14/07/2023 - 14 titles, also including a new series by "Los Javis" and another one on C Tangana, will represent Spain at the 71st edition of the Basque festival

This morning, at the Madrid headquarters of the Spanish Film Academy, one of the most eagerly awaited events of the San Sebastián International Film Festival took place: the presentation of Spanish films to be screened at its 71st edition, to be held from 22-30 September. Fourteen Spanish productions will feature in the different sections of the festival, including new works by Isabel Coixet, Jaione Camborda and "Los Javis".

In the official section, competing for the Golden Shell, will be the eagerly awaited Un amor, the new film by Isabel Coixet (read the article), an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Sara Mesa, starring Laia Costa and Hovik Keuchkerian; The Rye Horn, the second film from the Basque director Jaione Camborda, starring the Galician Janet Novás; and the debut feature by visual artist, producer and director Isabel Herguera, Sultana's Dream, an animated film based on the story by Rockeya Hossain.

Out of competition, but also in the official section, audiences will be able to see the new series by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo (popularly known as "Los Javis"), La Mesías, a family thriller whose cast includes renowned actresses such as Carmen Machi, Macarena García, Cecilia Roth, Lola Dueñas and Ana Rujas (read the article). The official section will also feature a special screening of a Spanish production, the animated film They Shot the Piano Player, where Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal team up once again in support of the Brazilian musician Tenório Jr (read the article). 

In the New Directors section, Javier Macipe's second film will be presented (after his debut Los inconvenientes de no ser Dios), La estrella azul, an approach to the story of the Zaragozan musician Mauricio Aznar. The Zabaltegi-Tabakalera section will also feature debuts from Alberto Martín Menacho, Nights Gone By, which has already screened in Visions du Réel; the Vietnamese filmmaker An Pham Thien, Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell, after winning the Caméra d’Or at the last Cannes Festival; and the new medium-length film from the Basque filmmaker Ion de Sosa (Androids Dream), Mamántula. This section will also include the short film Contadores, by Irati Gorostidi, which was at the Critics' Week in Cannes.

Finally, El Velódromo, the festival's largest venue, will host the premieres of two series: Esta ambición desmedida, directed by Santos Bacana, Cris Trenas and Rogelio González, which explores the creative process of the artist C. Tangana as part of the “Sin Cantar ni Afinar” tour; and El otro lado, a new original series for Movistar Plus+ where Berto Romero (creator and star) ventures for the first time into the horror genre, directed together with Alberto de Toro and Javier Ruiz Caldera.

The Spanish films announced today:

Competition

Un amor – Isabel Coixet (Spain)
The Rye Horn – Jaione Camborda (Spain/Portugal/Belgium)
Sultana's Dream – Isabel Herguera (Spain)

Out of competition

La Mesías – Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo (Spain) (series)

Special Screenings

They Shot the Piano Player – Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal (Spain/France)

New Directors

La estrella azul – Javier Macipe (Argentina/Spain)

Zabaltegi – Tabakalera

Nights Gone By – Alberto Martín Menacho (Switzerland/Spain)
Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell – An Pham Thien (Vietnam/Singapore/France/Spain)
Mamántula – Ion de Sosa (Spain) (medium-length film)
Contadores - Irati Gorostidi (Spain) (short film)

Latin Horizons

The Castle – Martín Benchimol (Argentina/France/Spain)
Blondi – Dolores Fonzi (Argentina/United States/Spain)

Velodrome

Esta ambición desmedida - Santos Bacana, Cris Trenas, Rogelio González (Spain)
El otro lado – Berto Romero, Alberto de Toro, Javier Ruiz Caldera (Spain) (series)

(Translated from Spanish by Vicky York)