San Sebastian Competition: New Films From Mike Leigh, Edward Berger, Joshua Oppenheimer

San Sebastian Competition: New Films From Mike Leigh, Edward Berger, Joshua Oppenheimer

As a passionate cinephile with over two decades of film-watching under my belt, I am thrilled to share my excitement about this year’s San Sebastian Film Festival lineup! With renowned directors like Mike Leigh, François Ozon, Edward Berger, and Costa-Gavras gracing the competition, it promises to be a truly memorable event.


2021’s San Sebastian Film Festival will see a competition between films directed by Mike Leigh, François Ozon, Edward Berger, Joshua Oppenheimer, and Costa-Gavras for the Golden Shell award. On Tuesday, organizers unveiled the lineup for the 72nd edition of this festival, which takes place from September 20th to the 28th.

As an assistant to a renowned film enthusiast, I’m thrilled to share some exciting upcoming projects that are sure to captivate audiences. From the brilliant mind of Leigh, I’m looking forward to his latest creation, “Hard Truths.” This anticipated work marks Leigh’s reunion with the exceptional Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who starred in his critically acclaimed film “Secrets & Lies.”

Costa-Gavras, an experienced political filmmaker known for “Missing” and “Z,” brings “Last Breath” to San Sebastian. This is a compelling drama about a palliative care doctor. Ozon makes his sixth appearance with “When Fall Is Coming,” a French production featuring Hélène Vincent, Josiane Balasko, Ludivine Sagnier, and Pierre Lottin. Kurosawa, the Japanese director, presents “Serpent’s Path” at San Sebastian – a French adaptation of his 1998 film where a man seeks vengeance for his daughter’s murder. Ko Shibasaki, Damien Bonnard, and Mathieu Amalric star in this production.

Maite Alberdi, an Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker known for “The Mole Agent” and “The Eternal Memory,” will introduce her first narrative film at San Sebastian, titled “El lugar de la otra” – based on Alia Trabucco Zerán’s 2019 essay “Las Homicidas” about the true story of María Carolina Geel, who killed her lover in 1955. Joshua Oppenheimer, a two-time Oscar-nominated documentarian with credits in “The Act of Killing” and “The Look of Silence,” will make his narrative film debut at San Sebastian as well, with the movie named “The End“. This film features Tilda Swinton, George MacKay, Moses Ingram, and Michael Shannon, and tells a musical tale from the Golden Age about one of the last remaining families on Earth.

Hey there! As a gamer, I’m excited to share that I, Gia Coppola, whose last two films, “Palo Alto” (2013) and “Mainstream” (2020), graced the screens of Venice, will be presenting “The Last Showgirl” at San Sebastian. This drama features stars like Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Dave Bautista. In it, I play a seasoned showgirl who’s got to map out her future when my show wraps up after a 30-year run. It’s going to be an emotional ride!

Argentine filmmaker Diego Lerman is back in competition for a third time, this time with the movie “The Man Who Loved Flying Saucers.” This film revolves around a well-known TV broadcast that allegedly captured an alien presence. In 2022, Lerman’s film “The Substitute” was awarded the Silver Shell at San Sebastian, and in 2017, he received the best screenplay jury prize for “A Sort of Family.”

At the festival, an ongoing practice is to highlight up-and-coming artists. For instance, Laura Carreira, who has gained recognition for her short films, will introduce her first full-length work, “On Falling” – a poignant exploration of a Portuguese warehouse laborer’s fragile existence in Scotland – to the competition. Additionally, the schedule boasts “Bound in Heaven,” the debut feature of Xin Huo, who previously penned the screenplays for “Kung Fu Hustle” (2004) and “The Monkey King” (2014). In this film, the Chinese director narrates a story about a dying man and a young girl, both ensnared by violence, as they urgently travel through various cities to reach their destination.

At the beginning of September, the 72nd edition of the San Sebastian Film Festival will debut Audrey Diwan’s film “Emmanuelle,” which is an updated version of Emmanuelle Arsan’s 1967 provocative novel. Noémie Merlant and Naomi Watts star in this erotic adaptation, set to be released on the festival’s opening day (September 20).

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2024-07-30 13:24