A total of 17 Spanish-produced titles will form part of the selection of the upcoming 72nd San Sebastián International Film Festival, which will unspool from 20-28 September. This year, there will be four in the competition for the Golden Shell and a further four in the New Directors section, a sizeable number that constitutes a clear sign of the current rude health of Spanish arthouse cinematic production.

Standing out among the films that will be locking horns for the festival’s top prize is one by pioneering Catalonian filmmaker Albert Serra, marking his first time taking part in the gathering. He will thus pay it a visit after having become a regular at the Cannes Film Festival. After the international success of Pacifiction [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Albert Serra
scheda film], the filmmaker and artist helms his first non-fiction feature, Afternoons of Solitude [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Albert Serra
scheda film], revolving around a day in the life of bullfighter Andrés Roca Rey, tackling his state of mind and the spiritual journeys he embarks on.

This year sees the return of two female filmmakers who are both familiar faces at the event: seasoned director Iciar Bollain and the young Pilar Palomero. The former, who previously picked up prizes in the section with Take My Eyes [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film], Yuli – The Carlos Acosta Story [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Icíar Bollaín
scheda film] and Maixabel [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Icíar Bollaín
scheda film], will present I am Nevenka [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Icíar Bollaín
scheda film], the true story of a Spanish city councillor who paid a high price for daring to report harassment by the mayor. The latter, who did likewise with La maternal [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Pilar Palomero
scheda film], will present Glimmers [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Pilar Palomero
scheda film], inspired by the story Un corazón demasiado grande (Bihotz handiegia) by author Eider Rodríguez, and starring Patricia López Arnaiz and Antonio de la Torre.

These films will be joined by the work of a first-timer, Pedro Martín-Calero. The Wailing [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Pedro Martín-Calero, Isabe…
scheda film], co-written with Isabel Peña (who teams up regularly with Rodrigo Sorogoyen) and starring Ester Expósito, follows three women who are unwittingly bound to each other and are faced with a threat that is bigger than them.

In the New Directors strand, the sophomore works by David Pérez Sañudo (who took part in this very section with his debut feature, Ane Is Missing [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: David Pérez Sañudo
scheda film]) and Argentina’s Cecilia Atán and Valeria Pivato (whose first film as a duo, The Desert Bride, partook in Un Certain Regard at Cannes) head up the selection, respectively with Los últimos románticos (Azken erromantikoak) [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] and Surfacing [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film]. Here, we also find the feature debut by Sandra Romero, As Silence Passes By [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Sandra Romero
scheda film], and the one by singer Antón Álvarez, better known as C Tangana – the documentary La guitarra flamenca de Yerai Cortés [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Antón Álvarez
scheda film].

Standing tall among the Special Screenings and out of competition are the series by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa for Movistar Plus+, Querer, which comes on the heels of the multi-award-winning Lullaby [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Alauda Ruiz de Azúa
scheda film], in addition to the new film by Paula Ortiz (The Bride [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Paula Ortiz
scheda film], Teresa [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film]) for Amazon, La virgen roja [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film]. Meanwhile, the Zabaltegi-Tabakalera and Horizontes Latinos parallel sections will include titles that were premiered at Cannes (such as the short film Southern Brides by Elena López Riera) and Berlin (such as the co-production Every You Every Me [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Michael Fetter Nathansky
scheda film] by Germany’s Michael Fetter Nathansky).

Here is the list of selected films announced so far:

Competition

I am Nevenka [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Icíar Bollaín
scheda film] - Iciar Bollain (Spain)
The Wailing [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Pedro Martín-Calero, Isabe…
scheda film] - Pedro Martín-Calero (Spain/Argentina/France)
Glimmers [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Pilar Palomero
scheda film] - Pilar Palomero (Spain)
Afternoons of Solitude [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Albert Serra
scheda film] - Albert Serra (Spain/France/Portugal)

Out of Competition

Querer - Alauda Ruiz de Azúa (Spain) (series)

Special Screenings

Yo, adicto - Javier Giner, Elena Trapé (Spain) (series)
La virgen roja [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - Paula Ortiz (Spain/USA)

New Directors

La guitarra flamenca de Yerai Cortés [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Antón Álvarez
scheda film] - Antón Álvarez (Spain)
Surfacing [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - Cecilia Atán, Valeria Pivato (Spain/Argentina)
Los últimos románticos (Azken erromantikoak) [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - David Pérez Sañudo (Spain)
As Silence Passes By [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Sandra Romero
scheda film] - Sandra Romero (Spain)

Zabaltegi-Tabakalera

Every You Every Me [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Michael Fetter Nathansky
scheda film] - Michael Fetter Nathansky (Germany/Spain)
Southern Brides - Elena López Riera (Spain/Switzerland) (short film)
When It Comes (It Will Have Your Eyes) - Izibene Oñederra (Spain) (short film)

Horizontes Latinos

Most People Die on Sundays [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] - Iair Said (Argentina/Italy/Spain)
Maybe It’s True What They Say About Us [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] - Sofía Paloma Gómez, Camilo Becerra (Chile/Argentina/Spain)

Velodrome

Celeste [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Diego San José
scheda series] - Diego San José, Elena Trapé (Spain) (series)