Thirteen productions from fifteen countries will compete for the Kutxabank-New Directors Award at the San Sebastian Festival, whose 70th edition will run from 16 to 24 September. Of the total selected movies, twelve are first works and one is the second film by its author, as announced today to the press by the director of the San Sebastian Festival, José Luis Rebordinos, and the director of Kutxabank's network in Gipuzkoa, Ainhoa Arruabarrena.
Turkish director Jeanne Aslan (Sorgun, 1976) and French moviemaker Paul Saintillan (Versalles, 1971) are two of the helmers who will show their debuts in New Directors. Together they co-directed Fifi / Spare Keys, the tale of a teenager who establishes a relationship with her girlfriend's brother during summer.
The Nicaraguan Laura Baumeister (Managua, 1983) will present her first movie, La hija de todas las rabias / Daughter of Rage, a story about an 8-year-old girl who gets by as she can in a rubbish dump. The film was made partly thanks to the support of San Sebastian Festival, where she landed the best project award at the VIII Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum (2019) and the WIP Latam Industry Award (2021), among others.
For his part, the director from the Republic of Moldova Ion Borș (Chisinau, 1990), who carried off last year's WIP Europa Industry and WIP Europa awards thanks to his feature film, CARBON, will participate with this black comedy set in the early 90s during theTransnistria War.
The Danish filmmaker Katrine Brocks (Copenhagen, 1989) will compete with her first full-length movie, Den Store Stilhed / The Great Silence, following a young novice who receives the awkward visit of her twin brother in the convent.
The Russian actor settled in France Dinara Drukarova (Saint Petersburg, 1976) will present her first feature behind the camera, Grand Marin. She herself plays the starring role of a woman who leaves everything behind to set sail on a fishing boat and head for the northern seas.
The moviemaker Carmen Jaquier (Geneva, 1985) will also make her feature debut with Foudre / Thunder, the portrait of a woman's emancipation in early 20th-century Switzerland.
Jeong-sun is the directorial debut of Ji-hye Jeong (Busan, 1995), the Korean competition winner at Jeonju Festival with this movie about a woman who becomes embroiled in a covert affair with a colleague at the factory where both work.
The Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kogahara (Nagasaki, 1982) will also show his debut in feature films with the title of Nagisa, following the love story between a brother and sister driven apart by death.
For her part, the director and producer Rocío Mesa (Granada, 1982) will participate in New Directors with her first fiction, the feature film Secaderos, tinged with magical realism set in tobacco drying rooms.
The directing trio Masahiko Sato (Shizuoka, 1954), Yutaro Seki (Kanagawa, 1987) and Kentaro Hirase (San Francisco, 1986) make their debut with Miyamatsu to Yamashita / Roleless, addressing the trials and tribulations of a cable-car operator who side-lines as a film extra.
The Indian moviemaker Parth Saurabh (Darbhanga, 1993) will present his first inroads as a director, Pokhar Ke Dunu Paar / On Either Side of the Pond, following a couple who, forced by the economic difficulties caused by the pandemic, return from Delhi to their hometown, where their relationship starts to unravel.
In addition, the Croatian Josip Žuvan (Trogir, 1987) will show his debut, Garbura / Carbide, about two friends who try to keep their friendship alive despite the quarrelling between their respective families.
Joining these titles are the first feature from Maria Elorza (Vitoria-Gasteiz, 1988), the already announced A los libros y a las mujeres canto / To Books and Women I Sing, about an anonymous and unarmed legion of women who take care of books.
These thirteen films, expected to be joined by other titles, compete for the Kutxabank-New Directors Award, coming with 50,000 euros to be divided equally between the director and the distributor of the film in Spain. The Kutxabank-New Directors Award is sponsored by Kutxabank, an official Festival collaborator. The Kutxabank-New Directors Award Jury has the task of viewing and deciding the winning film. Films in the New Directors section are also candidates for the TCM Youth Award, decided by a jury of 150 students between the ages of 18 and 25.
While New Directors is the example of San Sebastian Festival's pledge to new talents, it is not alone; first and second movies are also programmed in almost all sections, and early works are screened in Nest, the competitive section for shorts by students from film schools all over the world. The Festival also heads, together with Tabakalera and the Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola, the programme under which support goes to innovative audiovisual projects, Ikusmira Berriak, with its artist residencies programme.
Related Publications
