San Sebastian Film Festival 2023: First confirmed films

From the Spanish Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Science, headquartered in Madrid, the first confirmed films that will participate in the San Sebastian Film Festival 2023 have been announced.

It will be the first time that filmmaker Isabel Coixet competes for the Golden Shell with her new feature film, "Un amor", and actress Dolores Fonzi will present her directorial debut, "Blondi," in the "Horizontes latinos" section.

Isabel Coixet's film is a romantic drama based on a novel of the same name by Sara Mesa. It tells the story of Nat, a woman in her thirties who, after escaping the hustle and bustle of the city, has taken refuge in a small village deep in rural Spain. After gaining the trust of the villagers and living modestly with a wild dog, she receives a strange sexual proposition from her neighbor that makes her question the type of woman she is and plunges her into a spiral of passion that obsesses and consumes her.

The other two films that were previously announced in the competition selection for the festival's top prize, also directed by women, are: "O Corno" (The Rye Horn), the second feature film by Jaione Camborda, which follows a midwife who is forced to flee the island where she lives after a terrible event; and "El sueño de la sultana" (Sultana's Dream) by Isabel Herguera, an animated feminist tale (her first feature), inspired by an Indian text dating back to 1905.

In the section dedicated to Latin American cinema, "Horizontes latinos," it was announced that Argentine actress Dolores Fonzi will participate, who is making her directorial debut this year with "Blondi," a story about the special relationship between a mother and her son, starring Fonzi herself. Since the beginning of this month, the feature film has been available on Prime Video for the Latin American territory.

In the same category, Argentine filmmaker Martín Benchimol will participate with his first solo-directed feature film titled "El castillo" (The Castle), which tells the story of Justina, who, after working as a domestic worker all her life, inherits a huge mansion in the middle of the Argentine pampas from her former employer, with the only condition being that she never sells it. Described as a modern fairy tale, the story shows the challenges of keeping a promise alive.

Another interesting category that showcases emerging cinema is "Nuevos directores" (New Directors), which will feature Javier Mancipe's second feature film, "La estrella azul" (The Blue Star), a fictional approach to the story of Zaragoza musician Mauricio Aznar, founder of bands like Más Birras or Almagato.

The highly anticipated animated production by Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal, "Dispararon al pianista" (They Shot The Piano Player), will have a special screening. The film is a tribute to the Brazilian musician Tenorio Jr., portraying the beginnings of the musical movement known as bossa nova. (More details about "They Shot The Piano Player" here).

Finally, in the Zabaltegi-Tabakalera section, which is the most open section of this event, we will see "Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell" by An Pham Thien, which tells the story of Thien, a man who, after a family tragedy, must take care of his nephew and embarks on the search for his brother, who disappeared years ago; and "Mamántula" by Ion de Sosa, a medium-length film that is the name of a giant spider disguised as a human.

The San Sebastian International Film Festival is celebrating its 71st edition this year and will take place from September 22 to 30.

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