The 67^th San Sebastián International Film Festival is revving its engines: this morning, its director, José Luis Rebordinos, announced the first batch of titles in the gathering’s official section which, from 20-28 September, will be battling it out for the event’s coveted top prize, the Golden Shell. As they all happened to be Spanish (some of which in co-production with Europe or Latin America), what better place for the unveiling than the Madrilenian HQ of the Spanish Film Academy? There, attendees were informed that the much-awaited new period movie by Alejandro Amenábar, While at War [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Alejandro Amenábar
scheda film], will be locking horns with other titles such as A Thief’s Daughter [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Belén Funes
scheda film], the feature debut by Belén Funes, a drama that has also been generating a huge buzz, starring real-life (as well as fictional) father and daughter Greta Fernández and Eduard Fernández (who will be vying for the Best Actor Award, coincidentally going up against himself, as he also has a major role in Amenábar’s movie). Also set to compete in this strand are some of the gathering’s regulars, Jose Mari Goenaga, Jon Garaño and Aitor Arregi, a Basque team of directors who scooped the Special Jury Prize two years ago with Giant [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Aitor Arregi e Jon Garaño
scheda film] and who will now attempt to outdo themselves with the Antonio de la Torre starrer La trinchera infinita [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño e…
scheda film], a chronicle of the hardships endured by a victim of a political reprisal who hid himself away for too long during the ill-fated Franco regime.

In the official section, albeit out of competition, audiences will be able to enjoy Diecisiete [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Daniel Sánchez Arévalo
scheda film], the new outing by Daniel Sánchez-Arévalo, and, in the special screenings, the Spanish-Argentinian co-production Heroic Losers [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] by Sebastián Borensztein, an adaptation of the brilliant novel The Night of the Heroic Losers penned by Eduardo Sacheri (The Secret in Their Eyes [+leggi anche:
trailer
making of
Intervista Juan José Campanella [IT]
Intervista Ricardo Darín [IT]
Intervista Soledad Villemin [IT]
scheda film]), starring and funded by father and son Ricardo and Chino Darín.

Other hotly anticipated debuts that will be screened at San Sebastián include The Innocence [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Lucía Alemany
scheda film] by Lucía Alemany, which is a product of the ECAM’s The Screen programme (see the news), and Las letras de Jordi by Maider Fernández, a project developed as part of the Ikusmira Berriak residency programme, which scooped the REC Grabaketa Estudioa Post-production Award in 2017. Both movies will be taking part in the New Directors section.

Finally, Turu, the Wacky Hen [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film], an animated film by directorial duo Víctor Monigote and Eduardo Gondell, a co-production between Argentina and Spain, should go down a treat with families in the Velodrome; and Adiós, Paco Cabezas’ return to Spanish cinema after his mainstream success in Hollywood, toplined by Natalia de Molina and Mario Casas, will get an airing as a RTVE Gala.

Here is the list of films announced so far:

Competition

A Thief’s Daughter [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Belén Funes
scheda film] – Belén Funes (Spain)
While at War [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Alejandro Amenábar
scheda film] – Alejandro Amenábar (Argentina/Spain)
La trinchera infinita [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño e…
scheda film] – Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño and Jose Mari Goenaga (Spain/France)

Out of competition

Diecisiete [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Daniel Sánchez Arévalo
scheda film] – Daniel Sánchez Arévalo (Spain)

Special Screenings

Heroic Losers [+leggi anche:
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trailer
scheda film] – Sebastián Borensztein (Argentina/Spain)

New Directors

The Innocence [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Lucía Alemany
scheda film] – Lucía Alemany (Spain)
Jordi's Letters [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Maider Fernández Iriarte
scheda film] – Maider Fernández (Spain)

Zabaltegi-Tabakalera

El fiscal, la presidenta y el espía – Justin Webster (Germany/Spain) (TV series)
The Golden Legend – Ion de Sosa, Chema García Ibarra (Spain) (short film)
Escenas de vida – Izibene Oñederra (Spain) (short film)
Urpean Lurra – Maddi Barber (Spain) (medium-length film)

Velodrome

Turu, the Wacky Hen [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film] – Víctor Monigote and Eduardo Gondell (Argentina/Spain)
Perfect Life [+leggi anche:
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trailer
scheda series] (TV series) – Leticia Dolera (Spain)

RTVE Gala

Adiós [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Paco Cabezas
scheda film] – Paco Cabezas (Spain)