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SAN SEBASTIÁN 2019 Competition

Three European female directors added to San Sebastián’s Official Section

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- The latest offerings from Sarah Gavron, Malgorzata Szumowska and Alice Winocour round off the main strand of the Basque gathering, together with a further three titles announced earlier today

Three European female directors added to San Sebastián’s Official Section
Rocks by Sarah Gavron

The full line-up of the Official Section of the 67th San Sebastián International Film Festival, which is set to to unspool in the city perched on the shores of the Cantabrian Sea from 20-28 September 2019, has finally been made public. The six new titles unveiled earlier today – when added to those announced previously (see the news) – make a total of 17 productions, hailing from a wide and varied range of national film industries, and standing out on account of the sheer strength of their auteurs. Proof of this can be found in the inclusion of the latest works by three highly distinctive European female directors: Sarah Gavron, who will be competing for the Golden Shell with Rocks [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sarah Gavron
film profile
]
, a drama starring youngsters and written by the helmer together with Claire Wilson and Theresa Ikoko; Malgorzata Szumowska, who has won two awards at Berlin (for Body [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Malgorzata Szumowska
interview: Malgorzata Szumowska
film profile
]
and Mug [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Małgorzata Szumowska
film profile
]
), and who will be bringing The Other Lamb [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Malgorzata Szumowska
film profile
]
, another film centring on the difficulties faced by teens, along to the Basque city; and Alice Winocour, who has enlisted Matt Dillon and Eva Green to star in Proxima [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alice Winocour
film profile
]
, about a female astronaut and the motherly conflict she has to endure.

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The other three features announced today which will also form part of the Official Section of the upcoming San Sebastián Film Festival are Patrick [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alba Baptista
interview: Gonçalo Waddington
film profile
]
, the feature debut by Lisbon-born actor (Arabian Nights – Volume 1, The Restless One [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Miguel Gomes
film profile
]
) and playwright Gonçalo Waddington, hinging on the life of a young Portuguese man who has settled in Paris; Pacificado (Brazil), a film produced by Darren Aronofsky, set in post-Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro and directed by Paxton Winters, who received myriad awards for Crude in 2003; and Lhamo and Skalbe (China) by Tibet’s Sonthar Gyal, which addresses the obstacles encountered by the titular couple as they strive to fulfil their wish to get married.

In addition, the title of the festival’s opening film, which will also be duking it out for the Golden Shell, has been made public: Blackbird (USA/UK), helmed by Roger Michell (My Cousin Rachel [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
) and starring Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet and Sam Neill, is a remake of Bille August’s Danish movie Silent Heart [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(2014). The closing film (out of competition) will be The Song of Names [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, starring Tim Roth and Clive Owen and directed by Canada’s François Girard. Meanwhile, a well-deserved Donostia Award will go to Greek maestro Costa-Gavras; the trophy will be handed out in San Sebastián on 21 September, and Costa-Gavras’ latest feature, Adults in the Room [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Costa-Gavras
film profile
]
, inspired by the memoirs of Yanis Varoufakis, will be screened to mark the occasion. Finally, Wasp Network [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Olivier Assayas
film profile
]
, a French-Belgian co-production by Oliver Assayas, will get an airing after the presentation of the Donostia Award to Madrilenian actress Penélope Cruz (see the news).

Here is the list of the new titles, as well as those already announced, in the Official Section:

Competition

BlackbirdRoger Michell (US) (opening film)
A Dark-Dark Man [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
Adilkhan Yerzhanov (Kazakhstan/France)
The Audition [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ina Weisse
interview: Ina Weisse
film profile
]
Ina Weisse (Germany/France)
And the Birds Rained Down – Louise Archambault (Canada)
A Thief’s Daughter [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Belén Funes
film profile
]
  Belén Funes (Spain)
The Endless Trench [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño an…
film profile
]
 – Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño, Jose Mari Goenaga (Spain/France)
Lhamo and Skalbe - Sonthar Gyal (China)
Workforce David Zonana (Mexico)
While at War [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alejandro Amenábar
film profile
]
 – Alejandro Amenábar (Spain/Argentina)
Pacified - Paxton Winters (Brazil)
Patrick [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alba Baptista
interview: Gonçalo Waddington
film profile
]
- Gonçalo Waddington (Portugal/Germany)
Proxima [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alice Winocour
film profile
]
 – Alice Winocour (Germany/France)
Rocks
 [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sarah Gavron
film profile
]
 – Sarah Gavron (UK)
Thalasso [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
Guillaume Nicloux (France)
The Other Lamb [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Malgorzata Szumowska
film profile
]
Malgorzata Szumowska (Ireland/Belgium/Poland/US)
Death Will Come and Shall Have Your Eyes [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 – José Luis Torres Leiva (Chile/Argentina/Germany)
Zeroville James Franco (USA)

Out of Competition

The Song of Names [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- François Girard (Canada/UK/Hungary) (closing film)
Seventeen [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Daniel Sánchez Arévalo
film profile
]
Daniel Sánchez Arévalo (Spain)

Special Screenings

Heroic Losers [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
Sebastián Borensztein (Argentina/Spain)

Special Screenings - Donostia Awards

Adults in the Room [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Costa-Gavras
film profile
]
Costa-Gavras (France/Greece)
Wasp Network [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Olivier Assayas
film profile
]
Oliver Assayas (France/Brazil/Spain/Belgium)
The Burnt Orange Heresy [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Giuseppe Capotondi
film profile
]
- Giuseppe Capotondi (UK/Italy/US)

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(Translated from Spanish)

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