– Among the 25 Spanish titles, standing out in the Golden Shell competition are Mikel Gurrea’s Saints, Roberto Bueso’s El mal padre and Javier Ruíz Caldera’s 5 More Minutes
Saints by Mikel Gurrea
This morning, the headquarters of the Spanish Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences hosted the announcement of 25 Spanish productions (23 films and 2 series) that will be screened between 18 and 26 September at the 74th edition of the San Sebastián International Film Festival, the last to be headed by José Luis Rebordinos.
In the Official Selection, three features will vie for the Golden Shell: Saints, marking Mikel Gurrea’s return to the competition (after Suro, which won, among others, the FIPRESCI Award) in which a woman played by Victoria Luengo joins a group of thieves targeting religious statues; El mal padre, the third feature by Roberto Bueso after Love Beats and Full of Grace, starring Eduard Fernández; and 5 More Minutes, Javier Ruiz Caldera’s competitive debut at the festival (3 Many Weddings, series The Other Side), toplined by Javier Cámara, Berto Romero (also a writer here) and Belén Cuesta (read news).
Out of competition, El castillo, a six-episode police series (read news) created and written by Isabel Peña (a regular co-writer of Rodrigo Sorogoyen) and Eduardo Villanueva, producer and co-writer of Riot Police, has been directed by Elena Martín Gimeno (Creatura) and Sandra Romero (As Silence Passes by).
The Official Selection will also include five out-of-competition titles in its Special Screenings strand. Koldo Almandoz (The Deer) will premiere his third feature, Último adiós (read news); Daniel Monzón (Cell 211, The Laws of the Border) will present Ruega por nosotras (read news); David Pérez Sañudo (Ane, The Last Romantics) will unveil his third feature, Sacamantecas, starring Antonio de la Torre and Patricia López Arnaiz (read news); Fernando Trueba (Belle époque, The Girl of Your Dreams, The Artist and the Model) will present the documentary Bajañí, a sonic journey across three countries; and finally, Carlos Torres continues the story where Society of the Snow left off in the three-episode documentary series Beyond Society.
In the New Directors section, the following will premiere: This Solitude, the debut feature by Javier Giner (who first made a splash with the series I, Addict); El mal hijo, also actor Jaime Lorente’s debut behind the camera (read news); and February, Seven Days, winner of the WIP Europa Industry Award and WIP Europa 2025, marking the feature debut of German-Ukrainian director Tatjana Moutchnik.
Passing through the alternative Zabaltegi-Tabakalera section will be distinctive filmmakers such as Meritxell Colell Aparicio (Facing the Wind), with Far from the Trees; Isaki Lacuesta (The Double Steps, One Year, One Night), with Jaleos; Oskar Alegría (Zumiriki) with Catorce noches; and the Spanish co-productions by Malaysian-born Tsai Ming-Liang (La deriva) and French filmmaker Bruno Dumont (Red Rocks). In the Pearls section, Cannes-awarded La bola negra, by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, will be screened; and in Horizontes Latinos, Spanish-Latin American co-productions such as Ashes, by actor-turned-director Diego Luna; The Meltdown, by Manuela Martelli; Narciso, by Marcelo Martinessi; Sad Girlz, by Fernanda Tovar; and Flies, by Fernando Eimbcke.
Lastly, rounding off the substantial Spanish presence in San Sebastián are two screenings at the Velodrome: Karateka, a sports film by Aritz Moreno (read news), and the documentary Muguruza FM 40 Tour, co-directed by Ander Merino Etxebeste and Fermin Muguruza.
The announced selection:
Competition
El mal padre – Roberto Bueso (Spain)
Saints – Mikel Gurrea (Spain/Italy)
5 More Minutes – Javier Ruiz Caldera (Spain)
Out of Competition
El castillo – Elena Martín Gimeno, Sandra Romero (Spain, series)
Special Screenings
Último adiós – Koldo Almandoz (Spain)
Ruega por nosotras – Daniel Monzón (Spain/France)
The Harvester – David Pérez Sañudo (Spain/Belgium)
Beyond Society – Carlos Torres (Spain, series)
Bajañí – Fernando Trueba (Spain)
New Directors
This Solitude– Javier Giner (Spain)
El mal hijo – Jaime Lorente (Spain)
Seven Days – Tatjana Moutchnik (Germany/Austria/Spain)
Zabaltegi-Tabakalera
Catorce noches – Oskar Alegría (Spain)
Far from the Trees – Meritxell Colell Aparicio (Spain/Peru/Italy)
Jaleos – Isaki Lacuesta (Spain)
La deriva – Tsai Ming-Liang (Spain/Taiwan)
Red Rocks – Bruno Dumont (Portugal/France/Italy/Spain/Qatar)
Horizontes Latinos
Moscas – Fernando Eimbcke (Mexico/Spain)
Ashes – Diego Luna (Mexico/Spain)
The Meltdown – Manuela Martelli (Chile/USA/Spain/Mexico)
Narciso – Marcelo Martinessi (Paraguay/Spain/Uruguay/Brazil/Portugal/Germany/France)
Sad Girlz – Fernanda Tovar (Mexico/Spain/France)
Velodrome
Muguruza FM 40 Tour – Ander Merino Etxebeste, Fermin Muguruza (Spain)
Karateka – Aritz Moreno (Spain)
(Translated from Spanish)
