19/10/2021 - The 66th Valladolid International Film Festival will screen the latest works by Robert Guédiguian, Paul Schrader and Carlos Saura, among many other seasoned directors, plus films by fresh faces, too

French director Robert Guédiguian and US helmer Paul Schrader will be competing for the Golden Spike with their latest features – Mali Twist [+see also:
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film profile] (France/Canada/Senegal/Italy) and The Card Counter [+see also:
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film profile] (USA/UK/China), respectively – in the Official Section of the 66^th Valladolid International Film Festival, which will unspool between 23 and 30 October in the Castilian city, with actress Emma Suárez serving as its “godmother” and with Argentina featured as its guest country.

The festival’s main competitive section will boast 23 films, three of which are showing out of competition: Journey to Somewhere [+see also:
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interview: Helena de Llanos
film profile] by Helena de Llanos, about the highly private figure of her grandfather, Fernando Fernán Gómez; The King of All the World [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by the tireless Carlos Saura; and Funny Boy (Canada/India/USA/Sri Lanka) by Deepa Mehta, who is a regular visitor to the Seminci, is this year’s jury chair and has been entrusted with the responsibility of closing – out of competition, obviously – this 66^th edition of the gathering.

Other films in this, the premier league of the Valladolid-based gathering, include the Spanish outings The Odd-Job Men [+see also:
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interview: Neus Ballús
film profile] by Neus Ballús and Libertad [+see also:
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interview: Clara Roquet
film profile] by Clara Roquet, the opening title of the 2021 Seminci, produced by Spain and Belgium. Clara sola [+see also:
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interview: Nathalie Álvarez Mesén
film profile] (Sweden/Costa Rica/Belgium/Germany), the feature debut by Costa Rica’s Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, will be the first film of this particular nationality to compete in Valladolid, and Iranian cinema will once again enjoy a strong presence. Indeed, as well as highly acclaimed director Asghar Farhadi, with his A Hero [+see also:
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interview: Asghar Farhadi
film profile] (Iran/France), there will be two more titles by first-time directors: Hit the Road, the feature debut by Panah Panahi, the son of Jafar Panahi; and Ballad of a White Cow [+see also:
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Also locking horns for the top prize are the French production A Tale of Love and Desire [+see also:
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interview: Ramon Zürcher and Silvan Zü…
film profile] by Swiss filmmakers Ramon Zürcher and Silvan Zürcher; Hive [+see also:
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interview: Blerta Basholli
interview: Yllka Gashi
film profile] (Kosovo/Switzerland/Albania/North Macedonia) by Kosovo’s Blerta Basholli, the winner of the Grand Jury Prize, the Award for Best Director and the Audience Award in the World Dramatic Competition section of the Sundance Film Festival; Compartment No. 6 [+see also:
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interview: Juho Kuosmanen
film profile] (Finland/Germany/Estonia/Russia) by Finland’s Juho Kuosmanen; and Happening [+see also:
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interview: Anamaria Vartolomei
film profile] by France’s Audrey Diwan, which is getting an airing in Valladolid after scooping the Golden Lion at the most recent Venice Film Festival.

Edwin will be taking part with Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash [+see also:
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film profile] (Indonesia/Singapore/Germany), the winner of the Golden Leopard at Locarno, while the ever-fascinating Danish filmmaker Joachim Trier will partake in the Official Section for the first time with The Worst Person in the World [+see also:
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interview: Joachim Trier
film profile] (Norway/France/Sweden/Denmark). Argentina’s Paula Hernández will be duking it out with The Siamese Bond, the title selected to represent her country in the Best Latin American Film category of the upcoming Goya Awards.

The menu of the Official Section will also include Last Film Show (India/France), the fifth fiction feature by Pan Nalin, the auteur behind the multi-award-winning Samsara (2001); Huda’s Salon [+see also:
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film profile] (Palestine/Egypt/Netherlands/Qatar/USA) by Hany Abu-Assad, the esteemed director of Paradise Now [+see also:
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film profile] (2005); I’m Your Man [+see also:
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interview: Maria Schrader
film profile], the invigorating third feature-length directorial effort by German actress Maria Schrader, for which Maren Eggert picked up the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance at Berlin; and The Fam [+see also:
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interview: Fred Baillif
film profile], the third film by Switzerland’s Fred Baillif.

Finally, away from the Official Section, audiences will be able to enjoy the world premieres of the latest film by Benito Zambrano, Lemon and Poppy Seed Cake [+see also:
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interview: Benito Zambrano
film profile], and the freshest offering from Fernando Colomo, the comedy Cuidado con lo que deseas [+see also:
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film profile].

Details of all of the films, sections, tributes and activities of the 66^th Seminci in Valladolid can be found here.

(Translated from Spanish)