The San Sebastián Film Festival has revealed a bumper Official Selection for its latest edition, which will unfold from September 20 — 28.
The festival, which is celebrating its 72nd edition, will screen new films from established filmmakers such as Edward Berger, Gia Coppola, Costa-Gavras, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Mike Leigh, Diego Lerman, Joshua Oppenheimer, and François Ozon alongside works from new filmmakers including Laura Carreira and Xin Huo.
Coppola’s The Last Showgirl heads to San Sebastián following a debut in Toronto. The film stars Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Dave Bautista. The film’s plot follows a seasoned showgirl who must plan for her future when her show closes after a 30-year run. Also heading to Spain from The Six is Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Michele Austin. The British-Spanish production is said to portray the everyday life of a London family, addressing such issues as family relations, mourning, and mental health. Another Toronto transplant is Laura Carreira’s On Falling. The pic follows the precarious life of a Portuguese warehouse worker in Scotland and is Carreira’s feature directorial debut.
Joshua Oppenheimer’s latest The End stars Tilda Swinton, Michael Shannon, George MacKay, Bronagh Gallagher, and Tim McInnerny. The film is described as a “dystopian musical” and follows a wealthy family who survive in a bunker two decades after the world has ended. François Ozon’s When Fall Is Coming is the French filmmaker’s sixth participation in the San Sebastian Official Selection and tells the tale of a retired woman whose life changes on meeting a man, her friend’s son, recently released from prison.
These titles join Emmanuelle, the latest movie from Audrey Diwan, which is set to open the Official Selection competition. The Spanish productions also recently announced include Soy Nevenka / I’m Nevenka, from Iciar Bollain; El llanto/ The Wailing, from Pedro Martín-Calero; Los destellos / Glimmers, from Pilar Palomero, and Tardes de soledad, from Albert Serra.
Check out the full lineup below.
BOUND IN HEAVEN
XIN HUO (CHINA)
Country(ies) of production: China
Cast: Ni Ni, You Zhou
This film narrates the poignant tale of a terminally ill man and a woman caught in violence, weaving through their fugitive journey after an unforeseen incident. It is a story of a love that survives the ravages of death and a fleeting revelry of life amidst the shadows of death.
CONCLAVE
EDWARD BERGER (GERMANY)
Country(ies) of production: UK – USA
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini, Sergio Castellitto
Conclave follows one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events – selecting a new Pope. Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with running this covert process after the unexpected death of the beloved Pope. Once the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders have gathered from around the world and are locked together in the Vatican halls, Lawrence finds himself at the centre of a conspiracy and discovers a secret that could shake the very foundation of The Church.
EL LUGAR DE LA OTRA
MAITE ALBERDI (CHILE)
Country(ies) of production: Chile
Cast: Elisa Zulueta, Francisca Lewin, Marcial Tagle, Pablo Macaya, Gabriel Urzúa
Chile, 1955. When the popular writer María Carolina Geel kills her lover, the case captivates Mercedes, the shy secretary of the judge in charge of the case. After visiting the writer’s apartment, Mercedes begins to question her life, identity, and the role of women in society as she finds an oasis of freedom in that home.
HARD TRUTHS
MIKE LEIGH (UNITED KINGDOM)
Country(ies) of production: UK – Spain
Cast: Mariane Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, David Webber, Ani Nelson, Sophia Brown, Tuwaine Barrett
Life’s a constant struggle for Pansy. Racked with physical and mental pain, her dealings with the world are channeled through anger and confrontation: she argues with her family, her dentist, her doctor, the girl at the supermarket checkout… Curtley, her husband, has been at a loss as to how to deal with her for a long time while Moses, her son, lives in his own world, hardly says a word and spends his days aimlessly wandering the streets of the city. Only her loving sister Chantelle understands her and is able to help her.
HEBI NO MICHI / SERPENT’S PATH
KIYOSHI KUROSAWA (JAPAN)
Country(ies) of production: Japan – France
Cast: Ko Shibasaki, Damien Bonnard, Mathieu Amalric
In the suburbs of Paris, Albert, a freelance reporter, vows to take revenge for the brutal murder of his young daughter while Sayoko, a Japanese female doctor, assists him in his quest for revenge. With Sayoko’s skillful guidance, the two get closer to the truth behind Albert’s daughter’s death, but it turns out that a mysterious cult and human traffickers are involved in the case. When they finally get close to the truth, Sayoko’s real intention is revealed…
LE DERNIER SOUFFLE / LAST BREATH
COSTA-GAVRAS (GREECE)
Country(ies) of production: France
Cast: Denis Podalydès, Kad Merad, Angela Molina, Charlotte Rampling, Hiam Abbass, Karin Viard, Marilyne Canto, Agathe Bonitzer
In a kind of philosophical dialogue, Doctor Augustin Masset and renowned writer Fabrice Toussaint discuss life and death… A whirlwind of encounters in which the doctor is the guide and the writer, his passenger, led to confront his own fears and anxieties… A poetic ballet, where each patient is a tome of emotions, laughter and tears… A journey to the throbbing heart of our lives.
ON FALLING
LAURA CARREIRA (PORTUGAL)
Country(ies) of production: UK – Portugal
Cast: Joana Santos
On Falling tells the story of Aurora, a Portuguese warehouse picker working in a vast fulfilment centre in Scotland. Trapped between the confines of her workplace and the solitude of her flat share, Aurora seeks to resist the loneliness, alienation and ensuing small talk which begin to threaten her sense of self. Set against a landscape dominated by an algorithm-driven gig economy, designed to keep us apart, On Falling explores the silent, vital struggle to find meaning and connection.
QUAND VIENT L’AUTOMNE / WHEN FALL IS COMING
FRANÇOIS OZON (FRANCE)
Country(ies) of production: France
Cast: Hélène Vincent, Josiane Balasko, Ludivine Sagnier, Pierre Lottin
Michelle, a model grandmother, is enjoying peaceful retirement in a Burgundy village, close to her best friend Marie-Claude. On All Saints’ Day, her daughter Valérie arrives to drop off her grandson Lucas for the school holiday week. But nothing will go to plan.
THE END
JOSHUA OPPENHEIMER (USA)
Country(ies) of production: Denmark – Germany – Ireland – Italy
Cast: Tilda Swinton, George MacKay, Moses Ingram, Michael Shannon
The End is a Golden Age musical about one of the last families on earth. After the sudden arrival of a stranger, Girl, threatens Mother and Father’s family’s luxurious compound deep underground, Son begins to question their seemingly perfect existence.
THE LAST SHOWGIRL
GIA COPPOLA (USA)
Country(ies) of production: USA
Cast: Pamela Anderson, Kiernan Shipka, Brenda Song, Billie Lourd, Dave Bautista, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jason Schwartzman
A seasoned showgirl must plan for her future when her show closes abruptly after a 30-year run. As a dancer in her fifties, she struggles with what to do next. As a mother, she strives to repair a strained relationship with her daughter, who often took a backseat.
