San Sebastian retrospective: ''American Way of Death: American Film Noir 1990-2010''

The retrospective dedicated to American film noir will open at the 59th edition of the Festival with TEXAS KILLING FIELDS, a film to compete in the Official Selection at Venice Festival. This gripping thriller proves that the genre is fighting trim: set in the Texas bayous, the tale tracks two detectives pitted against mysterious unsolved murders all occurring in a haunting stretch of bayous and coastal plain. The cast headlines Sam Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jessica Chastain, Annabeth Gish and Sheryl Lee.

The director of the movie, Ami Canaan Mann, is the daughter of Michael Mann. She worked as a screenwriter and director on series such as NYPD Blue, Robbery Homicide Division and Friday Night Lights. She made her feature directorial debut with Morning (2001), winner of awards at the Rhode Island and Houston festivals.

The cycle "American Way of Death: American film noir 1990-2010" includes 40 emblematic titles to have come out of the genre in the last twenty years; from popular Hollywood productions to independent movie proposals. Here we can find oeuvres by moviemakers like David Fincher, Clint Eastwood, Joel Coen, Michael Mann, Quentin Tarantino, John Dahl, Abel Ferrara and Jonathan Demme, among many others. The cycle will be presented by two luxury guests: filmmakers Walter Hill and James Gray, both authors of films featured in the retrospective.

Walter Hill (Long Beach, 1942) is one of the great action helmers of American film, author of cult movies like Hard Times (1975), Driver (1978), The Warriors (1979), The Long Raiders (1980) and Southern Comfort (1982), entrant in San Sebastian Festival's Official Selection. He also participated in the TV series, Deadwood. The cycle will also include the screening of his film Last Man Standing (1996), starring Bruce Willis and Christopher Walken.

James Gray (New York, 1969) debuted in film with Little Odessa (1994). This work, winner of awards at the Venice and Deauville festivals, can also be found in the cycle. Gray went on to film another two major contributions to the genre, The Yards (1999) and We Own the Night (2007). His last work was Two Lovers (2008).

The cycle comes with a book, coordinated by Roberto Cueto and Antonio Santamarina, including articles by Ricardo Aldarondo, Quim Casas, Jordi Costa, Desirée de Fez, Jara Fernández, Chris Fujiwara, Novotny Lawrence, Jesús Palacios, Alain Silver and James Ursini.

It is jointly organised with the Basque Film Library, has the collaboration of the Government of Valencia Film Library, and is sponsored by TCM.

CONFIRMED FILMS IN THE CYCLE FOR THE TIME BEING

GOODFELLAS (1990), Martin Scorsese

KING OF NEW YORK (1990), Abel Ferrara

MILLER'S CROSSING (1990), Joel Coen

WILD AT HEART (1990), David Lynch

HOMICIDE (1991), David Mamet

THE INDIAN RUNNER (1991), Sean Penn

NEW JACK CITY (1991), Mario Van Peebles

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991), Jonathan Demme

BASIC INSTINCT (1992), Paul Verhoeven

ONE FALSE MOVE (1992), Carl Franklin

RESERVOIR DOGS (1992), Quentin Tarantino

MENACE II SOCIETY (1993), Albert and Allen Hughes

RED ROCK WEST (1993), John Dahl

SUTURE (1993), Scott McGehee and David Siegel

LITTLE ODESSA (1994), James Gray

HEAT (1995), Michael Mann

NEW JERSEY DRIVE (1995), Nick Gomez

SE7EN (1995), David Fincher

STRANGE DAYS (1995), Kathryn Bigelow

UNDERNEATH (1995), Steven Soderbergh

FARGO (1996), Joel Coen

HARD EIGHT (1996), Paul Thomas Anderson

LAST MAN STANDING (1996), Walter Hill

L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (1997), Curtis Hanson

GHOST DOG: THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI (1999), Jim Jarmusch

SUMMER OF SAM (1999), Spike Lee

MEMENTO (2000), Christopher Nolan

PANIC (2000), Henry Bromell

TRAINING DAY (2001), Antoine Fuqua

MYSTIC RIVER (2003), Clint Eastwood

COLLATERAL (2004), Michael Mann

KISS KISS BANG BANG (2005), Shane Black

SIN CITY (2005), Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez

BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD (2007), Sidney Lumet

ZODIAC (2007), David Fincher

PRIDE AND GLORY (2008), Gavin O'Connor

THE AMERICAN (2010), Anton Corbijn

TEXAS KILLING FIELDS (2011), Ami Canaan Mann