San Sebastián surrenders to cinema: Zinemaldia kicks off with 263 films and international stars

San Sebastián becomes again from this Friday one of the great meeting points for international cinema. The San Sebastián Festival, which celebrates its 74th edition, kicks off this September 18 and will run until the 26th with a program that brings together 263 titles from 47 countries.

For nine days, filmmakers, performers, producers, and professionals from the film industry will pass through Donostia to present their new works and participate in the different sections of the event. Among the names that have confirmed their presence are Orlando Bloom, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Ricardo Darín, Virginie Efira, Lali Espósito, Eduard Fernández, Jeremy Irons, Rami Malek, Naomi Watts, Brad Pitt, and Tom Sturridge, among many others.

The city thus once again becomes the scene of premieres, meetings, and screenings, with a program that combines official competition with different proposals dedicated to auteur cinema, new talents, Basque cinema, and productions from Latin America.

Werner Herzog receives the first Donostia Award

One of the highlights of the opening day will be the recognition of Werner Herzog, who will receive the Donostia Award during the Festival's opening gala.

The German filmmaker, one of the most recognizable figures in contemporary cinema, will also present his new film, Bucking Fastard, starring Rooney Mara, Kate Mara, Orlando Bloom, and Domhnall Gleeson.

The feature film tells the story of two sisters whose extraordinary bond leads them to share a singular relationship with the same man and even their own dreams. The Donostia Award ceremony will be accompanied by the screening of the film at the Victoria Eugenia Theater, before the ceremony at the Kursaal.

Naomi Watts, second Donostia Award

The other great protagonist of the honorary recognitions will be Naomi Watts, who will receive the Donostia Award this Saturday, September 19, during a gala at the Kursaal.

The actress and producer will present The Housewife, the directorial debut of Canadian Ben Shirinian. Watts has two Oscar nominations, for 21 Grams and The Impossible. Filmmaker J.A. Bayona will be in charge of presenting her with the award.

Ricardo Darín stars on this edition's poster

The face on the poster for this 74th edition is Ricardo Darín, one of the most internationally recognized Latin American actors.

His relationship with the Zinemaldia goes back a long way: the Argentine actor has been a regular face at the Festival for two decades and received the Donostia Award in 2017, the highest honorary distinction of the event.

The Golden Shell, at stake

The Official Selection will once again concentrate much of the Festival's attention. It will feature new works by filmmakers such as Nicole Garcia, Pablo Larraín, Mike Leigh, Hans Petter Moland, Benjamín Naishtat, and Yesim Ustaoglu.

The competition will also include three Spanish productions directed by Roberto Bueso, Mikel Gurrea, and Javier Ruiz Caldera. The Official Selection will also incorporate films by Jesse Eisenberg, Amanda Kernell, Gabriel Martins, and Fred Cavayé, along with several feature film debuts.

The first screening in Spain of The Black Ball

The Black Ball, by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, will have its first screening at the San Sebastián Festival this Saturday, September 19. The film, included in the Perlak section, will be screened at 10:15 PM at the Teatro Principal, in what will be its Spanish premiere.

The film, inspired by an unfinished work by Federico García Lorca, arrives in Donostia after its passage through Cannes and Toronto and with the added expectation of having been selected to represent Spain in the race for the Oscars. The cast brings together Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, Lola Dueñas, Penélope Cruz, and Glenn Close.

The Donostia premiere thus represents the first opportunity for the Spanish public to see the film on the big screen before its commercial release in cinemas, scheduled for September 25.

Basque cinema, with 31 productions

Cinema made in or participated from Euskadi will also have a prominent presence. 31 titles with Basque production participate in this edition of Zinemaldia, including feature films, short films, series, and projects in the production phase.

The Zinemira section, specifically dedicated to Basque cinema, will bring together 13 feature films, ten of them in world premiere. Productions with a world premiere at the Festival will also compete for the Irizar Award for Basque Cinema, endowed with 20,000 euros.

Perlak brings together some of the most anticipated titles

The Perlak section will feature 16 feature films from some of the main international festivals. Its titles include works by filmmakers such as Lukas Dhont, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Cristian Mungiu, Martin McDonagh, Nanni Moretti, Pawel Pawlikowski, Ira Sachs, and Andrey Zvyagintsev.

Also included is NAZA, by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, produced by The Guardian and with Jonathan Glazer as executive producer. The Perlak films will compete for the City of Donostia / San Sebastián Audience Award.

New directors and new perspectives

The Festival also maintains its commitment to emerging filmmakers through New Directors, a section in which fourteen first or second feature films will compete for the Kutxabank-New Directors Award.

The section brings together works from, among other countries, Germany, Bulgaria, Chile, South Korea, Spain, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine. The opening will be handled by El mal hijo / The Bad Son, Jaime Lorente's debut film.

Donostia, capital of cinema for nine days

With 263 titles, 47 countries represented, and a long list of international figures, Zinemaldia once again places San Sebastián at the center of cinematic news.

In addition to the major galas and the competition for the Golden Shell, the program includes retrospectives, professional meetings, activities for young people, Basque cinema, Latin American proposals, and numerous industry activities.

For nine days, Donostia will once again be a city dedicated to cinema, with its theaters, the Kursaal, the Victoria Eugenia Theater, and the rest of the Festival's spaces serving as the setting for one of the major cinematic events on the international calendar.