentation to announce that Spain’s Ministry of Culture and Sport will plow €3 million ($3.39 million) a year in 2022 and again in 2023 into the international distribution of Spanish productions.
- 1/19/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Ventana Sur’s Blood Window Works in Progress sidebar, along with the event’s Screenings and project pitchings, have firmly cemented the annual event as one of the standout dates for genre cinema in Latin America and abroad. This year, six works in progress will screen as part a hybrid Ventana Sur market which will run Nov. 29 through Dec. 3.
The 2021 selection of works in progress can, in some ways, be seen as a return to form for the event. Over the past several years, the types of films screened in the section have diversified to include science fiction, fantasy and thriller propositions, in addition to the traditional horror flicks on which it was founded. For 2021, however, terror is the name of the game once again, with all six films self-defining as either horror, thriller or a combination of the two genres.
Also notable is the impressive spread of countries contributing to the section.
The 2021 selection of works in progress can, in some ways, be seen as a return to form for the event. Over the past several years, the types of films screened in the section have diversified to include science fiction, fantasy and thriller propositions, in addition to the traditional horror flicks on which it was founded. For 2021, however, terror is the name of the game once again, with all six films self-defining as either horror, thriller or a combination of the two genres.
Also notable is the impressive spread of countries contributing to the section.
- 11/8/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Johnny Depp appeared at the San Sebastian Film Festival this week to receive the event’s honorary Donostia Award, and he used the corresponding press conference to rail against cancel culture (via Deadline). The actor told attendees that “no one is safe” from cancel culture and that people must “stand up” for people facing “injustice.”
“It can be seen as an event in history that lasted for however long it lasted, this cancel culture, this instant rush to judgement based on what essentially amounts to polluted air,” Depp said. “It’s so far out of hand now that I can promise you that no one is safe. Not one of you. No one out that door. No one is safe.”
Depp continued, “It takes one sentence and there’s no more ground, the carpet has been pulled. It’s not just me that this has happened to, it’s happened to a lot of people.
“It can be seen as an event in history that lasted for however long it lasted, this cancel culture, this instant rush to judgement based on what essentially amounts to polluted air,” Depp said. “It’s so far out of hand now that I can promise you that no one is safe. Not one of you. No one out that door. No one is safe.”
Depp continued, “It takes one sentence and there’s no more ground, the carpet has been pulled. It’s not just me that this has happened to, it’s happened to a lot of people.
- 9/22/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Last year, September’s San Sebastian worked a minor miracle, staging a safe on-site festival as second-wave Covid-19 built up in Spain. This year, on-site attendance will be up, though travel problems, caution and costs in Latin America, the U.S and Asia will prevent a full attendance.
That said, this year’s festival, running Sept. 17-25, will be firing on all cylinders — as a Spanish-language movie emporium, a new talent hub and launchpad for the local Basque industry. Following, seven takes on the most important film event in the Spanish-speaking world:
Star Power: Cruz, Banderas, Bardem, Depp, Cotillard, and Chastain?
Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas are expected for the Spanish premiere of “Official Competition” and Javier Bardem the world premiere of “The Good Boss.” Despite some opposition Johnny Depp will receive a career-achievement Donostia Award as, less controversially, will Marion Cotillard. Jessica Chastain, fest organizers hope, will attend for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,...
That said, this year’s festival, running Sept. 17-25, will be firing on all cylinders — as a Spanish-language movie emporium, a new talent hub and launchpad for the local Basque industry. Following, seven takes on the most important film event in the Spanish-speaking world:
Star Power: Cruz, Banderas, Bardem, Depp, Cotillard, and Chastain?
Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas are expected for the Spanish premiere of “Official Competition” and Javier Bardem the world premiere of “The Good Boss.” Despite some opposition Johnny Depp will receive a career-achievement Donostia Award as, less controversially, will Marion Cotillard. Jessica Chastain, fest organizers hope, will attend for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,...
- 9/13/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Spain’s primary film event, the San Sebastian Film Festival, was one of the few major international fests to host a physical edition last year as the pandemic raged around the world. Flash forward 12 months and Covid is far from behind us, but festivals are pushing on in this strange new world. After a summer where Cannes and Venice have already staged successful in-person events, San Sebastian is back in its typical slot, acting as a second platform for major titles from other fests and a showcase for new Spanish cinema.
The program is full of intrigue, from the international premiere of Chinese epic One Second – which famously was pulled from the 2019 Berlinale program at the last moment – to the first screening of new Javier Bardem pic The Good Boss and new pics from Spanish stalwarts Paco Plaza and Luis Tosar.
Like other major European events, San Sebastian is no...
The program is full of intrigue, from the international premiere of Chinese epic One Second – which famously was pulled from the 2019 Berlinale program at the last moment – to the first screening of new Javier Bardem pic The Good Boss and new pics from Spanish stalwarts Paco Plaza and Luis Tosar.
Like other major European events, San Sebastian is no...
- 9/10/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Movistar Plus, the pay TV/VOD operator of Spanish telco Telefonica, and the San Sebastian Festival, the biggest film event in the Spanish-speaking world, are bowing a multi-year alliance to simulcast select titles bowing at the festival in a Movistar Plus virtual screening room.
Imitating the limited access of a festival, the films will only be available for viewing on the days that they screen in San Sebastian.Movistar Plus subscribers will be able to purchase tickets on a VOD basis at a San Sebastian Festival Virtual Screening Room on the platform. Titles will include not only movies to which Movistar Plus has purchased pay TV rights for Spain, but also third-party titles, Cristina Burzako, Movistar Plus CEO, said Wednesday at a presentation of novel exhibition system in Madrid.
Films to which clients will be able to purchase virtual fest tickets include some of the strongest toitles screening at San Sebastian this year,...
Imitating the limited access of a festival, the films will only be available for viewing on the days that they screen in San Sebastian.Movistar Plus subscribers will be able to purchase tickets on a VOD basis at a San Sebastian Festival Virtual Screening Room on the platform. Titles will include not only movies to which Movistar Plus has purchased pay TV rights for Spain, but also third-party titles, Cristina Burzako, Movistar Plus CEO, said Wednesday at a presentation of novel exhibition system in Madrid.
Films to which clients will be able to purchase virtual fest tickets include some of the strongest toitles screening at San Sebastian this year,...
- 9/8/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Before the #MeToo movement started shifting social and cultural perspectives, controversies at European film festivals were triggered by the selection of polarizing movies — think Gaspar Noe or Lars von Trier films. But in recent years, festivals such as Venice, Deauville, San Sebastian and Berlin have come under criticism when inviting and/or honoring filmmakers and talent who have been accused of sexual misconduct or domestic violence.
Whereas North American festivals such as Telluride, Sundance and Toronto have been careful about who they invite, either by conviction or pragmatism, their European counterparts have chosen to disregard red flags, underscoring a widening culture gap between the two continents.
Every major fest in Europe has had its share of controversy, including Venice, which selected Roman Polanski’s “An Officer and a Spy” for competition in 2019 and saw the film receive the Grand Jury Prize. Also in 2019, Berlin faced a crisis during the inaugural...
Whereas North American festivals such as Telluride, Sundance and Toronto have been careful about who they invite, either by conviction or pragmatism, their European counterparts have chosen to disregard red flags, underscoring a widening culture gap between the two continents.
Every major fest in Europe has had its share of controversy, including Venice, which selected Roman Polanski’s “An Officer and a Spy” for competition in 2019 and saw the film receive the Grand Jury Prize. Also in 2019, Berlin faced a crisis during the inaugural...
- 9/4/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
On the opening night of the 2020 Venice Film Festival, the heads of seven European film festivals — including Cannes boss Thierry Frémaux, Berlin artistic director Carlo Chatrian, José Luis Rebordinos of San Sebastian and Tricia Tuttle of the London Film Festival — joined Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera onstage at the Sala Grande. It was a sign of solidarity with Venice as the first major international festival to hold an in-person event since the start of Covid-19.
A year on, Venice remains the gold standard for how to hold a film festival during a pandemic.
The safety measures piloted on ...
A year on, Venice remains the gold standard for how to hold a film festival during a pandemic.
The safety measures piloted on ...
On the opening night of the 2020 Venice Film Festival, the heads of seven European film festivals — including Cannes boss Thierry Frémaux, Berlin artistic director Carlo Chatrian, José Luis Rebordinos of San Sebastian and Tricia Tuttle of the London Film Festival — joined Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera onstage at the Sala Grande. It was a sign of solidarity with Venice as the first major international festival to hold an in-person event since the start of Covid-19.
A year on, Venice remains the gold standard for how to hold a film festival during a pandemic.
The safety measures piloted on ...
A year on, Venice remains the gold standard for how to hold a film festival during a pandemic.
The safety measures piloted on ...
It follows criticism over the festival’s decision to honour Johnny Depp.
The San Sebastian Festival and (H)emen, the Basque association of professional women in audiovisual media and the performing arts, are organising a workshop to take place at the festival’s 69th edition (September 17-25), with the aim of exploring issues surrounding gender equality.
A statement from the festival said: “The aim will be to reflect, discuss and endeavour to reach agreements on questions related to gender equality.
“The debate will cover a variety of interrelated aspects, including, among others: the inclusion of professional women in the world of cinema and,...
The San Sebastian Festival and (H)emen, the Basque association of professional women in audiovisual media and the performing arts, are organising a workshop to take place at the festival’s 69th edition (September 17-25), with the aim of exploring issues surrounding gender equality.
A statement from the festival said: “The aim will be to reflect, discuss and endeavour to reach agreements on questions related to gender equality.
“The debate will cover a variety of interrelated aspects, including, among others: the inclusion of professional women in the world of cinema and,...
- 8/24/2021
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
It follows criticism over the festival’s decision to honour Johnny Depp.
The San Sebastian Festival and (H)emen, the Basque association of professional women in audiovisual media and the performing arts, are organising a workshop to take place at the festival’s 69th edition (September 17-25), with the aim of exploring issues surrounding gender equality.
A statement from the festival said: “The aim will be to reflect, discuss and endeavour to reach agreements on questions related to gender equality.
“The debate will cover a variety of interrelated aspects, including, among others: the inclusion of professional women in the world of cinema and,...
The San Sebastian Festival and (H)emen, the Basque association of professional women in audiovisual media and the performing arts, are organising a workshop to take place at the festival’s 69th edition (September 17-25), with the aim of exploring issues surrounding gender equality.
A statement from the festival said: “The aim will be to reflect, discuss and endeavour to reach agreements on questions related to gender equality.
“The debate will cover a variety of interrelated aspects, including, among others: the inclusion of professional women in the world of cinema and,...
- 8/24/2021
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Johnny Depp told The Sunday Times in a new interview that he is being boycotted by Hollywood.
Depp notably lost a libel case last year against The Sun, which referred to Depp as a “wife beater” while covering his divorce from Amber Heard. Depp exited Warner Bros.’ “Fantastic Beasts” franchise after the verdict and was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen. The actor’s latest film, the Andrew Levitas-directed drama “Minimata,” has not been dated for release. Levitas alleged MGM was “burying” the movie because it “was concerned about the possibility that the personal issues of an actor in the film could reflect negatively upon them.”
“Minamata” was picked up by MGM’s American International Pictures last fall. The film world premiered in February 2020 at the Berlin International Film Festival. Depp stars in the film as photojournalist Eugene Smith, and he also produced the movie. Smith traveled to Minamata, Japan in...
Depp notably lost a libel case last year against The Sun, which referred to Depp as a “wife beater” while covering his divorce from Amber Heard. Depp exited Warner Bros.’ “Fantastic Beasts” franchise after the verdict and was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen. The actor’s latest film, the Andrew Levitas-directed drama “Minimata,” has not been dated for release. Levitas alleged MGM was “burying” the movie because it “was concerned about the possibility that the personal issues of an actor in the film could reflect negatively upon them.”
“Minamata” was picked up by MGM’s American International Pictures last fall. The film world premiered in February 2020 at the Berlin International Film Festival. Depp stars in the film as photojournalist Eugene Smith, and he also produced the movie. Smith traveled to Minamata, Japan in...
- 8/16/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
San Sebastian Film Festival Director José Luis Rebordinos defended his decision to honor Johnny Depp with the festival’s lifetime achievement Donostia Award. Many were surprised that the festival chose to honor Depp after he was accused of assault by his ex-wife Amber Heard. Last year, a U.K. judge ruled that it was “substantially correct” that Depp […]
The post San Sebastian Film Festival Attacked For Honoring Johnny Depp appeared first on uInterview.
The post San Sebastian Film Festival Attacked For Honoring Johnny Depp appeared first on uInterview.
- 8/15/2021
- by Marie Fiero
- Uinterview
Festival director Jose Luis Rebordinos issues statement.
San Sebastian Film Festival director José Luis Rebordinos has defended the festival’s decision to honour Johnny Depp with the Donostia Award at this year’s event (September 17-25).
In 2020, Depp lost his libel case against UK tabloid The Sun after it described him as a “wife-beater” in a 2018 article.
The festival has been hit with criticism from domestic abuse charities in the UK, who have described the decision as “insulting”. The Czech Republic’s Karlovy Vary Festival has also been criticised after it too decided to honour Depp this year.
In his statement,...
San Sebastian Film Festival director José Luis Rebordinos has defended the festival’s decision to honour Johnny Depp with the Donostia Award at this year’s event (September 17-25).
In 2020, Depp lost his libel case against UK tabloid The Sun after it described him as a “wife-beater” in a 2018 article.
The festival has been hit with criticism from domestic abuse charities in the UK, who have described the decision as “insulting”. The Czech Republic’s Karlovy Vary Festival has also been criticised after it too decided to honour Depp this year.
In his statement,...
- 8/13/2021
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
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