Festival In Focus: How San Sebastian Has Become A Breeding Ground For New Talent
deadline.comThe San Sebastian International Film Festival has long been considered the most intimate of the A-list festivals, neatly wrapping up a hectic fall festival season as delegates descend on the enchanting seaside city in Northern Spain.
But in the last few years, the event has cemented itself into a festival reputed for championing new talent and emerging voices across all sections of its programming.
Indeed, in the last four years, San Sebastian has awarded its top prize, the Golden Shell, to either directorial debut titles or second features, a sure sign that it takes its role as a promoter of rising talent seriously.
This year’s edition, which takes place September 22-30, is no different, with the official competition having 11 films from first or second-time directors including: Raven Jackson’s debut All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, which premiered in Sundance; Isabel Herguera’s animation Sultana’s Dream; Noah Pritzker’s second feature Ex-Husbands, starring Rosanna Arquette; Greek helmer Christos Nikou’s Fingernails with Riz Ahmed and Jessie Buckley, his second film after Greek Oscar entry Apples; and Kitty Green’s follow-up The Royal Hotel, starring Julia Garner. “We are very happy with the line-up this year,” says deputy director Maialen Beloki. “We think it’s a good mixture between some of the names we all know in the film industry and also some newcomers – this is something we are very keen to promote.” Indeed, all these newer talents are featured among some more established heavy hitters in the official competition section, such as Spanish veteran Isabel Coixet, Romanian helmer Cristi Puiu and Oscar-winning Brit director James Marsh. “It’s very important for us to play a role in discovering newer talents,”
Read more on deadline.com
