Key dates 2024

• Gorria, Maddi Barber, Spain, 2020, 22'
• Euritan, Irati Gorostidi, Arantza Santesteban, Spain, 2017, 21'
• Luisa no está en casa, Celia Rico, Spain, 2012, 19'

Session linked to the report on the gender identity the Festival is elaborating since 2019

Focos (FC) - First steps, new narratives - | Tabakalera - Donostia / San Sebastián

• Cualquier ventana en la que esté, Magdalena Orellana, Spain, 2020
• A better tomorrow, Haohao Yan, USA, 2018, 7'
• The speech, Haohao Yan, USA, 2020, 25'
• The long night, Ashmita Guha, India, 2013, 5'
• Catdog, Ashmita Guha, India, 2020, 21’

Session linked to NEST section (the International Film Students Meeting) in its 2020 edition.

Focos (FC) - Nest + PLUS - | Tabakalera - Donostia / San Sebastián

• Sziget a szárazföldön (The Lady from Constantinople), Judit Elek, Hungary, 1969, 79’

Screening related to the exhibition ‘First steps. Other approaches to the visual history of the San Sebastian Festival (1953-1970)’organized by the research project Z70.

Focos (FC) - ZINEMALDIA 70: Sziget a szárazföldön (The Lady from Constantinople) (Judit Elek, Hungary, 1969, 79’) - | Tabakalera - Donostia / San Sebastián

• Ya no duermo, Marina Palacio, Spain, 2020, 22’
• Wandervogel, Mina Fitzpatrick, USA, 2017, 20’
• A Smile Is Not A Paradigm, Magdalena Orellana, USA, 2018, 4’
• Con el viento, Manuel Muñoz Rivas, Spain, 2009, 21’
• Amaina, Eduardo Crespo, Argentina, 2010, 18’

Selection of short films directed by the 2021 residents of Ikusmira Berriak. 

Focos (FC) - Ikusmira Berriak 2021 - | Tabakalera - Donostia / San Sebastián

• Le redoutable, Michel Hazanavicius, France, 2017, 102’

First part of the series Cartes blanches: Vincent Maraval, director of Wild Bunch.

Focos (FC) - CARTE BLANCHE VINCENT MARAVAL - | Tabakalera - Donostia / San Sebastián

• Dasatskisi/Beginning, Dea Kulumbegashvili, France, Georgia, 2020, 125’

Screening of the winner of the San Sebastian Film Festival Golden Shell (2020) regarding its director’s comeback to the city to carry out an artistic residency at the International Centre for Contemporary Culture Tabakalera.

Focos (FC) - Dasatskisi / Beginning - Dea Kulumbegahsvili | Tabakalera - Donostia / San Sebastián

• Les sorcières de l’Orient, Julien Faraut, France, 2021, 100’

Second part of the series Cartes blanches: Vanja Kaludjercic, artistic director of the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Focos (FC) - CARTA BLANCA A VANJA KALUDJERCIC - | Tabakalera - Donostia / San Sebastián

Ventura Pons, Spain, 1978, 78' In dialogue with the exhibition at Kutxa Kultur Plaza "Festival en transición. el Festival de San Sebastián en los años del cambio (1976-1985)” Intimate vision of the Andalusian painter José Pérez Ocaña and a revealing portrait of Barcelona at the beginning of the Transition. Ocaña, with joy and from his creative marginality challenges: transvestism as provocation, religion and fetishism, repression of machismo, lawlesness, homosexuality... The marginal life that was hidden under Franco's dictatorship is openly shown against the backdrop of a unique artist.

The showing will include the 'making of' by Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola student Paula González García, entitled Notas sobre Nest (Notes on Nest), plus the two winning short films of the 69th edition: the winner of the Nest award, U Šumi / In the Woods, by Sara Grgurić, and Podul de piatrâ / Pont de pedra, by Artur-Pol Camprubí, recipient of the special jury mention. The filmmakers will introduce the screenings.

Delia, a young Romanian girl, comes to Bucharest with her parents to collect a prize she has won in a contest organized by a soft-drinks company. The prize is a beautiful new car. All Delia has to do now is appear in front of the camera in a commercial. All goes well until it becomes clear that Delia and her parents have very different ideas about what to do with the new car. Meanwhile, the contest’s sponsor needs a radiant prize-winner with a gleaming smile. A wicked satire and a psychological portrait of a society perverted by its slavery to capitalism and consumerism.

• Esnorquel (Maximiliano Schonfeld, Argentina, 2005) 18’
  Esnorquel is the daily portrait of a group of young people living in a village in the province of Entre Ríos. Music and first loves are spread during the summer and popular festivities.
• Manuscrit a la ciutat (Meritxell Collel, España, 2006) 35’
  Manuscrit a la ciutat is a portrait of the city of Buenos Aires that starts from a personal experience: a trip in search for a life away from home. This film is not a record of the city, but an approximation to the everyday life seen through a poetic look.
• Domingo Violeta (Ana Cristina Barragán, Ecuador, 2010) 18’
  On a Sunday morning, Ana wakes up in a house without her mother. She is alone with her sister Violeta, often strange and very playful. The mysterious fraternal relationship in the border between rivalry and complicity puts track in the siblings and helps them grow up.
• A moça que dançou com o diabo (Joao Paulo Miranda, Brasil, 2016) 14’
  A girl from a very religious family seeks about her own paradise.
• Ella i jo (Jaume Claret, España, 2020) 20’
  Queralt, a painter from Barcelona, tries to talk to her daughter Gemma on the phone. Gemma is starting a new life in Athens, in a studio where she paints and lives.
• Unicornio (Irati Gorostidi, España, 2021) 17’
  In her escape, M. takes refuge in an abandoned house. Amidst the echoing sounds of her efforts to get adjusted to the place, she distinguishes footsteps outside that prompt her to open the door. A fortuitous visitor, who will become her shelter companion, steps into the house.

A historic drama with musical Bollywood scenes based in the early 90s of Kabul where soviet values rule the country. After selling a cinema ticket to a secret police officer by mistake, 14 years old Qodrat ends up at the Soviet orphanage. Everyday life for Qodrat is about friendships, falling in love, doing naughty things, and going on adventures. However, behind the safe walls of the orphanage the world they once knew is drastically changing as the Mujahideens start the civil war.

The filmmaker herself will present the session.

Pueblo (Spain, Switzerland, 2015) 27'
After some time passed on the exile, Rafa returns to his village confronting everything he left on the past. Immersed on the fantastic atmospheres of the processions, he will set out on a escape through the end of a night.

Las vísceras (Spain, France, 2016) 15'
A village in southern Spain. On a hot summer afternoon, a woman grabs a rabbit, strokes it, then kills it with her bare hands before skinning it. Her grandchildren, elder ones, even dogs, witness this rite of death.

Los que desean (Spain, Switzerland, 2018) 24'
In the South of Spain, a multicolored pigeon race will be won not by the fastest bird, but the one who will be able to seduce a female pigeon and fly alongside her the longest.

Mauvais sang (Leos Carax, France, 1986) 114’

Two aging crooks are given two weeks to repay a debt to a woman named The American. They recruit their recently deceased partner’s son to help them break into a laboratory and steal the vaccine against STBO, a sexually transmitted disease that is sweeping the country. It’s spread by having sex without emotional involvement, and most of its victims are teenagers who make love out of curiosity rather than commitment.

Crash (David Cronenberg, Canada, 1996) 100’

After getting into a serious car accident, a TV director discovers an underground sub-culture of scarred, omnisexual car-crash victims who use car accidents and the raw sexual energy they produce to try to rejuvenate his sex life with his wife.

Ke arteko egunak (Antxon Eceiza, Spain, 1989) 105’

After twenty years, Pedro Sansinenea returns to the Basque Country. Some circumstances that he found unbearable persist, but there are new ones.

Re Granchio (Alessio Rigo de Righi, Matteo Zoppis, Italy, 2021) 100’ 

Small town in Italy, end of the 19th century. Luciano, a drunk, accidentally kills his lover during a revolt against the local Prince. To pay for his crime, he is forced into exile on the most remote island in the world, Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego. The hunt for the shipwreck treasure hidden on the island becomes his opportunity for redemption.

• Nest 21 (Making off) (Hikaru Uwagawa, 2022) 15’
• Anabase (Benjamin Goubet, Switzerland, 2022) 28’
  *Video presentation of Benjamin Goubet
• Montaña azul / Blue Mountain (Sofía Salinas, Juan David Bohórquez, Colombia, 2022) 14’
  *Video presentation by Sofía Salinas and Juan David Bohórquez

• Las niñas, Pilar Palomero, Spain, 2020, 100’
  Celia, an 11 year-old girl, studies at a nuns school in Zaragoza and lives with her mother. Brisa, a new schoolmate recently arrived from Barcelona, pushes her towards a new stage in her life: adolescence. On this voyage, in the Spain of the Expo and the Olympics of ’92, Celia discovers that life is made up of many truths and some lies.

• Cho-haeng (The First Lap) (Kim Dae-hwan, South Korea 2017) 101’
  Su-hyeon, a teacher at a private art institute, and Ji-young, a contract worker at a small network enterprise have been living together for six years. To his surprise, Su-hyeon finds out that Ji-young is late for her period and, in view of the birth of his child, he seizes the opportunity to reunite with his family. The couple sets off for Samcheok, at the far end of the east coast.

* Moon Sung's (Jeonju's programming team member) video presentation.

• After a room (Naomi Pacifique, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Switzerland, 2021) 22’
  Nights are long inside Naomi and Ram's room. Tonight, they've invited Marina over and their messy space is under scrutiny.
• 592 metroz goiti (Maddi Barber, Spain, 2018) 25’
  What life chances are left when a territory is completely altered? On the slopes of the Navarrese Pyrenees, the construction of the Itoiz dam in the 1990s flooded seven towns and three nature reserves. Below the level, the water; above, life goes on.
• I Am Afraid to Forget your Face (Sameh Alaa, Egypt, France, Belgium, Qatar, 2020) 15’
  After being separated for 82 days, Adam travels down a rough road to be reunited with the one he loves, whatever it takes.
• La colcha y la madre (David Pérez Sañudo, Spain, 2021) 13’
  A mother goes to visit her daughter, just as she is about to leave. The daughter is in a hurry: She has quarreled with her husband and if she doesn't get to his new exhibition, the relationship is in danger. But the mother brings her a gift. And some bad news. If she gives her two minutes, she'll tell her.
• Noelia (María Alché, Argentina, 2012) 14’
  Dusk. Noelia says she was kicked out of her house. She euphorically walks around some places in Buenos Aires. She invents a city that suits her.
• Ulises: Telémaco y Penélope (Hikaru Uwagawa, Spain, 2022) 16’
  Telemachus awaits the return of his father, who has gone to the other lands. Penelope waits patiently for her husband's return, without complaint, maintaining her chastity and purity, while she is besieged by eager suitors for her beauty.

• Historia del miedo (Benjamín Naishtat, Argentina, 2014) 79’
  A hot summer. An affluent housing development, a gated community with a gigantic park. An abandoned lot on the outskirts and an uncontrollable wave of smoke unleash uncertainty and chaos.

* Presented by Benjamín Naishtat at the Cinema

• Au cimetière de la pellicule (Thierno Souleymane Diallo, France / Senegal / Guinea / Saudi Arabia. 2023) 93’
  The 1953 film Mouramani by Mamadou Touré is believed to be the first film ever made in Guinea. Interested in the conditions of its production – and the whereabouts of a film print – Thierno Souleymane Diallo sets out to find people who can help him. Equipped with a video camera, microphone and headphones, he travels through the country, sometimes on the back of a donkey, sometimes barefoot, and films everything he experiences on the road and during his conversations with archivists and those who remember the period. The film turns into a journey through Guinea’s film history that takes him to deserted cinema halls and abandoned film archives. 

Special Session. Tribute to the Donostia Award 2023, Javier Bardem.

• Huevos de oro / Golden Balls (Bigas Luna, Spain, France, Italy, 1993) 88'
  A contemporary classic directed by Bigas Luna and starring Javier Bardem, Maribel Verdú and María de Medeiros. A nouveau riche has two goals in his life: to marry his girlfriend and to build a skyscraper. But his partner is unfaithful and breaks off the engagement. 

* With a presentation by José Luis Rebordinos, Director of the San Sebastián.

Special Session. Tribute to the Donostia Award 2023, Hayao Miyazaki.

• Mi vecino Totoro (Hayao Miyazaki, 1988)

Special Session. Tribute to the Donostia Award 2023, Víctor Erice.

• Vidrios partidos, La Morte Rouge y Alumbramiento (Víctor Erice)
   

The Watermelon Woman (Cheryl Dunye, United States, 1996) 90’

Cheryl (played by the director herself) is a black woman who is making a documentary about Fae Richards, a 1930s black actress popularly known as The Watermelon Woman. She also works in a video store. The film depicts Cheryl's lucubrations about the actress and stages her exciting love affair with Diana, a white woman, a regular customer at the store. The filmmaker's skill in bringing these two stories together makes the film a stimulating reflection on the representation of sexuality and race in cinema and an invitation to speculate on the boundaries between fiction and reality.

Komm mit mir in das Cinema - Die Gregors (Alice Agneskirchner, Alemania, 2022) 155’

Documentary about the unique career of Erika and Ulrich Gregor, whose love for each other and for cinema has remained unbroken for 65 years and has played a decisive role in shaping the German film and cinema landscape.

La croisade (Louis Garrel, Francia, 2021) 67’

Abel and Marianne discover that their 13-year-old son Joseph has secretly sold their most precious possessions. They soon find out that Joseph is not the only one - all over the world, hundreds of children have joined forces to finance a mysterious project. Their mission is to save the planet.

Battleship Potemkin, Sergei Eisenstein (1925)
The feature film is based on actual events in 1905 and focuses on the sailors' uprising in the port of Odesa. The poor food supply on board a warship led to a protest by the sailors, which the captain tried to suppress by force. The sailors receive support from the population in the form of food. When the Tsar's army moves against the rebels, the situation comes to a head. The warship sails out to sea, where a squadron of admirals awaits. Fraternization between the crews of the ships ensues. 

List of all Festival attendees and the dates of their stay. The press accreditation-holders will be available on September 2.

Festival communication events agenda, which contents will be available from Wednesday, September 18

Notes on a Scandal, Richard Eyre (2006)

One night, while Christmas activities are taking place at school, Barbara goes out to look for Sheba in the art room when she is absent and discovers her having sex with Steven Connolly (Andrew Simpson), a 15-year-old student. Barbara is shocked and decides to confront her the next day.

In celebration of the hundredth anniversary of Néstor Basterretxea's birth (Bermeo, 1924 – Hondarribia, 2014), Tabakalera, the Basque Film Archive, and the San Sebastian International Film Festivalg have organised a special cycle of screenings in October to present the work of one of the Basque Country’s most influential and multi-faceted 20th century artists. As part of a collective celebration coordinated by the Basque Government together with more than 20 cultural entities, this tribute highlights Basterretxea’s legacy and importance to Basque culture and contemporary art.

These screenings will not only commemorate Basterretxea as a filmmaker, but also as a multi-disciplinary artist that burst into painting, sculpture, design, and illustration with great mastery, in addition to being an active defender of Basque culture. The hundredth anniversary celebration will continue until the end of the year with an extensive programme of activities across multiple disciplines, highlighting the influence and relevance of his legacy in contemporary society and art.

Screenings in Tabakalera's cinema

October 4

Screening of a documentary entitled "Señales de vida: Néstor Basterretxea", directed by Gentzane Martínez de Osaba, and Alexander García de Vicuña. This 77-minute feature film explores the life and work of the artist at 89 years of age, during a key moment when he was faced with his last retrospective at the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum. This documentary reflects the contradictions that emerge when the artist re-evaluates his career and relationship with art, offering an intimate look into the impact of his work on Basque culture.

Tabakalera will organise a session where several of Basterretxea's own short films will be screened as an essential showing of his cinematographic work. The short films will be preceded by a presentation from Andoni Imaz and Matías Fajn, two Elias Querejeta Zine Eskola (EQZE) students that have researched the artist's archive. 

List of short films

• ‘Alquézar. Retablo de Pasión’ (1966) – 12 minutes, co-directed by Fernando Larruquert. A documentary that explores the architectural and artistic richness of Alquézar, a small town in the province of Huesca that is transformed into a "tableau of passion" by the hands of filmmakers.

• ‘Pelotari’ (1964) – 12 minutes, also co-directed by Fernando Larruquert. This short film is an homage to Basque pelota that explores both its physical dimension as well as its symbolic significance to Basque culture. In 1965, it was awarded Best Documentary and Best Sports Documentary, in addition to receiving the Silver Medal at the Bilbao International Festival in 1964 and being selected for various international festivals.

• ‘Operación H’ (1963) – 12 minutes. An experimental work of fiction in which Basterretxea demonstrates his creativity and ability to play with the visual narrative in a context of mystery and intrigue.

• ‘Sin título’ – 5 minutes. A brief, enigmatic short film that demonstrates Basterretxea’s ability to transmit emotions through abstract and suggestive images.