15/07/2022 - No fewer than 18 titles make up the great Spanish selection at the Basque festival: featuring, among others, the new works by Pilar Palomero, Jaime Rosales, Fernando Franco and Paco León

UPDATE (17 August 2022): On the Fringe [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Juan Diego Botto
film profile], the directorial debuyt by actor Juan Diego Botto, starring Penélope Cruz and Luis Tosar and selected in Venice Film Festival's Orizzonti section, joins the Perlak section. Stories Not to Be Told [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cesc Gay
film profile] by Cesc Gay and Walls Can Talk [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Carlos Saura will be screened at the RTVE Galas.

-

This morning, at the Madrid headquarters of the Spanish Film Academy one of the main attractions was announced of the San Sebastian International Film Festival, which will celebrate its 70th edition from 16-24 September: the Spanish films to be screened in its different sections, which this year totals 18, including short and feature films.

In its official section and in the fight for the coveted Golden Shell, is the eagerly awaited second film from the Aragon director Pilar Palomero (winner of the award for Schoolgirls [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pilar Palomero
film profile]): La maternal [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pilar Palomero
film profile]; the new film from a director as meticulous and sensitive as Fernando Franco: The Rite of Spring [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fernando Franco and Koldo Z…
film profile]; the latest film from another filmmaker who has been here before and at Cannes, Jaime Rosales: Wild Flowers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaime Rosales
film profile], a co-production with France and starring Anna Castillo in the central role (read more); and Suro [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mikel Gurrea
film profile], the debut film by Mikel Gurrea from San Sebastian, starring Vicky Luengo (Riot Police [+see also:
series review
interview: Rodrigo Sorogoyen
series profile]) and Pol López.

Out of competition, but also in its official section, the Movistar Plus+ series Offworld [+see also:
trailer
interview: Rodrigo Sorogoyen and Isabe…
series profile], signed by audiovisual aces Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Isaki Lacuesta, Raúl Arévalo, Isa Campo and Alberto Rodríguez; the documentary by Isabel Coixet The Yellow Ceiling [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], which condemns sexual abuse; and Modelo 77 [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Alberto Rodríguez's vibrant incursion into democratic (?) prisons with Javier Gutiérrez leading the cast and which opens San Sebastian 2022 in style - and out of competition.

In the New Directors section, To Book and Women I Sing [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: María Elorza and Marian Fer…
film profile], the feature directorial debut from María Elorza (Vitoria, 1988), will be presented; and in Zabaltegi-Tabakalera, four other Spanish filmmakers will do the same: Elena López Riera with El agua [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elena López Riera
film profile] (Spain/France/Switzerland), a film selected in the last Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes; Piggy [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carlota Pereda
film profile], by Carlota Pereda (Spain/France), an extreme horror film that was seen at Sundance; and the short films Hirugarren koadernoa, by Lur Olaizola - which will participate out of competition after its premiere at the Cinéma du Réel festival - and Cuerdas, by Estibaliz Urresola, which will be screened after its award-winning screening at the Cannes Critics’ Week.

The Perlak section will screen One Year, One Night [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Isaki Lacuesta
film profile], by Isaki Lacuesta, which competed in the Berlinale; The Beasts [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rodrigo Sorogoyen and Isabe…
film profile], a co-production with France by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, following its premiere at the Cannes Première; and the section will close with Los renglones torcidos de Dios [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Oriol Paulo’s adaptation of the novel of the same name by Torcuato Luca de Tena, starring Bárbara Lennie and Eduard Fernández (more information here).

Finally, The Velodrome, a gigantic theatre, with a 400 square metre screen to be enjoyed by around 3,000 spectators, will host the premiere of Rainbow [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], the highly personal take on the classic The Wizard of Oz from the unstoppable Paco León, starring Dora Postigo, Carmen Maura and Carmen Machi; Feeling It [+see also:
trailer
film profile], a documentary co-produced with Mexico by Fernando León de Aranoa, centred around his close friend and great musician Joaquín Sabina; and the latest animated film by Fermin Muguruza: Black is Beltza II: Ainhoa [+see also:
trailer
film profile], whose first part, Black is Beltza [+see also:
trailer
film profile], closed the Zinemira section in 2018.

As you can see, we have quite a feast of Spanish cinema in store for us in September: a sign of a bumper harvest to come? Let’s hope so!

The Spanish films announced today:

Competition

La maternal [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pilar Palomero
film profile] - Pilar Palomero (Spain)
The Rite of Spring [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fernando Franco and Koldo Z…
film profile] – Fernando Franco (Spain)
Wild Flowers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaime Rosales
film profile] - Jaime Rosales (Spain/France)
Suro [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mikel Gurrea
film profile] - Mikel Gurrea (Spain)

Out of Competition

Offworld [+see also:
trailer
interview: Rodrigo Sorogoyen and Isabe…
series profile] - Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Isaki Lacuesta, Raúl Arévalo, Isa Campo, Alberto Rodríguez (Spain) (series)
Modelo 77 [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Alberto Rodríguez (Spain)

Special screenings

The Yellow Ceiling [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Isabel Coixet (Spain)

New Directors

To Book and Women I Sing [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: María Elorza and Marian Fer…
film profile] - María Elorza (Spain)

Zabaltegi-Tabakalera

El agua [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elena López Riera
film profile] - Elena López Riera (Spain/France/Switzerland)
Piggy [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carlota Pereda
film profile] - Carlota Pereda (Spain/France)
Hirugarren koadernoa - Lur Olaizola (Spain) (short film)
Cuerdas - Estibaliz Urresola (Spain) (short film)

Perlak

One Year, One Night [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Isaki Lacuesta
film profile] - Isaki Lacuesta (Spain/France)
The Beasts [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rodrigo Sorogoyen and Isabe…
film profile] - Rodrigo Sorogoyen (Spain/France)
Los renglones torcidos de Dios [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Oriol Paulo (Spain)
On the Fringe [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Juan Diego Botto
film profile] - Juan Diego Botto (Spain/Belgium)

RTVE Galas

Stories Not to Be Told [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cesc Gay
film profile] - Cesc Gay (Spain)
Walls Can Talk [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Carlos Saura (Spain)

Velodrome

Rainbow [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Paco León (Spain)
Feeling It [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Fernando León de Aranoa (Spain/Mexico)
Black is Beltza II: Ainhoa [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Fermín Muguruza (Spain)

(Translated from Spanish)