Spanish films announced today in Madrid. Here´s a short video as a preview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqjQBE7_ijU

Today the Academia de las Artes the Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas was the setting for the announcement of twenty-one films with Spanish production on the programme of the San Sebastian Festival’s 65th edition. From September 22 to 30 the Festival will premiere Life and Nothing More, the second film by Antonio Méndez Esparza, winner of the Cannes Critics’ Week award with Aquí y allá; Handia, the latest proposal from Jon Garaño and Aitor Arregi, director and screenwriters of Loreak(Flowers); El autor, by Manuel Martín Cuenca, third-time contender for the Golden Shell; Marrowbone, the directorial debut of screenwriter Sergio G. Sánchez; the first two episodes of the series La peste (The Plague), directed by Alberto Rodríguez; and Morir (Dying), the second film by Fernando Franco.

Manuel Martín Cuenca has presented in San Sebastian three essential films in his filmography: his fiction debut, La flaqueza del bolchevique (The Weakness of the Bolshevik, 2003), selected for Zabaltegi New Directors; Malas temporadas (Hard Times, 2005) and Caníbal (Cannibal, 2013), both contenders for the Golden Shell. He returns to the Official Selection with El autor, a film based on the novel El móvil (The Motive), by Javier Cercas, starring Javier Gutiérrez, María Leon and Antonio de la Torre, with a soundtrack by José Luis Perales.

Handia, based on the true story of Miguel Joaquín Eleizegi (1818-1861), known as the Altzo giant, explores his human side and how he related to the society of his time. Handia is the new film by Aitor Arregi and Jon Garaño. Jon Garaño directed Loreak (Flowers, Official Selection, 2014) together with Jose Mari Goenaga; Aitor Arregi wrote Loreak and directed Lucio (premiered in Zabaltegi Special Screenings in 2007) also with Goenaga.

Having landed the Cannes Critics’ Week award for Aquí y allá, his take on Mexican emigration, the moviemaker from Madrid, Antonio Méndez Esparza turns his eyes in Life and Nothing More towards the situation of a single mother and her 14 year-old son in the state of Florida.

Featuring out of competition in the Official Selection is Marrowbone, directorial debut of Sergio G. Sánchez, screenwriter of El Orfanato (The Orphanage), The Impossible (2012 Official Selection) and Palmeras en la nieve (Palm Trees in the Snow), who has recruited young British and North American talents for the film: Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch, Split), George Mackay (Captain Fantastic), Mia Goth (A Cure for Wellness, Nymphomaniac. Vol. II) and Charlie Heaton (As You Are, Stranger Things).

Also participating out of competition is La peste (The Plague), the first TV series to be part of the Festival’s Official Selection. San Sebastian will see the premiere of the first two episodes of the six episode thriller directed by Alberto Rodríguez, set in 16th century Seville.

Featuring in the special screenings section is Morir (Dying) by Fernando Franco, winner of the Special Jury Prize at the San Sebastian Festival and of the Goya Award to Best New Director for his first work, La herida. Morir (Dying), a free adaptation of the book of the same name by Arthur Schnitzler, stars Andrés Gertrúdix and Marian Álvarez, also winner with La herida of the Best Actress Silver Shell, endorsed by the Goya for Best Actress.

Spanish participation can also be found in La cordillera (The Summit), the film directed by Santiago Mitre which will be shown in a special screening to celebrate presentation of the Donostia Award to its leading man, the Argentine actor Ricardo Darín.

In New Directors, Nicolás Combarro (A Coruña, 1979), a well-known artist who uses different forms of expression including photography and sculpture, presents his first film, Alberto García-Alix. La línea de sombra (Alberto García-Alix. The Shadow Line), portraying the universe of the Spanish photographer. Also in the section dedicated to new talents is the co-production between Chile, Spain and Argentina, Princesita(Princess), directed by Marialy Rivas, whose first feature, Joven & Alocada (Young & Wild, 2012), won the Best Screenplay Award at Sundance. Princesita (Princess) was a participant in the Films in Progress selection in 2015.

The co-production between Chile, Germany, Spain and United States Una mujer fantástica (A Fantastic Woman) by Sebastián Lelio, winner of the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the Berlinale, will open Horizontes Latinos, the selection of which includes La educación del Rey (Rey’s Education), by Santiago Esteves, winner of the two Films in Progress awards last year (Films in Progress 30 Industry Award and the CAACI / Ibermedia TV Films in Progress Award).

Zabaltegi-Tabakalera will see the premiere of Vergüenza, another series written and directed by Juan Cavestany and Álvaro Fernández Armero. Javier Gutiérrez and Malena Alterio star in this uneasy comedy, the ten episodes of which will be seen in San Sebastian. The section will also be the framework for the premiere of Saura(s), helmed by Félix Viscarret, a film from the Cineastas contados series, in which young filmmakers portray revered artists from their country. Other competitors for the Zabaltegi-Tabakalera award are the first work as a director from Gustavo Salmerón, the documentary Muchos hijos, un mono y un castillo (Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle), an allegory of the crisis which garnered the Best Documentary Award at the Karlovy Vary Festival, and the shorts Plágan (Kimuak 2017), by Koldo Almandoz, who competed in the same section last year with Sipo Phantasma (Ghost Ship), and Plus Ultra, by Samuel M. Delgado and Helena Girón, selected for the Locarno Festival. The coming feature film project by Delgado and Girón, Eles transportan a morte, has been selected for the Ikusmira Berriak 2017 programme.

Furthermore, the co-production Loving Pablo, the film about drug lord Pablo Escobar, directed by Fernando León de Aranoa and starring Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz, will close the Pearls section and will be screened in the Anoeta Velodrome.

The Velodrome also will host the premieres of Operación Concha (Operation Golden Shell), a screwball comedy set at the San Sebastian Festival, directed by Antonio Cuadri (El corazón de la tierra /The Heart of the Earth) and starring Jordi Mollà and Karra Elejalde, and Fe de etarras, fourth feature as a director from Borja Cobeaga, written by Diego San José and starring Javier Cámara, Julián López, Miren Ibarguren and Gorka Otxoa.

The Spanish Television gala will host the premiere of La llamada, the adaptation of the homonymous musical. The directors of the play, Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, take their first steps in feature film territory with this movie starring Macarena García (Best Actress Silver Shell for Blancanieves / Snow White), Anna Castillo and Belén Cuesta.

Lastly, competing at the International Film Students Meeting is L’home llop (The Wolfman), directed by a student of the ESCAC (Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya), Lluís Sellarés.

© JulioVergne

 

 

© Aquí y Allí Films

 

 

 

 

NEW DIRECTORS

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ALBERTO GARCÍA-ALIX. LA LÍNEA DE SOMBRA(ALBERTO GARCÍA-ALIX. THE SHADOW LINE)

NICOLÁS COMBARRO  (SPAIN)

Production: MORELLI PRODUCCIONES

Alberto García-Alix. La línea de sombra is the portrait of one of the most important photographers on the Spanish artistic scene, reference of an entire generation. A direct testimony of the lights and shadows through which Alberto García-Alix has had to make his way in order to find his path. Narrated from the intimacy of his studio, the film takes the shape of a voyage between the present and the past. A dialogue between his life and work.

 

 

 

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PRINCESITA (PRINCESS)

MARIALY RIVAS  (CHILE - SPAIN - ARGENTINA)

Production: FABULA, SETEMBRO CINE, SUDESTADA CINE

Cast: Sara Caballero, Marcelo Alonso, Maria Gracia Omegna

Films in Progress 28

In a far-off country at the end of the world Tamara, aged 12, lives under the wing of charismatic cult leader Miguel, a man she adores. That summer the girl will be given a mission: to have a holy child with him immediately she has her first period. Tamara realises that the life she wants for herself is not the same as the fate imposed on her. Her disobedience will lead to her violent development from child to woman, forcing her to gain her freedom in a way she had never imagined. 

 

 

HORIZONTES LATINOS

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UNA MUJER FANTÁSTICA (A FANTASTIC WOMAN)

SEBASTIÁN LELIO  (TXILE - GERMANY - SPAIN - USA)

Production: FABULA, KOMPLIZEN FILM, SETEMBRO CINE

Cast: Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes, Luis Gnecco, Paulina García, Néstor Cantillana, Alonso Torres, Cristián Chaparro, Senén Arancibia

OPENING FILM (IN COMPETITION)

Marina is a young waitress and wannabe singer; Orlando owns a printing company. Together they plan their future. When Orlando dies suddenly, Marina has to stand up to her family and society to show them what she truly is: a complex, strong, forthright and... fantastic woman. Teddy Award and Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the Berlinale 2017.

 

 

 

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LA EDUCACIÓN DEL REY (REY'S EDUCATION)

SANTIAGO ESTEVES  (ARGENTINA - SPAIN)

Production: 13 CONEJOS, NEPHILIM S.A.

Cast: Germán De Silva, Matías Encinas, Jorge Prado, Mario Jara, Martín Arrojo, Elena Schnell, Marcelo Lacerna, Esteban Lamothe

Bolting from his first ever heist, Reynaldo Galíndez, alias 'Rey', lands in the patio of the house inhabited by Carlos Vargas, a retired security guard. Vargas proposes a deal: the young boy will repair the damage to his home in return for not being handed over to the police. The lessons given to the teenager by the former guard develop into a relationship not unlike the old legends of educating a king (for the “Rey” of his name, meaning “king”). But the agreement will start to fall apart when the loose ends of the robbery Reynaldo had been involved in start closing in around them. Films in Progress Industry Award and CAACI / Ibermedia TV Films in Progress Award in 2016.

 

 

ZABALTEGI-TABAKALERA

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MUCHOS HIJOS, UN MONO Y UN CASTILLO (LOTS OF KIDS, A MONKEY AND A CASTLE.)

GUSTAVO SALMERÓN  (SPAIN)

Production: GUSTAVO SALMERÓN P.C.

Cast: Julia Salmerón, Antonio García Cabanes, Gustavo Salmerón, Nacho Salmerón, Ramón García Salmerón, David García Salmerón, Paloma García Cabanes

This is the story about Julita, a matriarch whose three childhood wishes have been granted: lots of kids, a monkey, and a Spanish castle. At her 81 years old, one of her children needs to find the vertebra of his murdered great-grandmother, lost among the exorbitant amount of weird objects she has hoarded throughout her life, revealing a very picturesque family history. This unique old lady is about to find the meaning of life. Winner of the Award to the Best Documentary at Karlovy Vary.

 

 

 

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PLÁGAN (PLAGUE) (Short film)

KOLDO ALMANDOZ  (SPAIN)

Production: TXINTXUA FILMS SL, MKM

Plague: From the Latin plague ‘blow’, ‘wound’. Meaning: Massive and sudden appearance of living beings of a same species which cause serious damage to animal or vegetable populations. Abundance of something harmful.

 

 

 

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PLUS ULTRA (Short film)

SAMUEL M. DELGADO, HELENA GIRÓN  (SPAIN)

Production: EL VIAJE FILMS, FILMIKA GALAIKA

Cast: David Pantaleón, Rubén Rodríguez, María Isabel Díaz, Elena Navarro, Mercedes Pintado

Plus Ultra is Spain’s motto. It was used to encourage seafarers to conquer new lands, forgetting Greek mythology’s warning: Non Terrae Plus Ultra (No Land Beyond). The Canary Islands – test bench for the tactics used to colonise America – become the scene of a fable about the territory.

 

 

 

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VERGÜENZA

JUAN CAVESTANY, ÁLVARO FERNÁNDEZ ARMERO  (SPAIN)

Production: MOVISTAR+, APACHE FILMS S.L.

Cast: Javier Gutiérrez, Malena Alterio, Vito Sanz

Jesús and Nuria have a problem: no matter what they do, they’re always the laughing stock of their family and friends, stupidly making a fool of themselves. He is a wedding and christening photographer, but believes he has a calling to show his true talent in ‘artistic’ photography. She believes that after her temporary crises she’ll start to have a more interesting life. Together they must decide whether being so pathetic is just a passing virus or if they actually have a chronic disease. Vergüenza is a ten chapter television series.

 

 

 

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SAURA(S)

FÉLIX VISCARRET  (SPAIN)

Production: IMVAL PRODUCCIONES, PANTALLA PARTIDA

Félix Viscarret is a young director. Carlos Saura is a living legend. United by the Cineastas Contados initiative tribute to the genius from Aragon, Viscarret devises a plan for his personal portrayal of the veteran filmmaker. It’s brilliant. It will show the most intimate Saura through conversations between the master and his 7 children. All accept. Saura isn’t fond of talking about the past. Viscarret insists. Saura likes painting. And photography.

PEARLS

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LOVING PABLO

FERNANDO LEÓN DE ARANOA  (SPAIN - BULGARIA)

Production: ESCOBAR FILMS AIE, B2Y OOD LTD, JAVIER BARDEM

Cast: Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz

CLOSING NIGHT FILM

Not in competition

The true story of the notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, who killed thousands, made billions and struck up an unlikely love affair with his polar opposite, a glamorous television host named Virginia Vallejo.

 

 

 

VELODROME

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© Jorge Alvariño

 

FE DE ETARRAS

BORJA COBEAGA  (SPAIN)

Production: NETFLIX, MEDIAPRO

Cast: Javier Cámara, Gorka Otxoa, Julian López, Miren Ibarguren, Ramón Barea

Fe de etarras is an unusual dark comedy set in the warm summer of 2010 in a Spanish provincial capital. A peculiar commando composed of a veteran desperate to prove he’s not a coward, a couple whose commitment depends on continuity of the outfit and a guy from La Mancha who thinks that joining the commando will turn him into Chuck Norris, hole up in a safe house while waiting for the call to tell them they can take action. Meanwhile, the Spanish football team notches up victories in the South Africa World Cup and the whole country is celebrating around them, causing enormous frustration among the farcical commando.

 

 

 

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OPERACIÓN CONCHA (OPERATION GOLDEN SHELL)

ANTONIO CUADRI  (SPAIN - MEXICO)

Production: ABRA PROD S.L., SPLINE PRODUCCIÓN AUDIOVISUAL S.A. DE CV (CARIBBEAN FIMS)

Cast: Jordi Mollà, Karra Elejalde, Unax Ugalde, Ramón Agirre, Bárbara Goenaga, Bárbara Mori, Mara Escalante, Alosian Vivancos

Unscrupulous businessman Marcos Ruiz de Aldazábal (Karra Elejalde) is the head of a film production company gone bust. Desperate and penniless, Marcos and his team come up with a plan to hoodwink a millionnaire investment company with a lookalike of prestigious actor Ray Silvela (Jordi Mollà), who has declined the offer to work on their film. Making the most of the San Sebastian Festival context, they set about contriving a massive hoax where nothing is what it seems to be.

 

 

 

TVE SPECIAL SCREENING

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LA LLAMADA (HOLY CAMP)

JAVIER CALVO, JAVIER AMBROSSI  (SPAIN)

Production: APACHE FILMS, LO HACEMOS Y YA VEMOS AIE, SÁBADO PELÍCULAS

Cast: Macarena García, Anna Castillo, Belén Cuesta, Gracia Olayo

Segovia. A Christian Summer camp, called 'The Compass'. Bernarda, a nun who has just got there, wants to save the camp with her song Viviremos firmes en la fe. Sister Milagros, a young woman who doubts, remembers she liked Presuntos Implicados very much. María and Susana, two adolescents who are there as a punishment, have a band called Suma Latina. But since God appeared to María, everything is changing. And that's because God loves Whitney Houston.

 

DONOSTIA AWARD SPECIAL SCREENING

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LA CORDILLERA (THE SUMMIT)

SANTIAGO MITRE  (ARGENTINA - SPAIN - FRANCE)

Production: KRAMER & SIGMAN FILMS, MOD PRODUCCIONES, MANEKI FILMS, LA UNIÓN DE LOS RÍOS

Cast: Ricardo Darín, Dolores Fonzi, Érica Rivas, Elena Anaya, Daniel Giménez-Cacho, Alfredo Castro, Gerardo Romano, Leonardo Franco, Paulina García, Christian Slater

At a Summit for Latin American presidents in Chile, where the region’s geopolitical strategies and alliances are in discussion, Argentine president Hernán Blanco endures a political and family drama that will force him to face his own demons. He will have to come to two decisions that could change the course of his public and private life forever: one regarding a complicated emotional situation with his daughter, and the other, the most important political decisión of his career.