In terms of stars — Cate Blanchett, Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton, Pamela Anderson — and au teur power — Pedro Almodóvar, Sean Baker, Costa Gavras, Edward Berger, Mike Leigh, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Jos hua Oppenheimer, François Ozon, Mohammad Rasoulof, Walter Salles, Maite Alberdi — this year’s San Se bastián Festival promises one of its biggest editions ever.

Yet it’s the Spanish festival’s weal th of new talent and rising names in its industry competitions sets it apart. Here are seven things to expect from the Fest, which runs Sept. 20-28 at the stunning Basque seaside resort:

Blanchett, Almodóvar, Bardem, Depp, Swinton, Anderson

Blanchett, Almodóvar and Bardem will collect career achievement Donostia Awards, with Blanchett talking up Guy Maddin’s Cannes hit Rumours, set for U.S. theatri cal release via Bleecker Street on Oct. 18; Almodóvar and Swinton will present Venice success The Room Next Door. Depp will unveil Modi, his second film as a director and f irst out from his London label IN.2 Films, which was launched in 2021 with Spanish distributor A Contraco rriente Films. That may help explain the San Sebastián world premiere.

Audrey Diwan Opens San Sebastián

Traditionally, San Sebastián was an art pic haven, sourcing many of its bigger films from Toronto, sta gings their European premieres in the elegant Basque Belle Époque seaside city. Berger’s Conclave, Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths and Oppen heimer’s The End all played at the Canadian festival, Leigh and Berger to acclaim. Emmanuelle, from Au drey Diwan (Happening) will, howe ver, world premiere at San Sebastián, opening the Festival. Sales agent Goodfellas opened San Sebastián with “the European premiere of The Boy and the Heron last year and that went very well for them. So they we re interested in repeating, and we wanted Emmanuelle in competition, because we love a lot the film,” says San Sebastián director José Luis Rebordinos.

San Sebastián’s New SVOD Punch

 The Spanish festival hosts more bows from global streamers. It’s a fitting place, since as of Aug. 24, Spain accounted for eight of the 20 titles in Netflix’s historical Top 10s of the most-viewed ever non-English films and TV shows. One hit, horror-thriller The Platform, which chalked up 82 million views on Ne tflix, will now bow a second install ment at San Sebastián. Netflix al so world premieres two titles in the San Sebastián main competition: In Her Place, from Chilean double Os car nominee Alberdi, her first fiction f ilm, which is already sparking good word of mouth; and The Man Who Loved UFOs, from New Argentine cinema luminary Diego Lerman (The Invisible Eye).

A Spanish Film Industry Revolution

 San Sebastián’s 2024 Spanish li neup sees directors stepping up in scale or drawing more industry bac king as big SVOD players — such as Spain’s Movistar Plus+ and Prime Video — move into production on features aimed squarely at theatrical release or board a filmmaker’s first original series. Icíar Bollaín’s com petition contender I’m Nevenka wi ll be the first title from a slate of six movies designed as “auteur event f ilms” backed by Movistar Plus+ and announced this January. A special screening, The Red Virgin from Paula Ortiz, will debut in theaters across Spain on Sept. 27 as the first Prime Video original to get a wide theatrical release in the country. For decades, Spain has lacked big national film champions like France’s Gaumont or Pathé, but with Movistar Plus+ and The Mediapro Studio upping Spanish pic production, it may be f inally getting them. Certainly, industry watchers will be tracking the reception of I’m Nevenka and The Red Virgin at San Sebastián and beyond.

New Talent

 “We try to establish a balance be tween stars and name filmmakers and new directors,” says Rebordinos. It may not be a coincidence — such is the Festival’s appeal for emerging creators that first- or second-time di rectors have won its top Golden She ll three times in the last four years. This year, three titles from first-time creators competing in the main San Sebastián competition are sparking strong word-of-mouth: Laura Carrei ra’s Scotland-set immigrant’s tale On Falling, from Ken Loach producer Six teen Films; Bound in Heaven, from China’s Xin Huo; and world premie re The Wailing, from Pedro Martín Calero, starring Ester Expósito (Élite). “It’s a classic horror film, in which you discover in the last quarter of an hour is talking about something im portant,” says Rebordinos. 

Other Buzz

Titles San Sebastián’s depth in new talent runs much deeper, however. Buzzy titles selected for its New Directors competition include Akaki Popkha dze’s Nice criminal underworld-set In the Name of Blood, elevated by its interplay of faith and family; and Koya Kamura’s Winter in Sokcho, which captures the delicate unra veling of a young woman’s search for identity and the complexities of human connection. Watch out too for La Guitarra Flamenca de Yerai Cortés, the directorial feature debut of Antón Alvarez, better known as singer-songwriter C. Tangana, and highly recommended by those who have seen it. Awaited projects set to hit San Sebastián’s Co-Produc tion Forum include Brazilian Gabriela Amaral Almeida’s body horror She, Crocodile, and Only Love Exists, from Berlin winner Natalia López Gallardo (Robe of Gems). Another project, Her Lightness, a tale of a woman’s be lated freedom, from Cuba’s Rosa María Rodríguez, rolls off a bullish reception and multiple prizes at Lo carno’s Open Doors.

Basque Build

“Spanish cinema is on a roll, and most particularly Basque cinema,” says Rebordinos. “There’s so much industry – the 20 Basque titles at this year’s festival were chosen from 100 submissions - and its cinema probably has never been better,” he argues, citing Venice selection for Marco. Basque tax breaks are attracting international productions, which help local companies and te chnicians to hone their skillsets. The Basque Cinema has even grown a mini star system, he adds, pointing to Nagore Aranburu (Flowers), star of Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s Querer, the biggest series at this year’s San Sebastián. Add world premieres of The Platform 2, and I’m Nevenka, and Basque film and TV has never been stronger at San Sebastián. Variety has been saying that year after year of late, but in 2024 it’s particularly noticeable.

Callum McLennan and Rafa Sa les Ross contributed to this article.

John Hopewell