Z365" or "Festival all year round" is the new strategic point of the Festival in which converge investigation, accompaniment and development of new talents (Ikusmira Berriak, Nest); training and cinematic knowledge transfer (Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola, Zinemaldia + Plus, Filmmakers' dialogue); and investigation, disclosure and cinematic thought (Z70 project, Thought and Discussion and Research and publications).
“Through animation filled with poetry, Kamura illustrates the protagonist’s struggles with her identity and, making use of light and shadow, creates a delicate portrait of a young woman in the process of self-discovery.” U.A.L, BERRIA
“With the help of the beautiful landscapes of Hokkaido, this film leads us to an appreciation of food and to a respect for the rhythms of nature.” Uxue Arzelus Lasa, BERRIA
“Outstanding for the construction of the atmosphere and the delicate and tender way of portraying a world that is falling apart.” Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“Ulysses is a quiet film, and it moves forward slowly, giving each thing the time it needs.” Itziar Ugarte Irizar, BERRIA
“It is a panic that cuts the viewer to the quick every second of the 212 minutes spread over the four episodes with which Alauda Ruiz de Azúa confirms herself as one of the leading filmmakers of her generation.” Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“Almodóvar coats the essentials of his story with the best of his visual taste, with delicate and delineated settings and with his special eye for combining space and feelings, so that the narrative reverberates with ideas that take you back to Joyce or bring moods strongly reminiscent of Edward Hopper.” Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“Nothing and everything explains her state of mind. A tension very much of our time and with which we can identify.” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“The charisma in the gymnastic torsion of Pansy’s insults and the elastic sense of the plot itself, which stretches out her unhinged state while revealing the emotional ruptures behind the events, are perfectly in tune with a film structured ‘like life itself’, that is to say, conceiving the family as a sum of tangible, immanent links.” Mariona Borrull, GARA
“He has made a chaotic film, full of ideas – too many of them. But far from backfiring, the result is a delirious audiovisual ‘trip’, baroque at times, deformed and tacky, and deliciously erratic.” Borja Crespo, EL CORREO
“Francis Ford Coppola may have fired his last arrows in this visually unrepeatable neoclassical, ambitious, free – absolutely free – and progressive fable in which the lines of the architecture of imperial Rome blend with the angles drawn by the DC comics authors.” Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO.
“Elegant and lucid consideration of life and death, the siege of illness and the palliative solutions that make it possible to cross this frontier in a natural way and without being pushed or tormented when it is inevitable.” Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“It is an intense film, narrated without a faltering moment by a master who is not afraid to advocate euthanasia.” Oskar Belategui, EL CORREO
“Everything is so musical, human, joyful and fun, everything is so attached to real things and the vagaries of life, that you come out happy and whistling Ravel’s ‘Bolero’.” Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“Hats off to the photography from the beginning of the film to the end.” U.U. BERRIA
“It stands out as much for its beautiful aesthetics as for its cold characters. Visual delicacy of the highest order in a production whose photography is worthy of an award.” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARO VASCO
“Like the main characters, I felt as if I was sitting in front of the television as I did when I was a child, trapped by its light and without fully understanding what was happening, but unable to look away.” Uxue Arzelus Lasa, BERRIA
“A film that could be assigned to the horror genre, but the highlighting of socially sensitive issues such as feminicide and male violence against women magnifies its importance and frees it from being easily pigeonholed.” M. Moleón, LA RAZÓN
“A film that tells a minimal story around which great existential themes quietly orbit.” Alfonso Rivera, CINEUROPA
“The script dispenses with winding twists and turns to captivate the viewer, and moves forward fluidly in the simplicity of its approach.” U.U., BERRIA
“A possible candidate for one of those surprises in the awards that this festival enjoys so much.” Oti Rodriguez Marchante, ABC
“Lively fun based on a tale of visiting extraterrestrials, skilfully told by Lerman”, Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“The use of wide angles that deform the image and the charisma of Leonardo Sbaraglia, capable of making us feel surprise, compassion, rejection and sympathy for a blatant manipulator all at the same time”, Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A story that, without you understanding what is going on, manages to completely capture you.” Uxue Arzelus Lasa, BERRIA
“Leaves on the screen the purity of his images without written script, the only text provided by the scenes themselves, and the suspicion that this meeting of liturgies between bullring, bull and bullfighter has never been filmed as he has done it.” Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“Kapadia constructs the story through the eyes of women who question what seems unquestionable in a Bombay in constant change and which at times seems suffocating, demonstrating that struggling together eases the load.” U.A.L, BERRIA
“It is a one hundred per cent festival film, tremendously risky (...). It immerses the spectator for almost two and a half hours in a unique, bittersweet, emotional and desolate, indefinable ambience, which can irritate or move, or even both at the same time.” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Fascinating contrivance populated by fabulous beings.” Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A great rarity, one of those films that undresses you on the inside with an astonishing delicacy”, Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“An intimate, simple proposal about love between people, about care, about the end of life … And a ray of light yesterday for public and critics alike”, Martín Ruiz Egaña, EL DIARIO VASCO
“It is a formidable film in all its questions and uncertainties, an exercise in cinema sustained by blind trust in a simple look, in a fleeting brightness, in the quiet, sotto voce reading of Platero and I by Juan Ramón”, Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“A fascinating story in which no one will get bored.” O. Belategui, EL CORREO
“Andrea Arnold has a sixth sense for handling a hypnotic mixture of social and magical realism at the edge of more than one precipice”, Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A skilful strategy of revenge, with its suspense and its blind spots.” I. Mateo – A. Artola, GARA
“The director narrates the details of the event in an extraordinarily thorough way and without the slightest temptation to take the story away from Nevenka’s point of view, exploring the pain of the victim and her path to catharsis with great sensitivity”, Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“It presents the chronology of the details of the case and establishes a chilling portrait of the in crescendo abusive obsession of Álvarez, of how the patterns that determine the exercise of harassment operate and fluctuate”, Marta Moleón, LA RAZÓN
“An intelligent and highly entertaining game of power, ambitions and danger”, Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“A beautiful fable, full of grace and sharp teeth, which aims to tear things apart but to surprise and entertain even more”, Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“Good French film noir. Heir to the great French ‘polar’ films of past decades. Brought up to date. Very up to date”, Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Advances at speed, balancing on the edge of the abyss and buoyed by a powerful screenplay”, Fabien Lemercier, CINE EUROPA
“The eroticism of the film does not lie in the explicit, but in the texture that runs through the film and its sound direction, which makes the skin tingle with something like ASMR vibrations in order to convey to the audience the pleasure felt by the protagonist (…)”, Harri X. Fernández, DEIA
“Starring an imposing and sensual Noémie Merlant in the role of a woman who is apparently rigid, confident, with a certain irony, but with that latent eroticism, visceral inside, (...) the film manages to reflect with subtlety, courage and great visual power that female exploration of pleasure and desire” Júlia Olmo, CINE EUROPA
“It is musical, drama, intrigue, thriller and a deep reflection on transition”, Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“In a quite legitimate and noble way, Emilia Pérez plunders all the usual ingredients of the traditional soap opera from top to bottom, starting with an implausible plot, followed by unexpected twists, improbable coincidences and some vulgar songs, to end with high drama. The ingredients are first class and the mixture of them all is right on target”, Alberto Moyano, EL DIARIO VASCO
“It is a curious artifact that offers much more than you first expect: it is presented as a documentary about the gypsy guitarist but, in the style of the film Searching For Sugar Man, it gradually uncovers an exciting and impactful family secret” Mitxel Ezquiaga, EL DIARIO VASCO
“The director tells this family story in a moving way. It is touching to see how he explores and narrates all this intimacy through the testimonies of its protagonists and their environment, their voices, their words, their ways of speaking, their contrasting memories.” Júlia Olmo, CINE EUROPA
“Mati Diop, who claims to be indebted to Weerasethakul or Cassavetes, summons not only the real spirits but also the ghosts of colonization”, Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A film where everything is endings: friendship, love, film, memory, except precisely the latter, which is not an end but a beginning, the announcement of something we can't see, nor know, but we feel that the images on the screen leave the whole universe in order”, Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC.
“Only The Javis are capable of mixing terror and sectarian fanaticism, the drama of a mother who devours her offspring and Almodóvar's costumbrism. If the seven hours of 'The Messiah' were a film, we would be looking at a Golden Shell”, O. Belategui, El Correo.
“The drama permeates everything, but so does love and respect for people who we empathise immediately, thanks the excellent writing and, above all, the enormous commitment of the entire cast.”, Miguel González, Cineuropa.
“Everything runs with admirable precision according to the extremely complex structure proposed", Luis Martínez, El Mundo.
“Mamántula goes far beyond its chaotic initial proposal and transforms into an experience that is as groundbreaking as it is entertaining, combining the best of experimental film's imaginary with the tension of a narrative thriller", M. G. Rebolledo, La Razón.
“The ability of the Japanese filmmaker to create with little and only use what is essential is amazing: every word is necessary to build the characters, every character is necessary for the development of the story, and there is nothing to spare, nothing is ornamental.” Uxue Arzelus, Berria.
“The effect is beautifully restful – less an introduction than an overture – as though Hamaguchi is unstoppering a bottle of calming scent and inviting us to breathe deep.” Jessica Kiang, Variety.
“The great virtue of Tzu Hui and Ping-Wen’s film lies in the deliberately small scale they have taken as a reference, which allows them to skilfully employ a bouquet of simple and clear ideas.” Mariona Borrull, Gara.
“Campillo accurately captures the eloquence of the silences and glances, and the infinite sadness hidden behind an apparently banal family photo.” Nando Salvà, El Periódico.
“With a formal neatness and the darkness of a thriller, The Successor surprises us as the protagonist breaks down, fleeing from the human gaze of his father’s friend, of the neighbour, and the eyes of society in general, which watch him and misinterpret his disconsolate crying.” Itziar Altuna, El Diario Vasco.
“A psychological thriller on the verge of being a slasher, in the style of those films in which the villains meet their match, such as Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof (2007) or Craig Zobel’s The Hunt (2020).” Harri X. Fernández, Noticias de Gipuzkoa.
“A beautiful story full of sorority.” Urtzi Urkizu, Berria.
“A touching portrayal of a genuinely feminine form of solidarity and the kind of survival story that can keep is on the edge of our seats as we watch it.” Nando Salvà, El Periódico.
“Camborda presents motherhood and childbirth in a personal way, focusing on the female body and using intuition for support.” Iraitz Mateo and Amalur Artola, Gara.
“It follows that ‘traditional’ style of rural intimist cinema that in recent years has constantly driven Spanish cinematography to draw visual maps composed of embraces between women, shared pain and territories of hope in which it is not only possible to imagine a different life but also to live it.” Marta Moleón, La Razón.
“It couldn’t have been more enjoyable getting into the fun and games of this world that is incomprehensible to me, to enjoy the discomfort. The Swedish filmmaker makes the humour even easier, sometimes adding an aura of mystery.” Uxue Arzelus, Berria.
“Larsson builds a story with a nice balance of surreal and very identifiable situations, including sofas, beds and dressers.” Uxue Arzelus, Berria.
“Coixet has taken the liberty of modifying the literary original, giving it a braver dimension and providing a restorative conclusion to a story that's harsh to a fault, making the viewer feel simultaneously uncomfortable and astonished”, Alfonso Rivera, Cineuropa.
“Un amor is built around the emptiness and uncertainty of its central character whose only escape plan is to run.” Luis Martínez, El Mundo.
“Is just what it claims to be, a small, honest film, at times moving and beautiful; a journey through the life of a character who could have been famous but chose not to be, and beyond that, a film about how we become the people we are”, Dario Caruso, Cineuropa.
“Alemania is not a sad film; on the contrary, it is –narrated from an adolescent perspective – a love letter to her family, a celebration of resistance, affection and resilience that unfolds during a time prior to the digital revolution, when cassette tapes were a vehicle used to pass on songs, emotions and feelings”, Alfonso Rivera, Cineuropa.
“The film is a delight, with situations full of humour and depth, skilful handling of ‘clever’ dialogue and a cynical and stimulating development.” Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC.
“Puan is a film with a frenetic pace and a story well told by the directors. The dialogue is also spot on throughout.” Urtzi Urkizu, Berria
“Rejtman places his protagonist in a series of comic situations that he always resolves with a humorous but deadpan wisecrack, in the style of Jim Jarmusch and Aki Kaurismäki, who, by the way, he is quite as good as.” Mariona Borrull, Gara.
“Once the film is over, A Silence leaves us still thinking about what the images have shown us. This is something that only happens with a good script, which the film has, in addition to the skill of the director.” Urtzi Urkizu, Berria
“A very human chronicle of the gradual loss of consciousness and memory, safety pinned to mutual and loving feelings.” Oti Rodriguez Marchante, ABC.
“It is narrated with a meticulous treatment of images and words that could be described as exquisite.” Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC.
“Embraces, tears and a background sound of rain and occasional thunder contribute to creating the special atmosphere of the film.” Alberto Moyano, El Diario Vasco.
“A delicacy, precision and taste for stopped time that captivates.” Luís Martínez, El Mundo.
“There are films whose existence is a miracle, and ‘Sultana’s Dream’ is one of them.” Oskar Belategui, El Correo.
“The aesthetic and sensory aspects of ‘Sultana’s Dream’ are outstanding. It is refreshing to immerse oneself in the watercolours of its two-dimensional animation, with the minimum use of technology so as not to lose the meticulous care of its craftsmanship.” Mikel G. Gurpegui
“No film in recent years has even come close to the freedom with which Isabel Herguera presents this kind of intimate, fantastical and philosophical correspondence.” Mariona Borrull, Gara.
“Gálvez and his team literally ‘erect’ a world with a very fairy-like, phantasmagorical and diabolical nature.” Begoña Teso, El Correo.
“Dolores Fonzi’s amusing debut film is filled with freshness and talent, built on the possible kinds of families and enlivened with hits from The Velvet Underground & Nico”, Alfonso Rivera, Cine Europa.
“It is a film shot with a great deal of respect, from a close and affectionate point of view, and attempting not to dramatise.” Amalur Artola, Gara.
“A film full of knowledge, character and expression, also suspense, humour and a hard look at what's serious, and something that could be defined as elegance within the genre of animation”, Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC.
“In a mystery and the injustice of that mystery, where the film takes hold to surprise, hurt and, in spite of everything, marvel”, Luis Martínez, El Mundo.
“It uses small elements of science fiction to narrate the experiences of a love triangle with some dark humour”, Alex Zubiria, Deia.
“Brave from the opening scene in some formal choices and in the development of the script. A circular story”, Urtzi Urkizu, Berria.
“When everything seems to have been said, it's nice for a film to tell something different or in a different way. In that sense, Kalak manages to surprise the audience”, Mikel G. Gurpegui, El Diario Vasco Especial.
“Perfect Days turns out to be a surprisingly charming, haunting, moving work with deliberate echoes of Japanese cinema legend Yasujiro Ozu.”, Stephen Dalton, The Film Verdict.
“A way of making, understanding and enjoying animated films with a unique visual and spiritual style.” Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC.
“Miyazaki’s film can be seen as a fable about life, death and imagination, which may also have an autobiographical tone.” Ainhoa Sarasola, Berria.
“It will appeal to children and adults alike because it speaks of primal feelings such as orphanhood.” Oskar Belategui, El Correo.
“Bayona’s film, with its impressive accident scenes and locations, is more interested in the soul than in the flesh and blood.” Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC.
“Delicate and diabolical architecture of everyday life.” Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco Especial
“Overwhelming drama that represents a departure from the typical registers we usually associate with films that address the extermination camps created by the Third Reich.” Koldo Landaluze, Gara
“A demonstration of both formal correctness and aesthetic timelessness,” Juan Zapater, Noticias de Gipuzkoa.
“The most complex and courageous Spanish film [at the festival]”, Elsa Fernández-Santos, El País.
“The premiere of Black is Beltza II: Ainhoa has turned out to be the most popular, clamorous and exciting event at Zinemaldia”, Amaia Ereñaga, Gara.
“An audacious film where fiction and reality come together to shine a light on issues rarely explored in contemporary auteur cinema”, Cristobal Soage, Cineuropa.
“A story overflowing with humour”, Uxue Arzelus, Berria.
“Many directors would give their right eye to be able to list three or four scenes in their filmography worthy of comparison with some of those seen in this film”, Federico Marín Bellón, ABC.
“A hyperbolic symphony of pain, infections, surgery, autopsies, vomiting, tumours, sex, people who feed on plastics, organs and neo-organs (...)”, Jordi Batlle, La Vanguardia.
“It is simply a story about the very possibility of stories, about who dictates them, about their political sense, and about their ability to create the world”, Luis Martínez, El Mundo.
“It is, above all, a pure film and splendidly experimental. Because that is what He (in capital letters) – Bowie – was”, Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco.
“It’s a story one could imagine Vittorio De Sica telling about the age of economic injustice”, Owen Gleiberman, Variety.
“A visual and literary poem”, Uxue Arzelus, Berria.
“A film full of intimate intrigues and with two enormous characters”, Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC.
“A very brave and refined film that dares to tackle a subject whose true source of discomfort is not in the obvious”, Elsa Fernández-Santos, El País.
“Laura Mora shows a steady hand capable of relating social dramas”, Andoni Imaz, Berria.
“A chilling essay in hard social realism (...), the film is uncompromisingly bleak and boldly executed”, Jonathan Romney, Screen Daily.
“From the first scene, it has something special", Uxue Arzelus, Berria.
“Palomero films the experiences and testimonies of the young women with great sensitivity”, Andoni Imaz, Berria.
“A volcanically tempestuous film destined to mark the year”, Luis Martínez, El Mundo.
“Abramovich peers with curiosity into the world of pornography and the inner self of an elusive character”, Mariona Borrull, Gara.
“This is the work of a virtuoso”, Andoni Imaz, Berria.
“A true emotional apotheosis”, Mariona Borrull, Gara.
“Baumeister’s film offers us images full of textures”, Uxue Arzelus, Berria.
“Built around a brilliant screenplay, Spare Keys spins its web methodically, revealing great intricacy behind its straightforward façade”, Fabien Lemercier, Cineuropa.
“The gravity and forcefulness of Suro, Mikel Gurrea’s first feature film, are impressive”, Andoni Imaz, Berria.
“The French filmmaker gives his best in a very personal, touching and emotionally just film, a revelation for its young star Paul Kircher”, Fabien Lemercier, Cineuropa.
“He does not build his narrative discourse based on the anachronistic perspective of condescension, but on the warm and mature empathy of someone who has also been young”, Marta Moleón, La Razón.
“An admired and fascinating declaration of a passion for music”, Juan Zapater, Noticias de Gipuzkoa.
“This cutting, acidic and frenetic French documentary provokes astonishment, rage and impotence”, Mikel G. Gurpegui, El Diario Vasco.
“Mesa very tenderly combines the two worlds, the real and the fantastic, the eternal and the new”, Uxue Arzelus, Berria.
“A credible, no-frills adaptation which cuts to the chase (the high price which must be paid by free female spirits) and whose actress embodies the lead role brilliantly”, Fabien Lemercier, Cineuropa.
“Canonical, classic and unhurried cinema. Cinema scripted with the virtuosity of a goldsmith”, Juan Zapater, Noticias de Gipuzkoa.
“It does not shout at us or use provocative images, as some expected, but uses unerring cinematographic art to appeal to us and question things that we would prefer not to think about”, Mikel G. Gurpegui, El Diario Vasco.
“Disturbingly beautiful from the very first scene”, Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco.
“The enormous, troubling, intricately pessimistic R.M.N. from director Cristian Mungiu, probably the pre-eminent filmmaker of the Romanian New Wave, is little less than a pared-back state of the nation”, Jessica Kiang, Variety.
“A thoroughly crafted documentary that shows the singer-songwriter in all his depth and dimensions”, Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC.
“This film by Rosales has countless hallmarks of great cinema, from the use of time and ellipsis, to the treatment of light, moods and the balance of the pulses and impulses (…)”, Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC.
“It’s played with a remarkable attention to emotional truthfulness, embodied primarily in a captivating, sometimes wrenching, and always relatable central performance by Ana Castillo”, Jonathan Holland, Screen Daily.
“Lerman takes the public on a roller coaster ride in which what seems to be a new version of the world of classrooms and adolescence darkens until pedagogy merges with survival”, Juan Zapater, Noticias de Gipuzkoa.
“We see the screen turn into a succession of paintings, beautiful still shots of a pictorial nature, compositions that accentuate the atmosphere of loneliness, sadness and weariness that permeates the film”, Mikel G. Gurpegui, El Diario Vasco.
“The characters speak through images more than with words”, Andoni Imaz, Berria.
“The work of Ricardo Darín and Peter Lanzani are among the outstanding achievements of this Hollywoodesque production whose style is reminiscent of films such as Spotlight”, Koldo Landaluze, Gara.
“This is a work of great importance that will leave its mark on the history of audiovisual art”, Urtzi Urkizu, Berria.
“The film works superbly as a daguerreotype of a society and of a time, taken in a prison, and as a metaphor for an entire society that is struggling to break through to freedom and show its face”, Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC.
“Rodriguez pulls off the unexpected feat of making this caged drama visually impressive”, Fionnuala Halligan, Screen Daily.
“A story that appeals both to nostalgia and to anger and that discusses what has been given and draws attention to what has been lost”, Luis Martínez, El Mundo.
“Guzmán’s new documentary is recommended for any viewer with a critical spirit”, Urtzi Urkizu, Berria.
“The latest from Guzmán exudes good cinema, rooted in the struggle”, Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco.
“In the short film Cuerdas we also perceive a sincere critical spirit, both in the vision of its author and in the performance of many of its protagonists”, Urtzi Urkizu, Berria.
“La Fortuna is as well made as one would expect with an Amenábar production.” Oskar Belategui, El Correo.
“[Jessica Chastain] carries the film and succeeds in giving an incredible character portrayal without degenerating into parody.” Mikel G. Gurpegui, El Diario Vasco.
“The worlds of Paco Plaza and Carlos Vermut happily collide in a hair-raising film which also encourages us to think about the fleeting nature of beauty, along with loneliness and the high price we sometimes pay for success.” Cristóbal Soage, Cineuropa.
“This unusual and melancholic film by an almost novice director is a striking aesthetic exercise.” Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco.
“Images from the archive and present-day voices have taken us all the way to the wild side, and grabbing us by the lapel rather than leading us by the hand.” Harkaitz Cano, El Diario Vasco.
“In the hands of this talented director, a story fixed in a very specific place and time, with a very unconventional hero, becomes a compelling tale of universal relevance that speaks of the experience of millions of young people all around the world.” Cristóbal Soage, Cineuropa.
“Saito reflects his love for gastronomy in a spectacular way.” Uxue Arzelus, Berria.
“A ticklishly fascinating rise-and-fall saga.” Owen Gleiberman, Variety.
“A solid biopic in which Showalter highlights what interests him most: the paradoxes and contradictions of a hopelessly unhinged and unhinging society.” Juan Zapater, Noticias de Gipuzkoa.
“One of the most powerful genre films of the season.” Víctor Esquirol, Gara.
“The director succeeds in going up a level from his previous work.” Luis Martínez, El Mundo.
“A simply stunning film that makes being in a cinema among strangers a new and more powerful experience, as we share the intense emotions evoked by watching a group of such likeable humans bare their most intimate selves in the name of cinematic art.” Cristóbal Soage, Cineuropa.
“Trueba achieves something magnificent, authentic. A living document.” Mikel Zumeta, Berria.
“In three and a half hours that seem like the blink of an eye, the film narrates our entire lives.” Luis Martínez, El Mundo.
“The atmosphere, story, use of suggestion and the music are wonderful, and the performance of Benedict Cumberbatch is prodigious.” Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC.
“Manuel Martín Cuenca marks his return with an exciting film.” Mikel Zumeta, Berria.
“The Daughter is a thriller in the best tradition of Spanish cinema in the style of Miguel Picazo, Manuel Mur Oti or Furtivos by José Luis Borau.” Beatriz Martínez, El Periódico.
“The filmmaker is continuing his fascinating mission of reproducing the complexity of real life via a highly immersive and ultra-researched, filmic fiction style.” Fabien Lemercier, Cineuropa.
“With icy precision it illuminates this French Watergate in the always slippery world of drug trafficking and economic power.” Juan Zapater, Noticias de Gipuzkoa.
“The overall result rises up into a tightly-woven plot in which social criticism, family drama and supernatural terror join forces to create a tale so hypnotic that you cannot take your eyes off it.” Cristóbal Soage, Cineuropa.
“Merino presents an intimate, placid and close-up portrait.” Uxue Arzelus, Berria.
“Its genius, power and grimly comic atmosphere lie precisely in its savage critique of neoliberalism’s ethically dubious machinations, its bondage and its hierarchies, raising a torrent of laughter thanks to sublime dialogue and jokes that would be the envy of Groucho Marx.” Alfonso Rivera, Cineuropa.
“León de Aranoa presents us with a select work – dynamic, cultivated in terms of content and extremely humorous – in a carnivalesque acting choreography, a masquerade.” Mikel Zumeta, Berria.
“A very interesting debut.” Mikel Zumeta, Berria.
“An unpredictable, intelligent and ambitious film... one of the most satisfying ensembles in this cinephile event.” Víctor Esquirol, Gara.
“[Claire Simon’s] brand of transgression and bravery is more compelling than ever, as Simon’s imagery evokes thoughts and feelings as honest as they are unsettling.” Cristóbal Soage, Cineuropa.
“Hilarious in its portrayal of characters, both familiar and eccentric, and very emotional in the humour and drama it exudes, also somewhat reminiscent of Fellini’s Amarcord.” Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC.
“A sure-handed and stylish fiction debut.” Marko Stojiljković, Cineuropa.
“Ruizpalacios presents a very interesting experiment: a documentary that intertwines reality and fiction.” Uxue Arzelus, Berria.
“Bronze, water and cinema.” Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco.
“By simply listening, by imagining herself in another’s shoes (no matter how barbarous) Madrid-born Bollaín has pulled off a deeply moving plea to let the unspeakable speak.” Alfonso Rivera, Cineuropa.
“Nobody could turn up their nose at a film brimming with sparky dialogue, where every scene holds a latent threat of explosive violence.” Cristóbal Soage, Cineuropa.
“A sublime X-ray of different surfaces, carried out in the simplest way and with all its duplicities.” Mikel Zumeta, Berria.
“We find Simon’s violence disturbing; we may feel the need to flee or perhaps it seduces us, because love is death, at least according to Duras.” Mikel Zumeta, Berria.
“Daring and merciless.” Luis Martínez, El Mundo.
“For those looking for a film where words have meaning, where thinking is cultivated and there is no fear of descending into interior abysses where almost no one goes, this film offers extraordinary enjoyment.” Juan Zapater, Noticias de Gipuzkoa.
“It is comforting to see a film achieve all the goals it has set itself, and this is the case of the film presented by Claudia Llosa.” Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC.
“Rather than just a story, the director constructs a sensation, a fear.” Luis Martínez, El Mundo.
“Irreproachable and devastating debut by the Romanian Alina Grigore.” Luis Martínez, El Mundo.
“Cantet succeeds in illustrating each of the contradictions that lie behind the apparent innocence of the screen of a mobile phone as few have done before.” Luis Martínez, El Mundo.
“Arthur Rambo works because of its whirlwind rhythm, because of the sure performance of Rabah Nait Oufella and because it addresses a relevant subject.” Mikel G. Gurpegui, El Diario Vasco.
“It is combative cinema because of its extreme truthfulness.” Luis Martínez, El Mundo.
“She gets it right in the intimate and the collective battles because she is guided by feminist courage and because she has an immense faith in youth.” Víctor Esquirol, Gara.
“Somewhere between Carl Theodor Dreyer and Lars Von Trier, this debutante confidently sets about tackling the most profound debates relating to faith.” Víctor Esquirol, Gara.
“It has overwhelming emotional power.” Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco.
“Among the precious stones in the ‘Perlak’ section we find this jewel as fragile as red bean jelly but with as many facets as the hardest of diamonds.” Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco.
“The film by director Icíar Bollaín possesses something difficult to explain in words: a cast whose performances, combined with the force of the stories, vigorously stirs our feelings.” Urtzi Urkizu, Berria.
“Everything is endowed with authentic art and an admirable expressiveness. The glances, the silences, the dialogues (…), the distinguished performances of Blanca Portillo and Luis Tosar make me feel like I have a lump in my throat and make my eyes moisten.” Carlos Boyero, El País.
“Davies does not put together a typical biographical film but rather immerses himself in the character, delves into his world and presents us with an evocative work about the most outstanding aspects of his life.” Mikel G. Gurpegui, El Diario Vasco.
“It is a biopic that rejects the trends of the genre, basing itself, with complete freedom, on moments and decisions that are pure poetry.” Víctor Esquirol, Gara.
“The much-admired Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s third feature, Earwig, screams to be watched on the big screen and, once there, defies the audience by being bafflingly, hypnotically, impenetrable.” Fionnuala Halligan, Screen Daily.
“Fascinating and disturbing with its few words and singular atmosphere.” Mikel G. Gurpegui, El Diario Vasco.
“This provocative and unapologetically profane Buñuelian prank [is] one of the first examples of a genuine auteur work to emerge in a world upended by COVID-19.” Peter Debruge, Variety.
“So intimate that sometimes you feel like (you know you are) a (lucky) intruder in these conversations between mother and daughter.” Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco.
“Javier Corcuera Andrino’s film bases itself on the collection of important documents on the kids that made music explode from the Basque Country and reach the galaxies.” Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco.
“A small film (...), although only apparently, since the story that lies behind its ins and outs is grand, accessible and, to a certain extent, epic.” Mikel Zumeta, Berria.
“Cinema within cinema in a story that exudes love for films.” Astrid Meseguer, La Vanguardia.
“A piece so calculated in what it reveals and suggests, and so brilliant in its way of exposing and interpreting this (…), that it preserves all its malicious intrigue in ingenious plot twists and admirable changes in the direction of the acting.” Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC.
“Shoots in all directions at any creatures, living or not, in the cinematographic, acting and directional multiverse.” Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco.
“The spotlights, the premieres, the films and the songs all constitute an important part of their lives, but what is most interesting arises from the story that emerges after abandoning all of that. And, in this sense, Gainsbourg does an excellent job.” Uxue Arzelus, Berria.
“Some will think it is a ‘period’ film. And yet it has the rhythm, the fury and the intensity of the best cinema being made in this III Millennium.” Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco.
‘Plunges you into the skin, head, heart, explosive anxious state, fear and uncertainty of a group of police officers who, following irresponsible and unclear orders, must remove thirty people from a house where they have gathered together to prevent their eviction’. Carlos Boyero, El País
‘A first-rate product (…), that makes you want to scream for more’. Oti R. Marchante, ABC
‘The private and public spheres, personal and professional experiences, the faults of a society torn apart by corruption, police misconduct, institutional power and double-edged comradeship are strung together and expressed through multiple narrative layers’. Ricardo Aldarondo, El Diario Vasco
‘Kawase’s latest film uses a psychoanalytic and poetic journey to make a profound and honest reflection’. Mikel Zumeta, Berria
‘One of the best films from the Japanese director [Naomi Kawase] in a long time’. Nando Salvà, El Periódico
‘Plunging the viewer straight into Tallahassee’s family court, this questioning, challenging film will travel to wherever fine and nuanced cinema is celebrated’. Fionnuala Halligan, Screen Daily
‘Beginning is graced by a potent lead performance from Ia Sukhitashvili who conveys the myriad emotions of woman at the mercy of a cruel world and enduring a life tossed from serenity to distress, obedience to emancipation’. Allan Hunter, Screen Daily
‘An imperfect but glassily compelling study of obsessive, finally debilitating desire that honors its source with an unblinking female gaze’. Guy Lodge, Variety
‘Colouristic, alive and joyful guilty pleasure orchestrated by Nacho Álvarez to songs by Raffaella Carrà’. Alfonso Rivera, Cineuropa
‘Subverts, stirs up, old ways of filming and walking the border between Mexico and the USA’. Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco
‘Has one of the most beautiful, convincing and defining endings of all the films at SSIFF 68’. Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco
‘David Gómez Sañudo shows great mastery, sensitivity and depth in his first foray into feature-length film’. Alfonso Rivera, Cineuropa
‘Hong Sang-soo remains a master of capturing simple, mostly inconsequential conversations with ease’. Mikel G. Gurpegui, El Diario Vasco
‘Zhou Ziyang makes a strong charge against the prevailing materialism in his own country’. Víctor Esquirol, Gara
‘Ziyang demonstrates a vibrant narrative rhythm’. Juan Zapater, Noticias de Gipuzkoa
‘A look at unsuccessful motherhood and adoption so tender it makes you reach for a silk handkerchief as opposed to a Kleenex’. Oti R. Marchante, ABC
‘An excellent, radical film that delves into the wounds of social divides in the USA’. Carmen L. Lobo, La Razón
‘Blows you away with its indefinable and fierce depiction of love and forgiveness between parent and child’. Luis Martínez, El Mundo
‘An intense film, well told and thought out, with meaning. It pries into painful sensations, the weight of memories and the complexity of feelings’. Carlos Boyero, El País
‘Film maker Imanol Rayo nails this dark, suffocating and provocative thriller’. Urtzi Urkizu, Berria
‘This is not just a film about abortion. It is also a film about loneliness, determination, the America of the forgotten, the formation of identity in a hostile environment, and of course, a beautiful female friendship that endures against all odds’. Sergi Sánchez, La Razón
‘The superb dramatic force of Never Rarely Sometimes Always largely stems from the tact and restraint of Hittman’s direction’. Nando Salvà, El Periódico
‘A meticulously-captured glimpse of light in these dark times’. Mikel G. Gurpegui, El Diario Vasco
‘A moving and extremely close depiction of old age’. Mikel G. Gurpegui, El Diario Vasco
‘Pure genre film’. Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco
‘Eugène Green has created an exotic and highly personal interpretation of the legend of Atarrabi and Mikelats’. Koldo Landaluze, Gara
‘This second film from Navas is powerful, and the story it tells even more so, if that’s possible’. Amaia Garcia, Berria
‘A great thriller based on a difficult drama’. Amaia Garcia, Berria
‘A road movie in which the tarmac, the muddy earth and the most opulently untouched virgin lands constitute the strange road driven by a vehicle loaded with stories’. Víctor Esquirol, Gara
‘Takes seemingly distant characters and makes them loved and understood’. Ricardo Aldarondo, El Diario Vasco
‘Beginning is the most provocatively original film, with a voice of its own, to come to the San Sebastián Festival this year’. Luis Martínez, El Mundo
‘Using intricate and composed content, the film presents us with a complex polyhedron’. Mikel Zumeta, Berria
‘Kulumbegashlivi steadfastly walks the fine line separating realist depiction from religious parable and manages to maintain a sense of tension and threat in even the most apparently calm scenes’. Nando Salvà, El Periódico
‘In the dusk is Sharunas Bartas’ best in years, a stark, sombre Lithuanian war story’. Jonathan Romney, Screen Daily
‘The conventional and effective mise en scène of this convincing and moving drama takes place amid beautiful landscapes and cosy interiors. It becomes more intense and subtle through the sensibilities of both characters (a writer and a pianist) and the impeccable actors’. Ricardo Aldarondo, El Diario Vasco
‘The power and density of the film force the viewer to keep their eyes and ears wide open. Stupefies and fascinates to the core’. Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco
‘Chupacabra is a free, raw film, and a bitter and brilliant fable’. Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco
‘Méndez Esparza focuses on listening carefully and on putting us, the viewers, in the position of justice administrators dealing with what are always delicate family matters’. Víctor Esquirol, Gara
‘The stories comprising the plot have real-life emotional punch’. Oti R. Marchante, ABC
‘Doesn’t massage the audience. Rather, it questions them, and makes them uncomfortable’. Juan Zapater, Noticias de Gipuzkoa
‘With its sublime artistic direction, Sutemose (...) transports us to the miserable lives of Lithuanian Partisans in 1948’. Harkaitz Cano, El Diario Vasco
‘In the Dusk is like a terrifying fable in which Bartas makes clear there is no room for light’. Víctor Esquirol, Gara
‘Sharunas Bartas’ film is magnetic, at times almost artistically so’. Ricardo Aldarondo, El Diario Vasco
‘As a couple starting down the barrel of early-onset dementia, a peak-form Firth and Tucci give nuance and ballast to Harry Macqueen’s small but beautifully formed sophomore film’. Guy Lodge, Variety
‘A film oozing with sensitivity and style, even shamelessly pulling at the heartstrings’. Oti R. Marchante, ABC
‘A poignant portrait of love in autumn’. Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter
‘Beginning marks an auspicious bow for a new art house talent’. Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter
‘Has some great cinematic attributes, such as believing in, and taking risks with how the story is told, yet still condemning and not dodging questions that no one will answer’. Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco
‘A collective poem, a collection of feelings and shared losses, a personal memoir of things so private they must be kept in a small box’. Mikel G. Gurpegui, El Diario Vasco
‘A domestic comedy – indeed, anti-romcom – with some lively performances and a bold-caps feminist message’. Jonathan Romney, Screen Daily
‘Satô explores a parent-child story with many layers’. Harri Fernández, Noticias de Gipuzkoa
‘A film full of joy, life and great music; not to be missed by fans of Matt Dillon and Latin Jazz’. Mikel Zumeta, Berria
‘The director uses all the expressiveness and subtlety of his language to tell a story from the different perspectives of two teenagers who live in an American military base located in the Italian region of Veneto’. Oti R. Marchante, ABC
‘Guadagnino finds a visual rhythm here which is interesting to tap into’. Fionnuala Halligan, Screen Daily
‘A guy as big, free and wild as [El Drogas] has found it well within his capabilities to steal more than a moment of glory from the other geniuses from the world of music who have been portrayed in the same SSIFF programme’. Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco
‘Ekain Irigoyen masterfully tells the story of these two people who live [in the street]’. Amaia Garcia, Berria
‘Asier Altuna chooses not to tread carefully in his portrayal of the great man and places the camera behind the protagonist to bring the viewer closer to a place as private as the kitchen of his restaurant’. Koldo Landaluze, Gara
‘Nomadland is beautiful, serene, deeply human, and perhaps the film of the year’. Mikel G. Gurpegui, El Diario Vasco
‘Film-maker Chloé Zhao and Frances McDormand at the height of her acting career have combined their respective talents to produce a marvellous work of sensitivity’. Koldo Landaluze, Gara
‘The Father does something that few movies about mental deterioration in old age have brought off in quite this way, or this fully. It places us in the mind of someone losing his mind’. Owen Gleiberman, Variety
‘Suzanne Lindon makes her acting and directorial debut with remarkable assurance – and success’. Wendy Ide, Screen Daily
‘The music, the words, the physicality and the materials of the documentary (…) are stunning and devastating’. Oti R. Marchante, ABC
‘Excellent, beautiful, raw, created with the brain and the heart (…); traces the explosive existence and the incredible survival of Shane MacGowan, a hypnotic singer, a brilliant composer and the soul of The Pogues’. Carlos Boyero, El País
‘Fascinating documentary (…) a journey of music, alcohol, drugs and punk’. Mitxel Ezquiaga, El Diario Vasco
‘An amazing film (…) told with grace, bewilderment, feeling, and credible humanism’. Carlos Boyero, El País
‘As dry, strong, transparent and turbulent as a good shot of vodka’. Oti R. Marchante, ABC
‘Shows us the predominant viewpoint of a character historically relegated to the background’. Víctor Esquirol, Gara
‘Warm, moving, overwhelming in places, an outstanding look at the mindset of an artist with one of the best understandings of the word on the street’. Koldo Landaluze, Gara
‘The camera and its movements, the mise en scene, the composition of the shots, the coloratura of the lighting by Víctor Benavides (…) the audacity of some takes (…) perfectly communicate what David, Marina and the others want to tell us’. Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco
‘A powerful and technically sound drama that fascinates on account of the force of actress Patricia López Arnaiz’. Koldo Landaluze, Gara
‘Nomadland feels like gazing out on one long, gorgeous sunset’. Peter Debruge, Variety
‘Terribly expressive, dark, seductive and significant’. Oti R. Marchante, ABC
‘Before we know it, we are immersed in the rite’. Mikel Zumeta, Berria
‘A suggestive cocktail (…) focussing on women’s struggle and their right to live their lives and their dreams’. Ricardo Aldarondo, El Diario Vasco
‘The film depicts the story of these two young people in the most beautiful way’. Mikel Zumeta, Berria
‘An original and suggestive way of depicting adolescent dreams and worries, with the ingenuity, irony and sensitivity of François Ozon’. Ricardo Aldarondo, El Diario Vasco
‘An exercise in narrative subjectivity’. Nando Salva, El Periódico
‘A very deep dive indeed, made with clear respect for the complexities of what took place‘. Fionnuala Halligan, Screen Daily
‘The Father gives the viewer a first-hand experience of the complexity, of the abyss felt by someone who starts to not trust their own mind‘. Mikel G. Gurpegui, El Diario Vasco
‘An unhesitating debut from Zeller’. Julián Herrero, La Razón
‘Kiyoshi Kurosawa has fully exploited the possibilities of a script through which he has paid tribute to his ever-admired Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchock and Jacques Tourneur’. Koldo Landaluze, Gara
‘When one holds a wonderful film and manages to fill it with such wonderful characters, one doesn’t want to let go of it or of them’. Begoña del Teso, El Diario Vasco
‘Highly characteristic of Woody Allen. Fun and moving with its perspective on a life from old age, yet it has the youthful drive of those who still believe in life, seduction and pleasure, despite all the anguish they cause’. Ricardo Aldarondo, El Diario Vasco
‘Behind its apparent triviality and its simple and dazzling assimilation lies wisdom, confession and ingenuity’. Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
‘A tough and painful journey told from within the heart of two families’. Fernando García, La Vanguardia
‘Franco brings us a harsh critique on class segregation’. Amaia Garcia, Berria
‘The latest from Mexican director Michel Franco is one of those tough, uncomfortable, desperate, brutal films’. Mikel G. Gurpegui, El Diario Vasco
‘Lara Izagirre has returned to feature-length format with a piece that showcases her exquisite sensitivity when it comes to defining a journey of initiation’. Koldo Landaluze, Gara
‘Summer of 85 reminds us what makes the Ozon touch so unique‘. Peter Debruge, Variety
“A film that channels its complexity to create something understated” Luis Martinez, EL MUNDO
“Beautiful, smart, eccentric, tender, a tribute to those who are helpless and forced to learn to let go” Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“The feel-good movie laid bare. Takes care of itself and of the viewer. Just when it seems like things are about to go wrong, it ends up on top…” Victor Esquirol, DIARIO VASCO
“Daniel Sánchez-Arévalo has premiered a warm, simple and moving road movie” Alfonso Rivera, CINEUROPA
“Waddington decides not to reveal everything that may be going on in the tortured minds of the characters and lets the viewer mull it over themselves. This bold decision makes Patrick a provocative, powerful and disconcerting film” David González, CINEUROPA
“‘Sister’ is a resounding second step in Svetla Tsotsorkova’s career. It’s an intense experience and one worth having” Cristóbal Soage, CINEUROPA
“Superb performances by Nichola Burley and newcomer Roxanne Scrimshaw anchor Fyzal Boulifa's unforgiving study of working-class tragedy and community” Guy Lodge, VARIETY
“Absolutely beautiful in the visual and phantasmagorical sense (…) a powerful hybrid of political cinema and ghost movie” Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“The brilliant performances from the leading couple and the careful visual recreation underpin an elegantly crafted movie (…) hits the mark with its existential analysis and the depiction of a horror that doesn’t leave room for indifference” Koldo Landaluze, DIARIO VASCO
“(Ciro Guerra) continues to use space and silence, with his knack for honing in on beauty in huge landscapes” Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“Evocative and powerful, and Ciro once again exploits a series of sequences with a huge visual impact, dominated by an almost dreamlike abstraction” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“A noteworthy film based on the eponymous novel ‘Waiting for the Barbarians’ (…) both the script and film are magnificent” Harkaitz Cano, DIARIO VASCO
“We’re flung into the middle of a social protest drama, akin to the social realism of Ken Loach” Mikel Zumeta, BERRIA
“Flows between the almost documentary-like realism of the hand-held camera and the accurate, dazzling and highly refined cinematography from the expert hand of Hélène Louvart.” Ricardo Aldarondo, DIARIO VASCO
“This late entry could end up in the top spot. A sure contender for a Golden Shell, without a doubt” Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“Sarah Gavron manages to reverse the dynamic in a brilliant third and final act. The sharp and sincere defence of the values held by a well-coordinated collective is moving.” Victor Esquirol, GARA
“What makes good film? Among many things, a healthy dose of truth about the human condition and the current times, brought to the audience through carefully chosen language. This is A Thief’s Daughter” Manuel Hidalgo, EL MUNDO
“The audience will be taken aback (…) when they realise how much a person who can’t speak has to say, and that they’re part of some truly emotional, entertaining and intimate conversations” Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“A clarion call to break down barriers, showing that a life fraught with obstacles can still be a good life and exploring the obstacles thrown down by life itself. One of those films that stays with you and never fades.” Harkaitz Cano, DIARIO VASCO
“‘Trench’ (...) is an intense, almost note-perfect emotional journey about the fear of political repression and, more broadly, about human vulnerability, despair and resistance. But most of all it’s a grown-up film about love.” Jonathan Holland, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“An impressive and amazing film that takes everything to the edge. Brings the audience dangerously close to the limit. The sensation is unique.” Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“‘Light of My Life’ is a sensitive portrayal of the father-daughter relationship in a delicate forest world, with abandoned houses on the alert for danger and with humanism and pacifism dominating much of the film.” Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“Actor and director Casey Affleck makes his fiction debut with this post-apocalyptic movie that reveals his talent for capturing sensations and expressions.” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“The miraculous Aretha Franklin. Serious when not singing and a tempest of beauty and pure emotion as soon as she opens her mouth. The choir and churchgoers give it everything. You’ll leave the cinema smiling, crying, knowing that with Aretha you’ll never age” Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“Pure, untameable energy and a cathartic spiritual communion in which Pollack (though not gifted in the technique department) revealed his talent for capturing faces and emotions so intense that they leave the screen and infect us with all the earthly force transmitted by the great priestess Aretha Franklin” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“The nature of the theme, softened by the sympathy, humanity and vitality of the characters, makes it a film worth seeing” Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“A film that leaves open spaces and which is hugely alluring despite its ugliness, all thanks to the amazing framing by the director (…) the story is devoted to the characters, to their emotions and their suffering, revealing the inner political and social workings of a country that can be hard to comprehend” Javier Ocaña, EL MUNDO
“An elegant portrayal of the experience of a single middle-working class mother (…) Greta Fernández is perfect in the role of Sara” Mikel Zumeta, BERRIA
“Decisive and flawless, as determined as the leading character, ‘A Thief’s Daughter’ hooks the viewer right from the word go” Ricardo Aldarondo, DIARIO VASCO
“An endorsement for director and co-writer Belén Funes as an artist who will bring us much joy in years to come” Victor Esquirol, GARA
“Comic situations that’ll have you roaring with laughter (…) If you’re a fan of Houellebecq, don’t miss this film” Mikel Zumeta, BERRIA
“The poetry that emanates from the film achieves its purpose of guiding us across a border where faith, dreams and the ever-pressing need to communicate with one another all come together” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“It is a convincing, touching and, at certain points, infuriating depiction of what it means to be a gay man in a society dominated by a very traditional version of the Christian religion” Vladan Petkovic, CINEUROPA
“Rarely do we see a modern film with this sense of pure danger, at a time when green screen and digital compositing are the current industry preferences.” David Katz, CINEUROPA
“It’s a bold, unique and eclectic cocktail which is bewildering at times in all its peculiarities, but which proves the filmmaker’s clear talent for portraying with great accuracy the reality of the young protagonist’s African life” Fabien Lemercier, CINEUROPA
“One of the most inspired filmmakers currently on the international stage” Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“Tenacious, masterful when it comes to capturing intimate, sincere and painful emotions” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“The result is beautiful, adolescent, witty. Highly subtle. Playfully erotic” Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“The director has created an immensely sensitive portrayal of the intimacy between the couple.” Mikel Zumeta, BERRIA
“The provocative title of the new work by Chilean film maker José Luis Torres Leiva is a perfect match for the rapturously poetic narration and editing” Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“A credible and realistic analysis of the context, with the emotional hooks of a thriller.” Ricardo Aldarondo, DIARIO VASCO
“The film is beautiful in its own way. It takes an interesting approach to decrying the situation and is also tremendously valuable as a documentary. Of that I have no doubt.” Mikel Zumeta, BERRIA
“’The Other Lamb’ tackles patriarchy in an inventive and thoughtful manner, giving the viewer space to draw their own conclusions.” Kalem Aftab, CINEUROPA
“Every step taken by the families in this marvellously fresh melodrama speaks of the pain of a people that has been confounded by tremendous ups and downs.” Gonzalo Núñez, LA RAZÓN
“Intimate and powerful drama about what’s going on in people’s everyday lives — not just in England, but all over the world.” Owen Gleiberman, VARIETY
“Subtle use of cinematic techniques. Strong depictions and scene-setting.” Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“García Blaya’s film is tender. Moving.” Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“Frankly, it was a brilliant choice on the part of director Salvador Simo to use such an expressionistic medium.” Peter Debruge, VARIETY
“Diao Yinan delivers a definitive Chinese crime noir, in which the ravishing style and inventive staging form the substance.” Jessica Kiang, VARIETY
“Well-paced. The entanglements are woven together perfectly.” Gaizka Bourgeaud, GARA
“The audience can expect cameos and many famous faces along with the same humour and entanglements as the first instalment.” Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“Oliver Laxe has given us a jewel of cinema that shows us how to shoot a fire, how to approach the natural world and how to make film” Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“The opening leaves an impression (…) this film is different.” Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“Clearly the most prestigious film maker currently on the Uruguayan movie scene” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“An outstanding sensory experience. Landes strikes over and over again with the horrific absurdity of war” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“The film conveys (…) the fascination of big-screen images and the intoxicating, hallucinogenic power of those points in the film leaves a lasting mark” Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“The lead character’s passion for cinema, the tribute to the Hollywood of the 70s (…) and his dreams and nightmares of triumph are endearing in all their craziness” Ricardo Aldarondo, DIARIO VASCO
“What really gives ‘Heroic Losers’ a boost is its expression of national character, the way it attaches itself to this rousing fantasy to score one for the downtrodden.” Scott Tobias, VARIETY
“Oren Gerner’s film has been lovingly crafted. It carefully observes Meier’s worries and creates a safe environment in which the feelings he denies are revealed to the camera” Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“Lynn + Lucy is a substantial piece of work. Skilfully shot using a square aspect ratio. It’s bare, dangerous, sullen. Boulifa’s film works” Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“What Boulifa and DoP Taina Galis add to the mix – thanks also to their fourhander edit – is a strikingly expressionist take on a story” Lee Marshall, SCREENDAILY
“The young director has crafted the film as though it were a dance that he has choreographed. Everything we see is dance (…) it lives and breathes dance and excites” Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“Faultless cinematography, an unhurried film, minimalist stories but with stimulating undertones” Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“The young Galician film maker Oliver Laxe once again proves one to watch with this new creative leap (…) he has reached creative maturity thanks to a highly personal and nuanced dialogue” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“You know exactly what climax is coming in Oliver Laxe’s rustically beautiful rural parable, but its dreamy, mesmeric power lies in the waiting” Guy Lodge, VARIETY
“Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho is on excoriating form in his exceptional pitch-black tragicomedy about social inequality in modern Korea.” Jessica Kiang, VARIETY
“A stimulating, entertaining and smart film that will surprise you over and over again. Don’t miss it” Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“An enjoyable, beautiful film brimming with attractive features. Hugely entertaining and endearing” Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“Angela Schanelec's latest auteur puzzle is elegant and entirely elliptical.” Guy Lodge, VARIETY
“Jon Garaño, Aitor Arregi and Jose Mari Goenaga have created what is surely the perfect post-civil-war movie” Victor Esquirol, GARA
“Moving restraint, enthralling in its historical scope and intimacy, ‘La trinchera infinita’ is a new technical, narrative and emotional feat from the team behind ‘Handia’” Ricardo Aldarondo, DIARIO VASCO
“A joyful movie in every one of its brilliant and daring contradictions: shines ever brighter the darker it gets, sounds ever louder the deeper it moves into silence” Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“Belén Cuesta’s nuanced performance is splendid” Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“Peppered with well-placed doses of humour. A powerful yet subtle screenplay and immaculate editing, expertly conveying the pain of claustrophobia and the erosion of time, all the way to a final moving scene” Harkaitz Cano, DIARIO VASCO
“The film soon distances itself from the classic tale of musical learning and triumph and deals with deeper and more troubling issues. The direction and acting performances are commendable” Ricardo Aldarondo, DIARIO VASCO
“A feature that could strike a chord with arthouse distributors in the market for quality drama and strong women’s stories.” Lee Marhsall, SCREEN DAILY
“In this gripping, sad and touching work of classic film the humanity of its unforgettable characters also shines through” Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“The monumental ‘So Long, My Son’ has an impeccable cast and pinpoint storytelling” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“A deeply moving, generations-spanning drama.” Jessica Kiang, VARIETY
“Jayro Bustamante's debut 'Ixcanul' put Guatemalan cinema on the map; his follow-up, a rumbling, forceful gay drama, ought to keep it there.” Guy Lodge, VARIETY
“A most interesting cinematic and narrative structure. The end is of the type that we’re not used to seeing so frequently of late” Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“Ambitious, combative and well shot (…) Hend Sabri is as powerful and forceful as the great women of film” Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“(Izibene Oñederra) once again makes our jaws drop with a highly characterful work” Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“Filmed in a highly natural, analogue, grainy way. It’s nocturnal, pure burlesque and underground ‘boylesque’ activism, all the way to the fake eyelashes and platinum wigs” Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“Commendable confidence and personal perspective (…) A shrewd interpretation of the paradoxical nature of the human being” Ricardo Aldarondo, DIARIO VASCO
“A masterclass in off-camera (…) Zonana reveals himself as a great explorer” Victor Esquirol, GARA
“A captivating and visually accomplished film” Fabien Lemercier, CINEUROPA
“Alice Winocour’s staging and Eva Green’s restrained and passionate performance subtly come together” Ricardo Aldarondo, DIARIO VASCO
“Lhamo and Skalbe’s strong Tibetan cultural element could see it garner further festival interest” Lee Marshall, SCREEN DAILY
“Knows how to play its cards right. Knows how to handle the craziness of Saturday night and the nightmare of awakening from memories. I like how it gradually becomes more complex and how it leaves the ending open with no answers” Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“The open shots, the tranquillity of the gorgeous Norwegian lakes and landscapes, the careful editing of the scenes in the church and the intense pace of the dance competitions. Young Mirjam’s situation is stifling, and the director uses seeming contradictory means of transmitting that sense of suffocation” Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“A fantastic, restrained and daring film narrated with intelligence and real feeling” Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“Hinde Boujemaa crafts an uneven but ultimately potent women’s drama with her fictional debut.” Lee Marshall, SCREEN DAILY
“Audiences will be moved, surprised, amused and alternately depressed and uplifted by this excellent film” Vladan Petckovic, CINEUROPA
“Emanates a rare vitality and a wild extravagance that pulls you in” Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“A tale of the introduction to life and to the emotions. The magical component of the film takes on an ancestral dimension that is firmly rooted in the behaviour of modern society” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“The Japanese director has created a pleasant and entertaining film that moves along at an enjoyable pace” Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“The movie makes flawless use of an oppressive aspect ratio (…) the dialogue is at times like a litany and at others like an incantation that some might say is reminiscent of Shakespeare” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“The expert hand of director Roger Michell, of Notting Hill fame, brings strength and a comedic counterpoint to a film with a powerful cast.” Mitxel Ezquiaga, DIARIO VASCO
“A spectacular cast” Victor Esquirol, GARA
“Amenábar gives a wise and clear reconstruction of the controversial, much-debated and yet legendary events of October 12th 1936.” Luis Martinez, EL MUNDO
“Holds up a mirror to the political and social times we’re living in, with the dangerous rise of the far right” Alfonso Rivera, CINEUROPA
“Handsomely mounted” Denis Harvey, VARIETY
“A brave and somewhat brazen film that carves its own path (…) the choice of speech hits the mark, at times marvellous and at others spot on” Muriel Del Don, CINEUROPA
“The secret to a good film is that it transports you to a different place. ‘L’île aux oiseaux’ by Swiss directors Maya Kosa and Sergio da Costa does just that” Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“Barber has brought lyricism to a story imbued with nostalgia and yearning” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“’Les misérables’ is masterful and confidently guides us through the people and the tensions between them” Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“Les misérables’ from director Ladj Ly has more rage than hate (…) A detailed social account that shines a spotlight on police corruption” Andoni Imaz, BERRIA
“Wow! Director Taberna has some strength (…) She oozes style (…) authentically good and human. This is what makes powerful cinema.” Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“A kaleidoscopic perspective (…) calls for a Mediterranean culture that European authorities stopped believing in a long time ago” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“A flawless and moving double ending magnificently concludes this much-recommended great work of film” Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“Robert Eggers is here to stay. (…) The film is like nature out of control, its anti-panoramic format suffocates, the black and white terrifies, the raging dialogue bewilders…” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Filming the movie in one long take was a daring decision requiring meticulous planning (…) and, on this occasion, the form adapts magnificently to the story” Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“On a structural level the film is a masterclass in how to make a movie without the cutting room. Without even drawing breath! As we discover in the midst of so much suffering, the cut between scenes is a relief now denied to us. You can’t look away” Victor Esquirol, GARA
“Tuva Novotny’s excellent directorial debut looks at mental health and questions cinematic language” Kaleem Aftab, CINEUROPA
“Redemption, camaraderie and reinvention feature in a semi-unknown place that only the eye of a filmmaker as worried, sensitive and curious as Lacuesta is able to portray with both love and respect” Alfonso Rivera, CINEUROPA
“That such a gripping, dramatic, enigmatic and, indeed, beautiful film emerges as the result confirms this sometime cartoonist as the daring, modern, courageous, original and unique voice that asks in this film, of both himself and us, who are we, really?” Alfonso Rivera, CINEUROPA
“What a beautiful film from Mayfair (…) The Vietnamese director has created a beautiful contradiction: that of a young girl forced to live such a horrible life, surrounded by such beauty” Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“DoP Balthazar Hertel's camerawork is more than competent, and the use of lighting, especially in nocturnal, blue and red neon-tinted scenes, makes the atmosphere ambiguous” Vladan Petkovic, CINEUROPA
“Martín Rodríguez Redondo is the latest outstanding film maker from the Latin American new wave (…) along with a highly personal sense of pace in the film narrative make this Argentinian director one of the great discoveries of Zinemaldia 2018” Carlos Loureda, FOTOGRAMAS
“White-hot. Beautiful. A metaphor loaded with reality; a reality wrapped in the poetry of unknown dimensions (…) Gorgeous. Poetic. You could say fragile though supported and driven with strong style” Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“While the excellent work on image, editing and sound, combined with fantastic performances by the three main actors, creates a feeling of suffocation, cruelty and abuse that the viewer personally experiences both physically and mentally” Alfonso Rivera, CINEUROPA
“An amazing amount of work has gone into the animation in this film from Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña” Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga are stunning together in Cooper's rapturous rock 'n' roll remake (…) rapturous and swooning, but also delicate and intimate and luminous” Owen Gleiberman, VARIETY
“A tremendous melodrama (…) a story that twists and turns elegantly” Oti Rodriguez Marchante, ABC
“Captivating and stimulating” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A gutsy film made with restrained brilliance, an overwhelming spectacle brought together with seventies music and the charisma of the main actor, Lorenzo Ferro” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“In The Sisters Brothers, Audiard creates a story reminiscent of the Coen brothers, with humour and memorable supporting characters, plenty of feeling and melancholy, and which reveals that the treasure of the Wild West dream is found along the journey” Alex Zubiria, NOTICIAS DE GUIPUZKOA
“The perfect metaphor of an honest and empathetic generation (…) Oier Aranzabal has managed to gel something as difficult and intangible as poetry with epic artistic creation” Luis Haranburu Altuna, EL CORREO
“Delicate cinematic filigree (…) an immensely subtle theatrical and literary ensemble” Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“The interesting thing about this piece (is) how serious the director is about ensuring the documental and fictional aspects consume one another (…) to bring meaning to the fiction, and that touch of ‘freshness’ that lets the characters talk, converse and be themselves to bring meaning to the documentary” Oti Rodriguez Marchante, ABC
“Isaki Lacuesta is back with a magnificent film which blurs all lines between fiction and documentary. He has painted a bitter and realistic picture of Spain” Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“As authentic as the most to-the-point and spontaneous documentary and with the narrative vigour of a director who is absolutely aware of everything that’s emerging before the camera” Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Lacuesta’s purity of perspective matches the exquisite camerawork which, above all, is in tune with the object being studied” Victor Esquirol, GARA
“Denis’s excessively fanciful yet attractive narrative structure is unsettling and leaves some intriguing questions hanging” Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A breath of fresh air in the genre” Victor Esquirol, GARA
“There are parts that get bogged down in pitiful ideas and scenes of unquestionable beauty” Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“In its sheer weirdness and departure from anything else in the cinematic universe, this film is bound to charm” Alfonso Rivera, CINEUROPA
“What in Ruiz’s hands would in presumably have been awash with stylistic flourishes and oscillations in time (and pace) is bathed in a cool theatrical clarity in Sarmiento’s” David González, CINEUROPA
“The formidable Girl (…) is pure physicality. A work about the body, from the body” Javier Ocaña, EL PAÍS
“The outcome is so subtle of the type that only the French do well, loyal as they are to the theme of infidelity” Harkaitz Cano, EL DIARIO VASCO
“The complacency and corruption of pre-coup Argentina is laid bare in chilling, absurd style in Benjamin Naishtat's superb third feature” Jessica Kiang, VARIETY
“He returns to the festival with this stylishly mounted follow-up (…) The film’s prime assets are terrific performances from leads Nimri and Eva Llorach” Jonathan Romney, SCREEN DAILY
“These moments dedicated to music and dance profit from the advice of choreographer María Rovira, and they are by far the most spectacular, moving and genuine scenes” Alfonso Rivera, CINEUROPA
“Brillante Mendoza's seamily atmospheric drug-trade thriller covers familiar ground, but does so with a potent, purposeful stride” Guy Lodge, VARIETY
“Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s third feature-length film is prizeworthy” M.I., GARA
“Demonstrates that we, too, are witness to one of the most beautiful love stories of this 66th festival” Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Argentine drama “The Snatch Thief” is a nicely plotted, unpretentious film” Jay Weissberg, VARIETY
“La casa lobo from Chilean directors Cristobal León and Joaquin Cociña is great cinema” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“The film will be a tool for generating crucial debate. That’s no small thing” Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“One of the most powerful pieces of the Festival” Harkaitz Cano, EL DIARIO VASCO
“The story’s depiction of the world of dreams creates opportunities for humour without ruining the realistic feel of what is, without a doubt, Veiroj’s most existentialist film” Carlota Moseguí, CINEUROPA
“A resonating melodramatic thriller which is executed to perfection. It will unsettle many in the audience with its disarming and defiant frivolity” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Intriguing characters and superb performances could make 'Petra' the director’s most popular film to date” Jay Weissberg, VARIETY
“Roma will be described as a visual marvel, and it is” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Jia Zhangke’s gangster epic is a twisting tale of love and survival in 21st-century China” Maggie Lee, VARIETY
“Zhao Tao. One of those personalities who floods the screen. Brilliant, fun and youthful” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“It has adventure, it has humour, and it reflects on life, happiness and freedom (…) I can’t think of a more appropriate pair of actors for this fraternal journey” Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“A monumental work from twelve film makers” Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A perfectly calibrated drama boasting exquisite attention to detail that reveals itself in the elegant visuals as much as the astonishing performances” Jay Weissberg, VARIETY
“High-end scripted content derives from high-quality scripts and creative freedom” Emiliano Granada, VARIETY
“Surely the most powerful auteur on the Spanish film scene (…) An undoubtedly perfect work” Victor Esquirol, GARA
“One of the most daring, clever and personal inquiries into the web of masks, symbols and fraud that so defines us (…) Vermut is undoubtedly one of the most intriguing, mature and unique voices in new Spanish film. And he’s growing louder” Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“A delight that should be savoured slowly and carefully, because the plot has one or two poisonous seeds” Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“Carlos Vermut has conceived a fascinating tale. The story is replete with tension, excitement and intent and countless furling and unfurling” Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“A beautiful and well-constructed labyrinth around the act of giving and receiving, helping and exploiting, duplicity and imitation, having one’s own identity and wanting to be someone else, losing or winning trust in oneself and in others” Alberto Moyano, EL DIARIO VASCO
“The essence of the Carlos Vermut film narrative and perhaps more polished for the occasion: an unsettling story which opens up like a wound, triggering various states of anxiety in the process, among them pain, forgetfulness and stripped identities” Oti Rordiguez Marchante, ABC
“Sequences that take your breath away and make you feel like cinema is the art of all arts (…) There’s majesty, mystery and solemnity” Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“Kawase’s films are so zen and contemplative, they create the same inner peace as a mouthful of green tea” Oti Rordiguez Marchante, ABC
“Images filled with pure beauty; almost electrifying” Victor Esquirol, GARA
“It’s a darkly funny look at consumerism, fetishism and lonely-hearts ads that features dreams, killer dresses and untimely deaths (…) Strickland is able to divert the narrative away from social commentary to highlight the humorous and musical aspects of the film” Kaleem Aftab, CINEUROPA
“Brave, sharp, unpredictable, a ruthless parody, bold, a crazy narrative, as chaotic and absurd as life itself (…) It makes an undeniable impact that can still be felt days after seeing it. And that’s saying something” Harkaitz Cano, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Bombastic Korean action, technically impeccable, the scenes flit from solemn verbal drama to chases, shootings and stilted camerawork” Dani Soriazu, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Spectacular (…) stunning, overflowing and a brilliant homage to the unforgettable film Jin-Roh” Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“One of the most outstanding works of contemporary Basque cinema” Gorka Erostarbe and Maider Galardi F. Agirre, BERRIA
“This chronical of a breakdown, of so many breakdowns, does well from the fact that Nature devours it, that our closest landscapes (...) lose their usual aspect and transform almost into a landscape left after some future apocalypse” Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Celia Rico Clavellino lives up to the expectations generated around her meticulously attentive portraits of a mother-daughter relationship brought to life by her excellent actresses” Alfonso Rivera, CINEUROPA
“A beautiful poem on a not-so-pretty theme. That is, the social burden of the patriarchy. The film makes its point using evocative images and a brilliant idea: turn men (or males) into animals” GARA
“Xacio Baño’s first feature length film has been painstakingly put together (…) The brilliant performance from María Vazquez enriches the story and the spectacular shots chosen by the Galician director take the film to a whole other level” Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“Representations of the body and desire are changing something on the screen” Gorka Erostarbe and Maider Galardi F. Agirre, BERRIA
“Pace, brilliance and vitality. The film brings a smile to your face with its featherweight (though equally combative) tone, its scintillating dialogue, its entanglements, its use of satire and its 70s feel” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“I was moved (…) a praiseworthy aesthetic (black and white, no soundtrack), monumental camerawork (…) the formidable visual language expresses sensations and feelings with depth” Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“A family story in marvellous black and white (…) There’s much to see in Roma, from the simple, minimal and intimate to the other, gigantic side that depicts earthquakes and turbulence, both social and personal. It gets under your skin, not by piercing or cutting aggressively but as though the story were spread on like a moisturising cream” Oti Rordiguez Marchante, ABC
“The complexity and intrigue of the characters is perfectly depicted (…) the film trots along joyfully, awakening mutual understanding, and frolics with a touch of humour that doesn’t take away its emotional factor. An enjoyable and sensitive movie that even throws some questions out about humanity” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Jacques Audiard has created one of the best portraits about mutual understanding, respect and brotherly love of recent times (…) An impeccable narrative and powerful visuals, the film from the director of A Prophet is among the most gratifying surprises of the year” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“They want to explain the origins of drug trafficking (…) they discuss tradition and spirituality (…) a fresh perspective which is miles away from the other offerings on this now-fashionable issue” Uxue Arzelus, Berria
“Its trump card is the combination of fiction with archive material, with images of daily life in the city in the 70s (…) a true portrait of a dark time” Oskar Belategui, EL CORREO
“This British film has added a splash of colour to an Official Selection which is turning greyer by the day (…) with its provocative narrative and mise en scène (…) fires poisoned arrows at the employment sector, at consumerism and at personal relationships” Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“As unusual as it is alluring—perfect for those who let themselves be carried along by its refined extravagance and ingenious sense of humour, not to mention horror” Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“For the time being the most depraved and bizarre film up for this year’s Golden Shell, and the best so far” Nando Salvá, EL PERIÓDICO
“In Fabric—two hours of film bordering on a masterpiece. A new and extravagant work which has thrown its hat in the ring for the Golden Shell. Brilliant” Victor Esquirol, GARA
“Peter Strickland fashions a slyly hilarious Italian horror homage” Peter Debruge, VARIETY
“The boldest, most radical and—dare we say it—modern entry that there has and will probably be in the entire Official Selection” Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“The imaginative wardrobe, photography and lighting are sumptuous, as are the rich orchestral arrangements (…) a miracle of vital and artistic creation” Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“The director has pieced together a very daring work which will be just as interesting and fascinating 50 years from now” Harkaitz Cano, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Borders the South with works such as Carlos Saura’s Sevillanas, and the North with (…) Pina from Wim Wenders” Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“Romantic passion, jealous anxiety, murderous obsession et al are presented with a kind of matter-of-fact sang froid” Jonathan Romney, SCREENDAILY
"A melodrama of the most refined nature (…) there’s nothing more provocative than this in the times of the ‘influencers’” Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A lesson in fresh, original and personal—yet classic—cinema” Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“Angelo confirms that this Viennese director, just like Stefan Zweig, has an exquisite eye for mise en scène” Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“Exquisite forms, the film takes its time as is fitting with the atmosphere inside a sheltered palace” Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Beautiful camerawork” Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“The Realm consolidates de la Torre’s reputation as an actor whose presence is practically a quality control stamp on any project” Jonathan Holland, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“Rodrigo Sorogoyen has come up with a forceful and adrenaline-charged thriller” David González, CINEUROPA
“This grenade could go off at any moment, splattering the audience itself as it watches its own wretchedness elegantly played out on-screen, staged with concision and beauty” Alfonso Rivera, CINEUROPA
“A film worthy of applause” Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“A typically thoughtful, ambitious storytelling exercise from Spanish helmer Iciar Bollain” Guy Lodge, VARIETY
“Pure Cuerda style and the pull of a huge list of actors” Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Carefully staged and dramatically filmed” Jonathan Holland, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“The images brilliantly project the solitary human environment (…) a highly interesting look at the new Basque Country ahead of us, from the viewpoint of all social sciences” Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“Hugely successful in restoring Bisquert’s powerful presence” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“This debut from former actress Lila Avilés marks her out as a name to watch" Jonathan Romney, SCREENDAILY
“Her sometimes shocking drama should help establish her as an audacious, idiosyncratic force (…) Cast members throw themselves physically into the rigours of a demanding milieu” Jonathan Romney, SCREENDAILY
“Meshchaninova brings us a raw and exciting film that almost approaches magical realism” Vassilis Economou, CINEUROPA
“Film buffs can add a name to the list of directors with a future ahead of them” F. García, LA VANGUARDIA
“The lovingly-crafted script and highly identifiable situations result in a pleasant and intimate film (…) a story with substance, full of simple day-to-day moments for sure, though with a lot to say” Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“Received by an audience at once committed and astonished (…) Ferrugem is brave, worthy and convincing” Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Ana Katz keeps the mood appealingly low-key” Guy Lodge, VARIETY
“Artful sophomore film brings a supernatural twist to a study of refugee crisis” Guy Lodge, VARIETY
“Visually monumental, the unique La casa lobo evokes children’s stories and nightmarish settings” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“He has created a story arranged like a collage (…) Provocative” Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“A beautiful and interesting offering” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Brilliantly executed over four acts that flirt with thriller, westerns that hark back to those from Leone, drama and ancient times” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“A south-of-the-border drug epic like you've never seen before” Peter Debruge, VARIETY
“Leto’s freshness comes from its narrative style (…) Fun, brazen, to be enjoyed” Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“A daring black and white feature that two out of three times attacks full force” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“With a powerful visual discourse, Leto distances itself from the usual canons of the biopic” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“The Belgian has directed Girl with maturity and elegance (…) it is subtle, sweet, like a dance, but also raw to match the themes it addresses. What really appeals is that the film has no educational pretentions (…) A moving and tough film. Electrifying” Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“A new vision of a transgender person. And the discovery of Victor Polster” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Moves along at a carefully-crafted pace” Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“Conveys the sense of claustrophobia and strain to great effect” Fernando García, LA VANGUARDIA
“A promising debut, (…) a special piece” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Perfectly measured and scripted theatre (…) but without losing the truth of the documentary” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“And has the allure of the formidable actress Judi Dench, that wonderfully expressive little old lady” Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“The beauty of the Norwood story is that it shows how spies are usually (…) ordinary citizens who could easily be your neighbour” Kaleem Aftab, CINEUROPA
“The romantic plot, the spy intrigue and the ‘beautiful’ staging are the narrative elements from the past, and the moral and political discourse around the ‘balance of forces’ and its place in achieving peace in the last half of the century (better to distribute the bombs than risk a monopoly) are the trump cards of the present-day story” Oti Rodriguez Marchante, ABC
“This vibrantly executed and performed piece is bound to garner international prestige” Jonathan Romney, SCREEN DAILY
“Santiago Alfonso is well-tuned and the real surprise of the film” Victor Esquirol, GARA
“Pleasing and entertaining” Oti Rodriguez Marchante, ABC
“A noteworthy exercise in intrigue. Violence beats in every gesture, look and word spoken (…) a terrifying look at our most wild self” Victor Esquirol, GARA
“The cinematography and shocking irony are fascinating” Alberto Moyano, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Rousingly filmed (…) Mendoza once again portrays the forgotten and marginalised alongside the indelible and infallible image of those who stand up for a society that appears to be crumbling” Juan G. Andrés, EL DIARIO VASCO
“An immensely courageous work that transcends genre film to become a protest piece (…) undoubtedly committed to the cause” Victor Esquirol, GARA
“The brilliant Mendoza uses sinister cinematography and garbage-packed settings to sculpt his best movies (…) he returns close to where he has always been to reassert his accusations against a police system that has become the main scourge of the very society it should serve” Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GUIPUZCOA
“Troy Espiritu’s script is taut and to the point, and gives the impression of being grounded in hard research” Jonathan Romney, SCREEN DAILY
“Fine job of mixing comedy, drama and thriller elements” Kaleem Aftab, CINEUROPA
“So outlandish and yet so subtle (…) I love the square screen that frames this reflection on gods and children, friendship, death, faith and everything else. (…) I love that the scenes aren’t cut abruptly but flow serenely. I love this semi-religious mischief with its turntable, death, prayer and incense” Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A film that doesn’t condemn ignorance but dreams, dreams and shows (…) that inhabiting a 4:3 aspect ratio is not easy. It squeezes. It overwhelms” Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“This domestic fantasy is a delight. Intimate and full of understanding and love, attentive to the details with some really beautiful touches” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“The way the film looks at the big picture (sacrifices of time, money and lives) and the small, inside an empty man tortured by the death of his daughter, is fascinating” Oti Rodriguez Marchante, ABC
“A wonderful hybrid, a magnificent beast combining thriller and documentary, spy film and the portrait of a person who reveals his thoughts about life, friendship, violence and peacemaking. As emphatic as he is moral and unreserved” Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Genuine, real, vivid and stimulating” Oti Rodriguez Marchante, ABC
“With its Fincherian pace and penchant for long takes at high-tension moments, Sorogoyen and Peña have created a scandal thriller for a realm permanently immersed in scandal” Victor Esquirol, GARA
“A masterfully-directed film” Harkaitz Cano, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Antonio de la Torre is colossal in a huge and relevant role. His distinctive style shines” Ricardo Aldarondo, EL CORREO
“Sorogoyen shines once again doing what he does best (…) a disconcerting, enraged, electric and timely film” Luis Martinez, EL MUNDO
“Powerful, magnificent and mysterious” Luis Martinez, EL MUNDO
“A cinematographic work which is proudly unidentified (…) Jaquemet is still on top form” Victor Esquirol, GARA
“Prompts a smile (as excited as they get) from the most loyal cinephile” Victor Esquirol, GARA
“Steeped with the essence of the New Wave” Alex Zubiria, DEIA
“An enjoyable ride, poisonous beneath its seemingly superficial veneer” Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“A daring script that walks a line between fantasy and comedy” Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A surprising journey through the pain of bereavement” Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Ana Brun, star of the show, comes into her own in one of the most breathtaking performances of the season” GARA
“Aroonpheng’s great achievement is to convey a sense of humanist outrage while telling an involving, sometimes headily perplexing story in a magical realist register. This rich feature threads together a set of diverse but poetically ‘rhyming’ images (…) a set of similarly glowing gems that emerge from the forest floor, and a horrific image of other human treasures hidden in the earth” Jonathan Romney, SCREEN DAILY
“A succession of fascinating and powerful images (…) so beautiful, so hypnotic” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Romanticism that goes against the grain (…) this other style of falling in love is to be savoured” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“How breathtaking (…) What a delight to let yourself be carried away by the music, to immerse yourself in this story of love/indifference (…) What a joy to lose yourself (…) in the exquisite black and white images (…) Not one word, gesture or detail is lacking nor wasted in this subtle, restrained and admirably condensed work” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Astonishingly well-connected, Toulouse Lautrec, the Moulin Rouge, a young African girl and the shadow of Fantômas (…) fill the screen” Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Deeply humane (…) and newcomer Polster proves every bit as impressive” Peter Debruge, VARIETY
“A drama that seizes and holds you (…) Carell and Chalamet both give excellent performances” Owen Gleiberman, VARIETY
“A docudrama in the most authentic and exciting sense of the word (…) so revelatory in its realism, so gritty in its physicality, that it becomes a drama of thrillingly hellbent danger and obsession” Owen Gleiberman, VARIETY
“A joyful and playful film taking in life, prison, language, literature, coke, bars, guns, son, wife, father and anarchist graffiti” Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Intelligence, human knowledge, irony and laughter with two exemplary actors. (…) I left the cinema with a much-appreciated smile on my face. I suspect the same thing will happen to the majority of viewers” Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“Brilliant dialogue, emotion, a touch of irony and great performances” Mitxel Ezquiaga, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Everything flows pleasantly with elegance and melancholy (…) even more fantastic than Woody Allen’s Manhattan” Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“Everything works perfectly in Juan Vera’s film: the eminent actors, the beautiful Argentine backdrops and torrential Argentine dialogues” Oskar Belategi, DEIA
“Ricardo Darín and Mercedes Morán together are like a philharmonic orchestra, (…) the textual elements of the film are exceptional, magnificent. The actors’ dialogues hit the mark every time” Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“Simply monumental. (…) As physical as it is subtle. As delicate as it is premature. As tumultuous as it is intimate” Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A finely-crafted, beautifully realized debut that exquisitely balances character study with shrewd commentary on class, desire, and the lingering privileges of Paraguay’s elite” Jay Weissberg, VARIETY
“One of the most honest and overflowing portraits of a film artist that I can remember seeing (…) it captures Bergman as the tender and prickly, effusive and demon-driven, tyrannical and half-crazy celebrity-genius he was” Owen Gleiberman, VARIETY
“Vibrant and implacable, staying true to the essence of the plot, this outstanding feature-length animation succeeds in capturing the tension, cruelty and longing which arise along each stretch of a meticulously-described journey” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“One of the most interesting films of the year (…) Vibrant and dense, it moves along at a terrible and sometimes abrupt pace. The story is never sweetened and the film maintains the rigour of a journalistic documentary and the power of a carefully-put-together animation, somehow managing—almost miraculously—to be spectacular, emotive and reflective at the same time” Mikel G.Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A deeply respectful, artful and compassionate eye outward, to the struggles of others, and finding such empathy there that the film amounts to a heartfelt statement of solidarity” Jessica Kiang, VARIETY
“A profound and melancholic reflection on death and the ghosts of the past (…) Life and death come together joyously, and youth and old age are thrown together into a dance.”
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“The final jewel of the competition (…) We’re left agape by the wonder of the moving images, of how they talk of life, of death, of themselves…and, of course, of Jean-Pierre Léaud.”
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“With miraculous precision, the film seeks the almost-imperceptible moment when the image is at its most radically natural, and is most evidently beautiful (…) Breathtaking.”
L. Martinez, EL MUNDO
“Not only the direction but the other ingredients too are top-notch: the acting, the production, the music, and especially the cinematography.”
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“Easily the most brutal, forceful, provocative and volatile — all in the best sense of the word — that we’ve seen.”
L. Martinez, EL MUNDO
“Glenn Close is excellent in this literary drama.”
Andrew Barker, VARIETY
“Drawing on an excellent script written by the director and Rebecca Zlotowski, The Price of Success unfolds simply and efficiently, at a fast pace, skilfully toying with ellipsis.”
Fabien Lemercier, CINEUROPA
“This story of family in conflict with faith delivers an emotional payoff all the more telling for being so rigorously calibrated.”
SCREENDAILY
“Director Daniel Kokotajlo’s feature film debut, Apostasy, gives us a fascinating gaze into the world of Jehovah's Witnesses.”
Kaleem Aftab, CINEUROPA
“The characters exude naturalness through fantastic dialogues.”
Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“James Franco brings us one of the most hilarious performances of the decade, and behind the camera has written a sincere and sophisticated love letter to cinema.”
Víctor Esquirol, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“The script goes beyond mere parody (…) Renowned star James Franco has gifted a spectacular work to all cinephiles. His performance of Wiseau is fantastic, and his direction wonderful.”
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“Shoots for success like an arrow to the bullseye (…) so good it doesn’t need any awards.”
Alberto Moyano, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“The most fascinating movie of James Franco's wildly eccentric oeuvre.”
Peter Debruge, VARIETY
“Undoubtedly another candidate for the Golden Shell.”
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“An intelligent and discursive perspective; an outstanding exercise in all-round contemplation.”
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“A peculiar, well-told film with a local flavour and remarkable acting.”
Carlos Boyero, EL PAIS
“Involving, urgent and moving drama (…) a powerfully executed, richly human study (…) compellingly directed and acted”.
Jonathan Romney, SCREEN DAILY
“The nuances and contradictions of the characters make them incredibly human.”
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Is breathtakingly beautiful and unimpeachably well-intentioned.”
Jessica Kiang, VARIETY
“A raw exploration of a world rarely seen before in Romanian films.”
Stefan Dobroiu
“Popescu has a knack for staggering multiple lines of tension and conversation in a scene.”
Guy Lodge, VARIETY
“Film of astonishing finesse, searing intimacy and great emotional power.”
Alfonso Rivera, CINEUROPA
“Fantastic movie (…) brimming with cinematographic vitality and aggression. ‘The Price of Success’ excites in every one of its scenes.”
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Director Teddy Lussi-Modeste takes us into the dark side of fame.”
Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“Radiant. Most definitely!”
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“A beguiling domestic fable (…) enigmatic but warm-hearted.”
Guy Lodge, VARIETY
“So fresh. So different. So unique.”
Mike G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“One of the best Pearls.”
Alberto Moyano, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Harsh, intense and outstanding. ‘Dying’ would have been in with a chance of winning the Golden Conch.”
Oskar Belategui, EL CORREO VIZCAYA
“A truly brave undertaking by Mladenovic (…) worthy of applause.”
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“A fascinating combination of (pseudo)documentary and love story.”
Victor Esquirol, GARA
“Takes you gratifyingly by surprise (…) Welcome to the directors who see no need to discuss specific themes nor succumb to established stereotypes.”
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“An incredibly real and beautiful production, of the well-polished variety.”
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Really captures the unforeseeable unfolding of the joys and hardships of life which, as unlikely as it may seem, sometimes make it impossible to suppress a smile. Magical.”
Victor Esquirol, GARA
“A complex character, powerful and captivating.”
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“This small jewel (…) is one of those films which shines light in a dark world.”
Iratxe Fresneda, GARA
“Mora has cast an extraordinary actor as Paula: a girl who says little but conveys much.”
Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“Schnicer’s screenplay is so elegant and concise, and that it’s brought to life by the uniformly excellent performances”.
Jessica Kiang, VARIETY
“A bleak and solid drama that, in contrast with his heroes, becomes poignantly emotional”.
Vassilis Economou, CINEUROPA
“Ripped the audience out of their comfort zone.”
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Observes what he understands more insightfully than anyone else. Haneke incisively and corrosively depicts the grotesque mark of the time we live in.”
Iratxe Fresneda, GARA
“Aronofsky knows how to keep the audience in suspense, and from the first sequence to the last (…) all the viewer has to do is sit back and enjoy it.”
Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“A highly skilled director who knows how to push the emotions of the cast to the limits.”
Koldo LANDALUZE
“It’s remarkable to watch how the director of ‘Pi’ takes risks.”
Iratxe Fresneda, GARA
“Campillo’s work is very timely and has stirred our conscience around an issue that we’d perhaps forgotten already.”
Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“A captivating film (…) the overall result is spectacular.”
Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“An unusual psychological thriller (…) with an outstanding ending.”
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“Fantastic acting, relentless pace and daring mise en scène.”
Stefan Dobroiu, CINEUROPA
“A remarkable study of people drowning under the weight of responsibility for their actions and carelessness.”
Víctor Esquirol, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Not one to make a mediocre film, Avranas pushes his audacity to the limit and blows the viewer’s mind.”
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“A convincing, slick and magnificent cry against manipulation and abuse.”
Alfonso Rivera, CINEUROPA
“Sensual, sensitive historical drama.”
Guy Lodge, VARIETY
“A deluxe work (…) a unique film with an artistry way above average.”
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“A whisper-light family roundelay of carefully constructed visuals that convey a sense of absence on the cusp of optimism”.
Jay Weissberg, VARIETY
“A well-crafted documentary which opens with mysterious visuals and closes with particularly refined credits.”
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“An elegantly-produced, fast-paced film set to an ideal soundtrack.”
Harkaitz Cano, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Savage humour and tragedy play out through the eyes of Bruno, a strong character.”
Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“Raw. Bone dry. Dark. Yet, though devoid of laughter, the film has astonishing emotional depth.”
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“On the face of it, a film about tennis, but really a much more personal story.”
Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“Exquisitely made with an intense script (…) it’s impossible not to feel your heart racing during the final few scenes. I’d never been to such an exciting tennis match.”
Iratxe Fresneda, GARA
“A careful reflection on the female condition and its repressed image.”
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“Unaffected elegance, heightened sensuality and a near-pictorial expressiveness in its representation of the senses as a means of worldly belonging and of self-affirmation.”
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“A dark period drama, elegantly depicted through Christine A. Maier’s cinematography.”
Vassilis Economou, CINEUROPA
“Very powerful (…) Maria Dragus, neither blind nor a pianist, is brilliant.”
Oti Rodriguez Marchante, ABC
“An intimate drama which, as expected, is raised by its potent allegory.”
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“A film as enigmatic as it is insightful, as cerebral as it is disturbing.”
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“Magnificent performance from Barbara Lennie.”
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“An engaging, compelling and surprising ride.”
Lee Marshal, SCREENDAILY
“This non-conformist cinema language is a pleasant experience for those who wish to take a voyeuristic plunge into the darkest recesses of humanity.”
Vassilis Economou, CINEUROPA
“A careful, artful portrait of a self-determined woman.”
Jessica Kiang, VARIETY
“Every shot is carefully framed with muted sounds and a palette of sickly beiges, greys and pinks suggesting a world that is a faded copy of some brighter, clearer place.”
Lee Marshall, SCREEN DAILY
“The film catches you unawares. It’s astonishing, because it’s not what anyone expected. In fact, it’s much more.”
Angel Aldaronco, BERRIA
“The internal mechanics of both the script and the mise en scène are exquisitely smooth, and the film makes excellent use of classic theatrical codes.”
Fabien Lemercier, CINEUROPA
“A charming yet dangerous emotional rollercoaster.”
Giorgia del Don, CINEUROPA
“The story generates great expectation (…) reflects a difficult experience that we’ve all been through.”
Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“An ensemble film where the personal and the political exist in rare harmony. Tremendously vitalist.”
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Dazzlingly refined visuals and sound (…) conveys desolation, dehumanisation, alienation and violence, at times with true mastery and at others like a ton of bricks.”
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“The acting is on a whole other level. Barely half an hour went by before Frances McDormand received a round of applause.”
Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“(Viscarret) has created a unique portrait of a man he admires (…) one of those men who lures you in with their charisma.”
Uxue Arzelus, BERRIA
“Big words.”
Olga Pereda, EL PERIÓDICO
“Fantastic, allegorical and deeply poetic (…) undoubtedly brilliant.”
L. Martinez, EL MUNDO
“A giant of a movie (…) an exemplar for the empowerment of small cinema.”
Iratxe Fresneda, GARA
“Complexity, subtlety, emotion and truth. A rare film in the best sense of the word.”
Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“Delicious dialogues overflowing with humour and irony. Frenetic madness in front of the camera.”
Ariane Kamio, GARA
“Finkiel’s film certainly understands the taxing nature of sorrow.”
Guy Lodge, VARIETY
“Tender and refreshingly realistic portrayal of highschool love.”
Lee Marshal, SCREEN DAILY
“A tonic to third world poverty porn (…) the picture’s rustic charm and “You go, girl!” attitude should rock the house.”
Maggie Lee, VARIETY
“A powerful offering from Silvina and Ulises (…) a story gripped by a nature that won’t retreat, no matter how far the bulldozers have gotten with harassment and demolition.”
B.T., EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Another brilliant example of the power of films made by women (…) Humanistic, sincere, and no frills.”
A. Aldarondo, BERRIA
“A genuine in-depth look (free from judgement and condescension) at a society which has given up on love…by paying for it.”
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“Impressively shot film, full of rich and thoughtful visual and thematic resonance.”
Lee Marshall, SCREEN DAILY
“A stimulating reflection on a most ignoble act: artistic creation.”
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“Another extraordinary example of the heights being reached by new comedy in Spain.”
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“Superb acting by Javier Gutiérrez (…) the brilliant Antonio de la Torre explodes on the screen.”
Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“Dignified, elegant and sensitive.”
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“Brings body, meaning and beauty to the literary details; paints an intoxicatingly subtle picture.”
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“As tough as it is, in effect, cutting.”
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“A love story tinged with tragedy and magic (…) the spiritual is once again seen to transcend the triviality — and wretchedness — of the human occupants of planet Earth.”
Alfonso Rivera, CINEUROPA
“A story of snatched love, an encounter between two very special people.”
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“Brave, solid and chilling emotional drama that offers a different, unseen point of view on the battle against marginalisation.”
Vassilis Economou, CINEUROPA
“This film has sexual tension. It has death. The camerawork is discrete, skilful, and at times elegant.”
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Exudes dignity, anger, cinema, love, and a commentary on what’s good and modern. On what’s real.”
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Exquisitely compassionate portrait (…) perhaps the most resonant and empathetic screen testament to the everyday obstacles of transgender existence.”
Guy Lodge, VARIETY
“The film takes its time and everything flows. Sensuality and affectivity go hand in hand in a story brimming with things unsaid yet implicitly understood. We’re skilfully drawn into the mix of emotion, ambiguity, joy and vulnerability surrounding the romance.”
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“A tender, tactile and just-sweet-enough story of hidden love, challenged faith and unwittingly shared grief (…) love takes a variety of shapes here, none more pure than any other.”
Guy Lodge, VARIETY
“An in-depth portrait of a hard-charging surfer exploring the fear, courage and ambition that push a man to greatness – and the cost that comes with it.”
Emiliano De Pablos, VARIETY
“Unique, serene, mysterious. Rare, without a doubt.”
Nagore Olkoz, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“Undisputably the worthiest candidate for the Golden Seashell”.
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“Flashes of brilliant genius”.
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GUIPUZKOA
“A director who feels comfortable with small spaces, the basics of cinematographic forms and escapades with the structure of the story in order to investigate human relationships on a small scale”.
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“A very well made piece which is founded on discretion and the strength of the story. Mission complete”.
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“This truth, which the audience witnesses barely without blinking, is going to be transformed into a haiku (…) the story flows, excites, surprises and questions the fragility of existence”.
Aida Amasuno Martín, CINEUROPA
“The pace is carried by the striking narrative decisions, which break the film down and put it back together in a surprising way".
David González, CINEUROPA
“Arango keeps this ambitious Project spinning with impressive confidence”.
Jonathan Romney, SCREEN DAILY
“Fascinating and overwhelming gibberish made up of dialogue, extras and camera movements”.
B.T., EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Loach is the highest representative of social cinema”.
Beñat Eizagirre, BERRIA
“Belgian director Joachim Lafosse undeniably has a skill for exploring human issues in a personal way”.
M.G.G., EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“One of those films that grabs you from start to finish (…) One of the most joyful films of the year”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Few directors manage to stun me like this cinematographic genius, who has a seemingly astonishing knack for simply setting his camera up in the right time and place in order to convey an unending stream of emotions”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Its ‘Irrintziaren oihartzunak’ (“echoes of cries”) have the virtue of showing us a figure that is forgotten, if not completely unknown, of shining the spotlight on none other than the first female Basque filmmaker”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“More than just a simple exercise in cinematographic archaeology, it is a navigational chart which allows us to follow the tracks of a pioneer who was stung by the poison of cinema in the tumultuous 1970s (…) A perspective on the Basque Country as it was at that time, loaded with symbolism and poetry”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Here, undoubtedly, is the miracle of a film which is as precise and subdued as it is deep”.
L. Martínez, EL MUNDO
“The dialogue is very well delivered and, above all, masterfully written”.
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“The purest, most radiant, intimate and thoughtful film of all those that have been presented as part of this section of the Festival ”.
Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“A delicious, moving tale of a pair of former lovers who meet up one evening after not seeing each other for fifteen years”.
Oskar Belategui, EL CORREO
“Jonás talks about normal people, a much-needed counterpoint (…) it fights feelings in its own way and wins”.
Ricardo Aldanondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“The execution of Stone’s film is impeccable. Its moral tale is unforgiving”.
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GUIPUZCOA
“The narrative has a good pace, and Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley put in very good performances. Very entertaining, clear and biased. A good Oliver Stone film”.
Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“A solid drama which has an unhurried intensity”.
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Norimichi Kasamatsu’s excellent widescreen photography making the most of the colorfully diverse locations”.
Dennis Harvey, VARIETY
“A cross yet highly delicate piece (…) Modern, surly at times and sweet at others; it has an impressive ending”.
B.T., EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Strong performances, intelligent scripting (…) Monsaert pulls this off with elegance and panache”.
Jonathan Romney, SCREEN DAILY
“Pepa San Martín turns observation into a fine craft, and the subsequent display into pure art”.
Victor Esquirol, GARA
“An enthralling journey into the very depths of the beast – the mountain of minerals, of course, and the human soul”.
Victor Esquirol, GARA
“Hirokazu Koreeda (…) always leaves us spellbound with his family tales, relatable characters, his way of getting closer to their little lives through affection and simplicity which makes us feel as if they were our own”.
M.G.G., EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“A delight in the Festival line-up”.
B. Crespo, EL CORREO
“A film where everything comes together precisely when it exposes its brilliant, almost experimental, metanarrative strategy. Life, history and legend are turned into film”.
Carlos Reviriego, EL CULTURAL
“One of the films which have most unsettled, interested, intrigued and even affected us during this Festival”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“An exemplary film with its mixture of undesirable reality and comforting fantasy”.
Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“Bayona is just as comfortable in both short and gigantic distances, exploring the moving depths that can be found inside big monsters”.
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“A top quality film with a fascinating story”.
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GUIPUZCOA
“The exceptional photography by Bárbara Álvarez (...) masterfully plays with shadows and the night, and gives the director the perfect ingredients to unleash his art, perpetrated in deleterious atmospheres, and to paint a raw portrait of Chilean society that is brutal and tormented”.
Fabien Lemercier, CINEUROPA
“Strong performances by the film’s two leads”.
Jonathan Romney, SCREEN DAILY
“Brave by directing the camera to where things happen without an obvious intention of provoking, out of pure veracity”.
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“It gets us to believe one of the most outrageous stories to be seen on screen lately (...) somewhere between an American romcom and a Japanese monster flick, managing to combine both superbly”.
Alfonso Rivera, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“High-profile acting – notably French actresses of the moment Adèle Haenel and Adèle Exarchopoulos”.
Jonathan Romney, SCREEN DAILY
“For an hour and a quarter, it strings together a series of formal and narrative wonders, with an ease and power that ends up giving film the same energy that love can hit us with”.
Victor Esquirol, GARA
“Godfrid shines thank to his spontaneity and for making us believe that, when he puts his mind to it, film can also breathe”.
Victor Esquirol, GARA
“Made with great sincerity and sensitiveness”.
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“We can only praise the author’s courage (…) it’s not easy to take to the screen a romantic relationship between two women in South Korea”.
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“Truly appealing”.
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“Puiu is a master staging a family gathering”.
M. G. G., EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Ken Loach (…) with his enriching relationship with Paul Laverty, has hit the bullseye again”.
K. L., GARA
“The best, most insightful and dense film from a director who has achieved the unthinkable: allowing his cinema to grow and broaden without diluting his status as a respected artist, or his vibrant intelligence”.
Pedro Vallín, LA VANGUARDIA
“The premise of Colossal is extraordinary”.
G. Belinchón, EL PAÍS
“Credit must go to a director who presents such a powerful, strong female character”.
Olga Pereda, EL PERIÓDICO
“This excellent Polish film is solid and cruel, cold and sharp, and elevated the 64th edition of the San Sebastian International Film Festival to its highest level yesterday”.
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GUIPUZCOA
“Impeccably filmed”.
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Brings something fresh and richly intelligent to the field of US independent cinema”.
Jonathan Romney, SCREEN DAILY
“An intense film packed with nuances”.
Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“An impressionist picture that sails through a universe which expands with every step it takes”.
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“A fantasy tale which overflows with vitality, symbolism and colour”.
David González, CINEUROPA
“An enjoyably breathless and spectacular walk along a high wire (…) like its characters, it is quick-thinking, showy, ambitious and stylish”.
Jonathan Holland, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“It is phenomenal as it squarely captures the audience”.
B.E.I., BERRIA
“A film which is completely contemporary yet also evocative and poetic”.
Juan Arteaga, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Framed with an extraordinary radiance (…) It has a subtle poetic tone which is imposing at the same time”.
B.T., EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“A powerful performance by Roberto Álamo, who leaps off the screen”.
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Not only does it seem to be a strong piece but, if you look at its fabric, you can see that there is a lot of talent in this team”.
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GUIPUZCOA
“Roberto Álamo gives the most impressive performance in a piece of brutal characterisation that will leave you trembling in your seat. (…) He is not confined to a physical role, because he knows how to get all raw rage out of somebody who is a very, very broken person”.
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“The second film by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, who graduates with merit in this sordid police thriller”.
Pedro Vallín, LA VANGUARDIA
“I really enjoyed (…) a liberating dreaminess that is full of charm and tenderness”.
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“Inspiring and warm (…) An unusual piece, with characters who are bursting with humanity”.
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“An impeccable performance from actress Florence Pugh (…), as well as Oldroyd’s ruthless aesthetics and Ari Wegner’s camera work”.
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“This film has the force of a kick to the stomach (…) It gives the audience a powerful exploratory experience”.
Pedro Vallín, LA VANGUARDIA
“The best film offered by the Official Selection so far”.
Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“One of the most beautiful, concise, defining and compelling final frames of this festival (…) a film which has great power and potential”.
B.T., EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Excellent photography by Luciano Cervio, Cornelius Plache and Max Preiss and impressive sound design by Niklas Kammertöns (…) It has a great knack for trapping its audience in its charming world”.
Stefan Dobroiu, CINEUROPA
“Maria Smits knows how to build tension (…) expert acting and direction”.
Stephen Farber, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“It explodes like a meteor on the screen because it has been created with dry rage”.
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“69 fascinating minutes (…) across captivating seas which take us to moods bordering on dreaminess (…) dreams and reality, past and present, and a surprising piece of film history”.
Alfonso Rivera, CINEUROPA
“130 minutes of brilliant fun (…) a plot which is as unwholesome as it is playful, a stimulating provocative point and a generous dollop of dark humour”.
M. G. G., EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Extreme, fun and, of course, wonderful (…) Sheer delicatessen”.
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“This extensive film is rock n’ roll almost all the way through”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“A film which is a product of its time, destined to move audiences and create controversy due to its visionary description of today’s apocalyptic times, and which exploits fiction in all its guises”.
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“Just like his protagonists, Bonello is handling explosive material”.
O.B., EL CORREO
“Destined to become a blockbuster when it hits screens. (…) Sorogoyen and his magnificent artistic-technical team have us trembling with the plot, understanding their (complex) characters and asking ourselves once again whether we are as good a person as we think”.
Alfonso Rivera, CINEUROPA
“A film of huge artistic beauty which has a simple yet completely unsuperficial request inside”.
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GUIPUZCOA
“A graphic tour of personal obstinacy through time (…) The visual plasticity is supreme”.
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“Built and steered like a luxury sedan”.
Guy Lodge, VARIETY
“Brilliantly filmed and acted, every scene could be the start of a new tear or fit of laughter (…) Like life itself. Magnificent”.
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“A great beauty of a film which breaks out of any corset, seams or barriers imposed on it. It smokes, drinks, snorts, dances (…) prays, suffers, kisses and breaks its back to be free, beautiful, loved, brave”.
B.T., EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Frank Zappa, a leopard that never changed its spots, finds the perfect accomplice in director Thorsten Schütte”.
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“The artisan technique of stop-motion– suitably backed up by new technology - takes on a new dimension with this real gem (…) A must-see film”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Hugh Grant takes on a mature role which has more edges tan expected as he plays the husband who is fascinated by the lady’s madness and yet aware of its dangers at the same time”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“A cross between a rowdy comedy and an animated film (…) A crazy production”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
"The best portraitist in modern Spanish film when it comes to capturing the most corrupt and underhand aspects of the sociopolitical reality in Spain".
Juan Arteaga, EL DIARIO VASCO: SPECIAL EDITION
"The result is a film which is so brilliant, so significant and, if you ask me, so essential that it hurts".
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“A clear narration of a dirty story which manages to make sense of the unintelligible".
Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
"Well filmed, with notable acting and a strained, dry, harsh and bleak tone".
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GUIPUZCOA
"Vulnerability lurks under a facade of strength, which is something that Adèle Exarchopoulos knows how to convey so well".
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO: SPECIAL EDITION
“I am not Madame Bovary” is full of discoveries (...) A visual delight with a female character that behaves like a scratchy piece of fish in the throat of Chinese politics and bureaucracy".
Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“Cinematographer Itay Gross shows the freedom and vibrancy of the women's Tel Aviv life with bright colors and wide open spaces in contrast to the dull colors and claustrophobic spaces of village life”.
Alissa Simon, VARIETY
"A hypnotic lesson in the history of film".
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
"A wicked critique of the individualisation and competitiveness of today, but which uses absurd situations and approaches in order to create laughter".
Beñat Eizagirre, BERRIA
"The film invites us to immerse ourselves in the world of dreams".
Beñat Eizagirre, BERRIA
"A poetic-political-historical-ironic-self-referential fresco painting".
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO: SPECIAL EDITION
"Watching ‘The Red Turtle’ is like spending a night outdoors under the moon, taking a bath in absolute loneliness, greeting the sun".
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO: SPECIAL EDITION
"It was sheer delight to watch this gentle, familiar piece of cinema (...) Sachs has a rare knack for making us feel as if faced with a piece of life".
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO: SPECIAL EDITION
"A new offering which helps us understand how some human beings with suicidal courage are able to ride the sea, challenging death".
Iratxe Fresneda, GARA
“Like all Recha’s films, Un día perfecto para volar is baked with landscape and feeling”.
Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“The film demands full cooperation from the audience but, in exchange, it is also able to bring a lot to the generous viewer”.
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“An interesting movie, filmed with an exquisite taste in image and emotion in order to capture just one idea– that of ‘lost families’”.
Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“An extremely dark and disturbing tale about the real and imaginary demons of childhood”.
Oscar Belategui, EL CORREO
“A visual and narrative style that is as disconcerting as it is powerful and, above all, used well in the reasoning of a discourse which is sharp and spoiling for a fight”.
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“Les démons (…), with its solid structure and firm intention, creates a highly suggestive approach”.
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“This is a beautiful, slow-paced drama, narrated through well-measured words and gestures which reel the audience in slowly but effectively”.
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“Well-observed portrayal of its relationships. (…) What distinguishes Barash is its emphasis on the political context”.
Jonathan Holland, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“Irony-attuned audiences, (…) will find plenty to enjoy in this elegant, darkly unpredictable fusion of ashen black comedy and urgent domestic drama”.
Guy Lodge, VARIETY
“Skold provides a fresh twist with her rather primitive looking animated characters, whose story unfolds like a fairy tale”.
Alissa Simon, VARIETY
“Director Scott Cooper provides fluidity and cruelty to this story which scandalously took place”.
Carlos Boyero, EL PAIS
“This thriller is filmed with a steady hand and is rather low key. It has a neat setting, measured pace and painstaking performances, one particular highlight inevitably being that of Johnny Depp who (…) succeeds in his mission to intimidate every time he appears on screen”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“It’s a drama that is both beautiful and humorous, one of those that is a joy to watch”.
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“Mía madre is able to take on deep feelings about life and death without becoming too serious or renouncing dreaminess and moments of comedy”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Simon Rouby accurately captures the horror and pain of a war full of forgotten soldiers”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“An impeccable film about the limits of humanitarian aid in Africa and the role played by certain NGOs”.
Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“Directed with a steady hand, this film is excellently made. (…) With his balanced approach that never verges on sensationalism, Lafosse is no fan of either black or white and shows us myriad shades of grey”.
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“Lafosse acts as an observer. He doesn’t force the dramatic pace to get the audience involved, especially because he doesn’t set out to define the good guys and the bad guys, or to take a certain stance”.
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“The director honestly and skilfully follows the rulebook for how to make the perfect social film. It sets out to encourage reflection and, the invitation to think definitely ends up hurting”.
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“From the first scene to the last, Back to the North is full of visual beauty”.
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Back to the North cleverly combines the personal and the collective, thereby turning the intimate drama into the best reflection of the ills shared by a society with too many pending issues”.
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“Liu Hao delivers serenity and beauty, the power of suggestion and positivity”.
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“The tearful climax ties things up in a highly satisfactory and commendably unsentimental manner”.
Neil Young, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“This is very much a film about five lost people: and it’s a remarkable achievement, on the part of the director, the writers and the actors, that we care about every single one of them”.
Lee Marshall, SCREEN DAILY
“‘Son of Saul is one of the truly important films of the year”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“The Hungarian filmmaker composes a symphony of horror which revolves around extreme, expansive settings and a macabre, very measured choreography which constantly invites the audience to reflect”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Guillermo Francella’s unblinking stare, the atmosphere, pace and music are enough to leave the audience glued to their seats”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Brilliant, brutal and startling, El Clan is particularly surprising because of what it shows: (…) we never stop wanting to believe that something like this was possible”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Shows level-headedness, good know-how and essentially wisdom; all qualities worthy of the most experienced masters”.
GARA
“For many out there, this will be the discovery of a fascinating universe”.
Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“The Boy and the Beast” impressively reconfigures popular aspects of Japanese folklore, mythology and mass entertainment into a relatively fresh narrative”.
Peter Debruge, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“It’s an ironic, deadpan portrait of a wandering, demotivated late-twenty-something, whose need to undo the choice that was imposed on him as a baby is part of his struggle with a childhood he still hasn’t emerged from”.
Lee Marshall, SCREEN DAILY
“Black, raw and easy humour”.
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“Portrayed with a naturalistic touch, anguish and a sense of fatalism”.
Carlos Boyero, EL PAIS
“Devastating, absolutely devastating. A complete success”.
Carlos Pumares, LA RAZON
“They’re not merely emptily poetic images, but weighty, considered ones which provoke reflection whilst advancing the story. They are a language”.
Jonathan Holland, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“Moira sets the tone for a small, tight film that has real characters”.
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“One of the most conceptually grotesque spectacles”.
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“A good film that’s worthy of competing in any festival”.
Carlos Pumares, LA RAZON
“Extremely powerful and thrilling example of Baroque style”.
Juan Arteaga, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A dark story about the world of drug addicts and traffickers and it’s believable because the screen is drenched with realism.”
“Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“A clear example of the bitterness of life”.
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“The perfect vehicle for narrating - with the tempo of a comedy, or tragicomedy - the details of a modern society which is defined by a lack of communication and loneliness”.
Koldo Landaluze. GARA
“Taxi Téhéran throbs with an unusual violence. Superb”.
Alberto Moyano, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Panahi plunges us into a thrilling mix of fiction and reality which, as well as being pure entertainment, defends cinema as a possible way of curing a society that is definitely sick”.
GARA
“Mountains May Depart (…) has impressive moments”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Zhang-ke shows us (…) that there’s no room for lies when painting a grim picture”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“A fantastic exercise in memory and nostalgic blackness”.
Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“Unique in that it is very well-drawn and well-narrated”.
Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“A film of very high technical and artistic quality, it’s also fun for adults - particularly those who are young at heart.”
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“His films are increasingly complex, his characters are better configured and his images display greater levels of emotion, poetry and a sense of adventure. It’s magical”.
Beatriz Martínez, EL PERIODICO
“An outstanding, 24-carat anime film which shows enormous skill. (…) A magnificent film”.
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“Excellent production and design, fascinating performances, shades of Kubrick and dialogues full of British parsimony.”
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“High Rise is a crazy and fascinating futuristic story”.
Mitxel Ezquiaga, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Psychedelia, surrealism and madness come together in a blend that is psychotic, hypnotic, subversive, grotesque and morbid. A veritable descriptive feast which celebrates alienation and ecstasy on screen”.
Beatriz Martínez, EL PERIODICO
“Works better the madder it gets, when the purely cinematographic resources allow the narrative to run amok”.
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“It shows us the strangest side of daily life, which can sometimes be absurd and subject to mockery, splashed with humorous, dreamlike sequences.”
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“Veiroj pulls his cinema almost out of nowhere - or rather with what he has around him - and he does this with humour and wit”.
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A little film that takes on very big issues”.
Beatriz Martínez, EL PERIODICO
“An eccentric and fun portrayal of the spiritual limbo of our time”.
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“It’s a simple story but one which is truly profound as it invites us to reflect on human existence.”
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“It’s a pleasure to see a film that amusingly debunks whatever is chic or a la mode in favour of the underdogs. The New Kid really should be required viewing for all Parisians ages 13 and under”.
Jordan Mintzer, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“An impressive and harrowing cross between a documentary film and poetry. Captivating in how it conveys the purity of a look that never gives in to horror; absolutely essential for everything else”.
GARA
“It’s an interesting reflection on morality and fate.”
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“Allen throws moral dilemmas, the meaning of life, chance and more than a few philosophical references into his cocktail shaker”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Allen has created a film that is well-synchronised, entertaining and fun”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Shines light on the ability of cinema, and life, for surviving any dictatorship”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Taxi Téhéran is a very interesting piece of cinema which, lurking beneath its apparently pleasant facade, has an emotive human story disguised as docu-fiction”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“The idea of memory as a place for healing wounds or the present as a necessity flashes before our eyes through the written word, music and images that are part of the history of art. Brilliant”.
Iratxe Fresneda, GARA
“Izagirre’s film is small, intimate and delicate. It explores the lack of communication between couples; giving the audience food for thought (…) this debut isn’t left to drown in neglect.”
Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“Sanctuaire is one of the best films, if not the best ever made about this issue.”
Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“The question of how far a person is willing to go for a multi-million dollar (or Euro) payout comprises the most interesting part of the script by Querejeta and Antonio Mercero”.
Alissa Simon, VARIETY
“All that can be said in silence, with a mere look, gesture or action. The power of suggestion”.
Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“Asier Altuna’s most lyrical film and his most beautiful”.
Harkaitz Cano, EL DIARIO VASCO
“It is a well-narrated film with very aesthetic images and a particular atmosphere”.
Carlos Boyero, EL PAIS
“Old and new. Classicism and modernity. All these urges are contained in one film”.
Beatriz Martínez, EL PERIODICO
“A poem with undeniable strength, authenticity and capacity for suggestion”.
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“This is an intelligent, sensitive, good-looking, sexually frank Gallic comedy”.
Lee Marshall, SCREEN DAILY
“It has crafty characters (…), spicy dialogues (…), takes phantasmagorical licences and contains notable performances”.
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“The idea of a New Year special staged in a TV studio in October, featuring a ‘live’ audience of hired extras (…), is a potent metaphor for the emptiness of today’s prime-time television culture and the society it reflects, or has generated”.
Lee Marshall, SCREEN DAILY
“Sparrows is a well-rounded, consistent, beautiful, very dignified film. It succeeds in showing us daily life in a way which is completely natural and realistic while (…) avoiding morbidity and sentimentality”.
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“A dark and murky piece of fiction which uses images from documentaries to create a dialogue with the history of the country through the iconic figure of Evita”.
Beatriz Martínez, EL PERIODICO
“Koreeda stands firm against modern fashion and, instead of defending a thesis that supports human cruelty, calls on us to believe in the miracle of life (…) it shows us that there is love beyond that of a couple relationship.”
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“It creates a complex, intimate universe where autobiographical details merge with countless references to literature and cinema”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Very enjoyable and fun, (…) it gives us a chance to spend a moment that’s worth remembering”.
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“Enigmatic, cheeky and sensitive in equal measure”.
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A tragicomedy with shades of a ghost story that basically wants to break free”.
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“An agile film with outstanding humour”.
Carlos Boyero, EL PAIS
“A freewheeling, even more uninhibited example of cinematographic debauchery”.
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“The pace and the way in which the story and characters’ feelings fit in with the landscape makes Sparrows particularly appealing”.
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A delicate, sensitive and accurate portrayal of pent up adolescence”.
Carlos Boyero, EL PAIS
“A master class in coherence and sobriety”.
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“A bewildering tribute to New Year’s Eve as a frame of mind, to the recklessness of being alive, to foolishness”.
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“Wild pleasure”.
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“Álex de la Iglesia’s most choral, chaotic and absurd film”.
Beatriz Martínez, EL PERIODICO
“Not only is this one of the most well-rounded pieces produced by one of the most significant figures on the current Latin American scene to date, but it is also one of the most terrible (and, therefore, needed) reflections on guilt, “responsibility and the (lack of) memory that usually accompanies them”.
GARA
“Koreeda has created a film which is loaded with emotional simplicity (…) without resorting to gratuitous drama”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“A real gem which seduces, surprises and excites in equal measure”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
"Always intense, brilliant, dramatic and ironic, Cesc Gay here manages to go one step further".
Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
"Fine scriptwriting and finer acting in a series of perceptive comedy-tinged scenes. Darin delivers a standout performance".
Lee Marshall, SCREEN DAILY
"Truman is one of the films of the year".
Oskar Belategui, EL DIARIO VASCO
"Truman is a way of beginning to learn about lessons in goodbye".
Harkaitz Cano, EL DIARIO VASCO
"Ricardo Darín (…) sets the screen alight with a blistering performance that sweeps the audience away".
Alberto Moyano, EL DIARIO VASCO
"A film that is highly emotionally charged".
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
"One of those films that are hard to understand, that you will either love or hate".
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
"Visually powerful and fascinating, where cinematography and sound take a starring role".
Juan Arteaga, EL DIARIO VASCO
"Deeply sensitive and disturbing".
Beatriz Martínez, EL PERIODICO
"Lucile Hadzihalilovic lights up a film which has a clear desire to stray far from the beaten track".
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
"Its magnificent use of light make us feel as though we are in a museum full of pre-impressionist paintings".
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
"The elegance of its filming is exquisite, it has a twilight, elegiac aura which is extraordinarily delicate. Its images are reminiscent of paintings and its sounds are those of folk songs from uncertain places, filled with resignation".
Beatriz Martínez, EL PERIODICO
"Pure Terence Davies. A delight".
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
"A very beautiful piece about the passage of time and the fleeting nature of our expectations and identities".
Pedro Vallín, LA VANGUARDIA
"The perfect cast for a plot that is so deceptive, it tightens around the neck of its detective protagonist".
Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
"Amenábar is a first-rate artist who knows how to create atmospheres and send us into a spin with the soundtrack".
Harkaitz Cano, EL DIARIO VASCO
"It explores the mechanisms for building up a story (…), providing information in exactly the same doses. These knit together to create a funereal tapestry which enshrouds everything".
Pedro Vallín, LA VANGUARDIA
"Regression does a fine job of portraying an inward-looking community where everyone has an ax to grind, everyone knows one another, and everyone has a fevered imagination".
Jonathan Holland, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
"A delightful (yet sharp and well-thought-out) student comedy".
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
"Stephan Ritcher is able to create an ecosystem that is highly cinematographic and lethally tempting".
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
"Larraín (…) shows these people and their abhorrent behaviour through their complexity, their tormented personalities, their tensions, their ghosts, the disdain they receive, their survival".
Carlos Boyero, EL PAIS
"An unsettling film that gives us a deeper insight into the darkest side of humanity".
Beatriz Martínez, EL PERIODICO
"Watching The Assassin is a delight for the senses. (…) It is a joy to let yourself fall into its reds, golds and greens, to follow the camera as it elegantly pans across, to take in those natural landscapes through the eyes and ears".
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
"Visually breathtaking. (…) A gem for very exquisite tastes".
Beatriz Martínez, EL PERIODICO
"It will keep the audience on tenterhooks throughout".
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
"Fast-paced, intense scenes orchestrated to perfection by Denis Villeneuve".
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
"Both fun and though-provoking at the same time (...), this is a film that stirs something inside".
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
"It has its own unique flavour(…) the most unexpected, refreshing films of the year".
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
"A documentary that will be talked about on an international level".
Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“(…) the beginning of the film is very powerful (…)”
O. Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“A well-crafted film with brilliant performances by its main character, Mathieu Kassowitz, and its young actors, both when they are children and when they reach adolescence.”
Juan Zapater, DEIA
“The interesting theme explored in Cédric Khan’s latest film is must-see cinema.”
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“The narrative is solid, and it is a film that hooks the viewer throughout (...)”
Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“The subject matter is therefore doubly exciting, even more so because of the realism with which it is portrayed, as it is produced by the Dardenne brothers.”
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“Albert Pla’s monologue is memorable.”
Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“(…) a wild comedy with splashes of gore (…)”
Jorge F. Mendiola, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“(…) a savage film that places all the casino chips on the table.”
Harkaitz Cano, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“The soliloquies of Raúl Arévalo and Albert Pla are memorable”
Pedro Vallín, LA VANGUARDIA
“Real stories constructed outside the bounds of official rhetoric.”
Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“The emphatic, incorruptible truths of children are explored in the vigorous documentary ‘I am Haiti’ (Zinemira).”
Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“Fascinating and frenetic in its black and white scenes loaded with pure, federal-district grays (...)”
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“(...) no other film is more at home in the ‘Pearls’ section than the tale, the legend, the fable of Princess Kaguya, dreamed up and created by someone who deserves our love and respect and whose filmography awakes nostalgia within us.”
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“This film invites us to come and enjoy art in two-dimensional form; it offers us a visual treat and a good excuse to delve into a dreamlike, adult universe splashed with watercolour tones (...)”
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“They have such heart, strength, and exuberance that they do not falter, the camera does not stutter, and the script does not fall out of their hands.”
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Espinosa and Farías manage to convincingly convey these silent emotions thanks to a good use of photography and solid performances by a cast that manages to transmit the intensity of measured dialogue that breaks the dictatorship of silence (…)”
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“The story of ‘Escobar: Paradise lost’ is told with fluidity between eras, worlds, and morals.”
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“Del Toro’s great creation, in an important but secondary role (...) stands out in this film which strays from the biographical genre and leans towards that of the adventure thriler.”
Pedro Vallín, LA VANGUARDIA
“Directors Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov do the title justice and treat us to a true lesson in filmmaking.”
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“Confirmation that Alexander Nanau is a documentary-maker in the truest sense of the word.”
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“But, aside from the freshness and authenticity that the film exudes, it is also important to underline that until now no-one had done something similar here (...)”
Xabier Mendiguren Elizegi, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“Filmed entirely in 16mm in spectacular locations (…), producer De Kersauson and director Clement Beauvais explore a modern day return to manual work through the passion of motorcycle enthusiasts who have found a unique path to a kind of fulfillment.”
Bob Flynn, VARIETY.COM
“(…) somberly seductive (…) this tender romance unfolds like an episode from another century, paying the sort of careful attention to social boundaries you’d expect to find in a classic forbidden-love novel.”
Peter Debruge, VARIETY
“José Sacristán delivers a superb performance, as do Bárbara Lennie and Luis Bermejo, in a story of love and pain that is portrayed in a series of stunning scenes (…)”
Oti R. Marchante, ABC
“For those cinema-goers who appreciate films that, above all else, can surprise them.”
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“’Magical Girl’ is a film which strays from the conventional, but which also captivates audiences with its intricate story-telling style, evoking Tarantino’s work without imitating it.”
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“(…) it breathes love for cinema in each one of its frames.”
Nando Salvà, EL PERIÓDICO
“(…) a wonderful, entertaining film that is also endowed with a profound and intelligent sense of humour.”
Carlos Pumares, LA RAZÓN
“Magical Girl is an exciting project, in which Barbara Lennie’s intense, unhappy performance strikes a keynote.”
Fionnuala Halligan, SCREENDAILY
“(…) the entire audience applauded, laughed and stamped their feet in raucous delight.”
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“We knew that the film had become a sensation in Argentina, and yesterday we found out why: brilliant, fun, intelligent, and with a keen critical eye.”
Mitxel Ezquiaga, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“A deliciously-macabre compendium of six separate stories which are united by the theme of revenge (...)”
Nando Salvà, EL PERIÓDICO
“The film received a raucous ovation yesterday at a packed screening in the Kursaal.”
Ainhoa Sarasola, BERRIA
“Malo has been daring enough to bring the camera to places that are normally out of bounds, and he treats us to a trial that is entirely realistic, with the help of solid acting by Unax Ugalde playing the part of the lawyer.”
Harkaitz Cano, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“The ensemble cast works thanks to that shared solidarity with the people who experienced one of the darkest chapters in our history, which a film made in the Basque Country will finally bring to light.”
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“(…) a docudrama that will not leave anyone feeling indifferent.”
Ariane Kamio, GARA
“A highly-recommended film for those who want to find out what happened.”
Carlos Pumares, LA RAZÓN
“(…) an excellent depiction of a young Pakistani man’s fight against a multinational baby food distributor (…)”
Oti R. Marchante, ABC
“’Tigers’ is a film with honourable intentions, and the indictment it delivers is an extremely necessary one.”
Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“Tanovic presents his case clearly and makes efficient use of the ‘film within a film’ device.”
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“The story of this unfair fight is told exquisitely.”
Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“(…) a work of cinema that is at once crazy, dense, complex, fascinating and lethal.”
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“The excellent ‘Return to Ithaca’ has made its bow at this year’s festival. Directed by Laurent Cantet, it is a film whose story is simple but undeniably solid.”
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“Leonardo Padura’s script takes our breath away right from the beginning, delivering a sharply moving critique of the past 40 years of Cuban history.”
Harkaitz Cano, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“(…) a comedy that is voluntarily crazy and sarcastic, which sends up crisis-hit Spain and the country’s government cuts.”
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“(…) noteworthy audiovisual production, a simple game of provocations, and easy viewing.”
Iratxe Fresneda, GARA
“Enigmatic in a way that stimulates the wildest creativity imaginable.”
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“Nuri Bilge Ceylan easily maintains his excellent standards in crafting the scenes that make up this intimate drama, which serves as a kind of innovation on Bergman and Shakespeare.”
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Wonderful because it does not only showcase heavenly (or hellish) skills, it also introduces us to Vietnamese motorbikes and African motorcycle ambulances.”
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“It captivates you with its wonderful aesthetics; despite its sober style it manages to transmit beauty, and for that very reason it is imbued with a special kind of charm.”
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“’Eden’ wonderfully captures the effervescence of the French techno scene of the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century (...)”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
Mia Hansen-Løve’s fourth film, ‘Eden’, confirms her as one of the most interesting directors in French cinema today.
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“She promised a portrait of a generation and she has delivered.”
Gregorio Belinchón, EL PAÍS
“‘Eden’ possesses emotional depth and narrative reach that make it an overwhelming triumph.”
Nando Salvà, EL PERIÓDICO
“(…) prodigious and powerful, Kafkaesque and dazzling at the same time.”
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“(…) he has created a pleasant, delicate drama about a homosexual couple.”
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“The overall tone of the film is admiring.”
Fionnuala Halligan, SCREENDAILY
“Very well told (...).”
Carlos Pumares, LA RAZÓN
“(…) features an excellent performance by Hadas Yaron, the young Meira in the film’s title.”
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“And so this true story, this real-life legend about nature appropriating a film set and preventing its destruction, helps make ‘Simindis kundzuli’ feel like an austere, sober and fertile piece, a work of grand, splendid cinema.”
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“Shot and played with a refreshing directness.”
Jonathan Holland, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“(…) the film recalls the most glorious episode in Zinemaldia’s history.”
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“His new film is poetry in its purest form.” But be warned: these are verses that transform into magic.”
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“Berneri displays his supreme talent for creating a sense of impending chaos, and she keeps us in a state of constant tension.”
Nando Salvà, EL PERIÓDICO
“(…) takes an intriguing look at a new breed of food-fans.”
Mark Adams, SCREENDAILY
“An enjoyably relaxed and intimate celebration of one of the greatest guitarists of all time.”
Jonathan Holland, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“A documentary by the German director about the Brazilian photographer had the audience spellbound.”
O. L. Belategui, EL CORREO
“It's a droll creative gamble that combines exasperation and exhilaration in equal measure”.
Jonathan Holland, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“Masterfully crafted family drama which tackles its tricky theme with a surfeit of restrained good taste.”
Jonathan Holland, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“This film has two main virtues. The first is its humour, (...). The second, (...) its ability to surprise.”
Harkaitz Cano, EL DIARIO VASCO ESPECIAL
“The Jon Garaño/Jose Mari Goenaga tandem blossoms in the film’s everyday lyricism. The pair already worked together on ‘For 80 days’, but Flowers is a more rounded, richer, more profound piece.”
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“(…) a feeling of intrigue and a sense that I was watching something that was as attractive as it was unconventional.”
Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“‘Flowers’ offers an extraordinary narrative, supreme attention to detail, and a richly creative use of music.”
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“Simplicity transformed into art.”
Carlos Pumares, LA RAZÓN
“They manage to take something small and imbue it with vastness, using an exquisite narrative pace to tell the story of a simple woman who finds and accepts small things to hang onto in her unhappiness ...”
Oti R. Marchante, ABC
“The two directors turns this seemingly minimal story into gold by taking such intricate care over each scene and magnificently managing the rhythm and development of the story”.
Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“The best feature of ‘Flowers’ is the elegance in which it is filmed, with exquisite taste in photography and melancholic music by Pascal Gaigne”.
Oskar L. Belategui, EL CORREO
“(…) a Romanian film by a debut director, Alexander Nanau, which offers a good example of how this year’s harvest of Eastern cinema continues to yield interesting works.”
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Cristián Jiménez, a past winner of the Films In Progress award, manages to explore family relationships with naturalness and a certain sparkle, with dialogue crammed with friction, quarrels, and implied meanings.”
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“(…) the flair and cleverness of this family story cannot be denied (…)”
Pedro Vallín, LA VANGUARDIA
“An attempt at freshness, a good construction of characters and situations”
Oti R. Marchante, ABC
“Moving images and interviews, and sequences rich in metaphors and audiovisual elements, make this debut a work of excellence.”
Iratxe Fresneda, GARA
“This is a fine, carefully-made piece which delves deep into its subject and its subjects.”
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Above all else, it is a human story, sad and fun at the same time, which manages to transcend the boundaries of sport and geopolitics...”
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“(…) the composition that arises out of its respective characters is a true lesson in intensity, sympathy, and emotion that is difficult to forget.”
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Filled with silences and poetry (...)”
Magdalena Tsanis / Efe, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“I like the construction of the spaces in which it takes place. I am seduced by those lateral meanderings, nearly swept away, along those empty(?) places along which the film’s characters come and go, and which they inhabit”.
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
"(…) so persuasively does debut director-actor Thomas Salvador immerse the viewer in his imaginative world that it seduces entirely, in a silent comedy kind of way, before running out of breath over the final straight."
Jonathan Holland, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“(…) is sometimes humorous, sometimes touching, and always respectful.”
Jonathan Holland, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“It cannot be denied that it is a sound, interesting film, with the director showing that he is capable of maintaining the suspense right up until the end.”
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“(…) a delicate finale that's puckish, poignant and piquant.”
Neil Young, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“One of the best films featured at this year’s festival, it challenges the viewer to fill in its blanks”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“German director Christian Petzold moves us with this story of a woman whose face has been disfigured by the Nazis”.
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“(…) without doubt one of the most outstanding films at this year’s festival.”
Darío Prieto / Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“The ending is as powerful as it is sad, and it is one of those that you never forget.”
Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“Without doubt the best film screened so far in the battle for the Golden Shell.”
Nando Salvà, EL PERIÓDICO
“Disconnected mirrors, a metanarrative, Russian dolls, and a strange mixture of cinema, theatre and opera, ‘Casanova Variations’ depicts the last days of the great Venetian seducer’s life in almost two hours of film.”
Alberto Moyano, EL DIARIO VASCO
“(…) one of its great strengths is the vitality of the Mozart pieces - ‘The Marriage of Figaro’, ‘Don Giovanni’ and ‘Cosifantutte’ - which are perfectly interwoven with the story that is being told.”
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“(…) Shim Sung-bo excels in his description of what remains when there is nothing left. A superb tribute to chaos.”
Darío Prieto / Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“(…) adroitly engineers a series of narrative twists and turns that are capable of making us flit between laughter and astonishment in a heartbeat.”
Nando Salvà, EL PERIÓDICO
“Shim Sung-bo’s directorial debut is a truly impactful piece which distinguishes him as a loyal exponent of the style embodied by his mentor Bong Joon-ho.”
M.I., GARA
“A spectacular production, a special brand of humour, and an inevitable propensity for violence. These are just some of the film’s components, and they are complimented by smatterings of commentary about the current social landscape”.
Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“An extremely well-woven plot and splendid characterisation make this film a serious award contender”.
Carlos Pumares, LA RAZÓN
“It tells the story of a politician with a heart and takes a brilliantly witty view of the ‘absurd’ aspects of the Basque conflict”.
O.L. Belategui, EL CORREO
“‘Negociador’ exudes a tone of good cinema that is both bitter and tragic”.
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Exemplary in its production (…) and with some truly delicious dialogue, (…) it is a comedy that presents an almost puppet-like image of characters and situations”.
K.L. GARA
“The feeling of writing and creating is infused with a soft scent of bandages and dressing, with a sense of scarring hanging in the air”.
Oti R. Marchante, ABC
“The documentary ‘La búsqueda’ (…) moved audiences during its screening at the San Sebastian Film Festival.”
MagdalenaTsanis, GIPUZKOA
“Lucchesi’s use of simplicity was very well-received by the San Sebastian public”.
MagdalenaTsanis, GIPUZKOA
“An excellent documentary about a quixotic skateboarder that runs at the pace of a modern requiem. Laughing is prohibited; shuddering is allowed”.
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“Poetic and intimate, it symbolises the awakening of adolescents to life and, at the same time, a goodbye to life in perfect communion with nature”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“What lends Marshland heft is its political nuance and outstanding art direction, both of which seem unlikely to go unnoticed in the international marketplace.”
Fionnuala Halligan, SCREENDAILY.COM
“Banderas is nicely intense and low-key as the reluctant and unlikely hero, taking it all suitably seriously and handling the action moments with appropriate ease.”
Fionnuala Halligan, SCREENDAILY.COM
“(…) a work of precise geometry, imbued with the masterful calculations of a fine film architect”.
Juan Zapater, DEIA
“(…) this dark story, set in New York, was to everybody’s liking”.
Mitxel Ezquiaga, EL DIARIO VASCO
“What’s not to like about a film that bristles with personality and treats us to fantastic characters and dialogue?”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Tom Hardy is above awards (…); he transcends the divine and the human”.
M.I., GARA
“Audiences and critics unanimously applauded The Drop, a dark film by Michael R. Roskam scripted by Dennis Lehane, one of the masters of the contemporary dark novel.”
Javier Etxezarreta, NOTICIAS DE GUIPÚZCOA
“Michael Roskam hits the right notes with ’The Drop’ , a tense thriller written by Dennis Lehane”.
Juan G. Andrés, NOTICIAS DE GUIPÚZCOA
“’Autómata’ deserves to be recognised for its courageous and brilliant production”.
Juan Zapater, DEIA
“It contains images that will likely become engraved in some inner recess of our memory”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Dixie has proven as big a hit as any Hollywood star, because she managed to attract 2,300 people to the largest screen at the San Sebastian Film Festival”.
Ainhoa Muñoz, EL DIARIO VASCO
“The strength of Pasolini is so great that it even manages to upstage Ferrara’s ‘tributes’ and ‘entertainment’. Intriguing”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“One screening was enough to confirm this film as one of the best and most pleasant surprises in the New Directors section”.
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“One of the most beautiful films seen at this year’s Cannes Festival”
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“(…) a group of amateur, deaf-mute actors perfectly portray the violence of an amoral, tough, and unblinking story.”
K.L., GARA
“Academy Award-winning director Bille August adopts a minimalist style to explore euthanasia with delicacy, sobriety, and naturalness (…). Steering clear of melodramatic tones, he transforms the tragedy of death into a celebration of life and the acceptance of the end of our days”.
Iratxe Fresneda, GARA
“The terrible subject of suicide is magnificently described by the auteur. A beautiful film”.
Carlos Pumares, LA RAZÓN
“A Second Chance contains some terrific components as well as that wonderful style that Danish cinema never fails to deliver.”
Juan Zapater, DEIA
“The master tells his life story from his home in Mallorca. Pictures from the archives and tributes form part of this perfect piece. It is a pleasure to watch work like this”.
Carlos Pumares, LA RAZÓN
“Javier Gutiérrez creates an impressive character, in whom the electrifying and the repugnant combine within a moral complexity which is a pure metaphor of Spain’s scar tissue, counterbalanced by Raúl Arévalo’s noble, on-the-brink detective.”
Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“The 2015 Goya Awards already have a formidable candidate.”
O. L. Belategui, EL CORREO
“It traps you from the first minute, with images of stunning, curved shapes which could just as easily be marbled paper or images from a brain scan, but which turn out to be the Guadalquivir marshes as seen from the sky.”
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Vibrant, steering clear of false moralism, and shunning soulless, formulaic genre devices, the 7 Virgins director breaks down the mechanics of the thriller genre and transforms them into the perfect description of the wounds of our time.”
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“Alberto Rodríguez’s best work to date.”
Nando Salvà, EL PERIÓDICO
“Forget what they say about America being the only country that makes good genre films. Let’s talk about «Marshland», an extremely dark and astonishing film, in which Seville-born director Alberto Rodríguez has announced his arrival on the second day of the San Sebastián Film Festival’s Official Section.”
Miguel Ayanz, LA RAZÓN
“The subject couldn’t be any more interesting and topical: sexual identities, the myths, taboos, and doubts that surround them, and the human rifts they can cause.”
Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“Ozon the militant non-conformist returns, the Ozon who produces impossible feats of film-making and settings imbued with striking aesthetics.”
Juan Zapater, DEIA
“It is rare hat you find a director as provocative as Ozon.”
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Roman Duris’s brilliant performance stands out, as does the film’s irresistibly relaxed style.”
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“François Ozon takes mundane, everyday activities such as leaving the house or going shopping, and uses them to emphasise the construction of a new identity and, beyond this, our fear of externalising our deepest feelings.”
Ariane Kamio, GARA
“(…) prepare audiences to see a crazy, seductive comedy like few others.”
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“It is a love story that is underpinned by film-making that startles the viewers with exquisite surprises.”
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“This makes the documentary scream at us, as though its life depended on it, to consider it a sublime piece of cinematographic expression.”
Victor Esquirol, GARA
“A beautiful photographic and human portrait.”
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
"This documentary about the life and work of photographer Sebastiao Salgado is one of the year’s must-see documentaries; it is part of that extraordinary - and not clearly-visible - harvest in commercial cinemas."
Iratxe Fresneda, GARA
“Highly intense, dramatic, emotional, magnificently-acted, and benevolently manipulative, «Silent Heart», a film containing no reverse angle shots, eulogises the ‘good death’ (…)”
Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“When watching the cast in action, it feels like we are watching a group of old friends. Well-written and even better acted, the dryness of the subject reaches moments of intense brilliance thanks to them.”
Juan Zapater, DEIA
“It makes wise points without resorting to brow-beating. It is serious without causing harm.”
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“The Danish film-maker enjoys a fantastic reception for his drama «Silent Heart»”
Gregorio Belinchón, EL PAÍS
“Bille August (Virum, 1948) manages to move the viewer with a film that oozes sensitivity, irony, and good humour.”
Xole Aramendi, GARA
“The Pearls Section features the solid and moving César Chávez, by Diego Luna.”
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“Avoiding excessive raucousness, perhaps emulating César Chávez himself, the film is technically sound and moves at a gentle pace."
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Gibney’s work generally focuses more on the man than on his music. It manages to transmit his true feelings and motivations to the viewer, showcasing his greatest strengths while also unflinchingly laying bare his biggest weaknesses. Fela Kuti was a man of great strength, and the film manages to transmit that strength in many of its scenes.”
Juan Luis Zabala, BERRIA
“Of entries, the remarkably acted «Casa Grande» marks documaker Fellipe Barbosa’s fiction debut, depicting a wealthy Brazilian family’s breakup. «Casa Grande» preemed at Rotterdam Fest, to a highly upbreat critical reception, and took Audience and Fipresci awards at the Toulouse Cinelatino Rencontres this year.”
Emilio Mayorga, VARIETY.COM
“The film makes a virtue of its limited budget: there is absolutely nothing to distract us from the story being told. Thanks to the sound, some carefully-crafted props and the work of the actors, the viewer is hooked right from the beginning."
Harkaitz Can, EL DIARIO VASCO
“’The silly ones and the stupid ones’ is superb and incredible in each of its shots, in each of its nooks and crannies; in its rich (yes, ‘rich’) production and art direction. It excites. It moves.”
Begoña Del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Castón puts in play an intelligent game of dialogue and emotions, captured in Spartan scenes dominated by chiaroscuro.”
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“German Tejeira has created a tender, pleasant and likeable film for the New Directors section.”
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“(…) we are talking about one of those works of art which, within its obvious imperfection, ironically manages to come close to perfection.”
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“A loveable film”
Carlos Pumares, LA RAZÓN
“Hard-hitting, tough, and sordid are not adjectives which one would expect to be associated with a film featuring exclusively deaf-mute characters. But alas, that is ‘The Tribe’, an astonishing film which won both the Grand Prix and the Prix Révélation at Cannes Critics' Week this year.”
Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Karim Aïnouz adopts a powerful visual style in order to talk to us about love, roots, and the search for freedom.”
Victor Esquirol, GARA
“The main character is Tom Hardy, but the film also offers another point of interest: it is James Gandolfini’s last film appearance. It therefore affords us a unique opportunity to see this unforgettable actor in his last role.”
Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“The viewer feels a special kind of pleasure observing the passage of the years in such a short period of time, as though they were leafing through the pages of a filmed family album, suddenly seeing a lazy, joint-smoking teenager who on the previous page was a cute, playful child.”
Harkaitz Cano, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Enjoyable, aesthetically pleasing, tender. One of those films that leaves you with a smile on your face.”
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“An unusual film. Undoutedly interesting and surprising.”
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“Performances are solid across the board, with the actors discovering nuance even when screen time is short.”
Jonathan Holland, Hollywood Reporter
“The best thing about this film is the stunning performance from Marián Álvarez.”
Oti Rodríguez, ABC
“Marián Álvarez (…) gives a magnificent performance as a wretched, vulnerable woman.”
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“Extraordinary performance from the leading actress, Marián Álvarez”.
Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“Outstanding, truly sensational performance from Spanish actress Marián Alvárez in La herida. She puts her heart and soul into her role as a self-destructive woman, creating a wholly believable character.”
Anton Merikaetxebarria, EL CORREO
“Skilfully conveys piercing sensations.”
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Plumbs the depths of the illness in all of its complexity and manages to paint a portrait not only of evil but (…) of life itself. Life as the wound it is. And all this with a naked, brutal honesty.”
L. Martínez, EL MUNDO
“Excellent performance from Marián Álvarez.”
Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“Marián Álvarez, who looks set to win the Silver Shell for Best Actress, dominates the entire film.”
C. D. C., LA RAZÓN
“Extremely powerful sensorial bomb with an extraordinary scope (…) spectacular sound and even more spectacular visual effects.”
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“The film proceeds from scene to scene as ponderously and carefully as its protagonists.”
Jonathan Holland, Hollywood Reporter
“A meaninful, tense, complex and dark film.”
Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“The script is a masterpiece.”
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“The two-and-half hours running time is not a second too long. The tension is sustained from the first shot to the last, and the rhythm of the disquieting, shocking narrative never falters. It’s the most absorbing and powerful thriller of the last decade, with a violence that grips you and makes you think about the uncontrolled power that the family as an institution has acquired in American society."
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“A thriller with a skilfully and elegantly constructed mechanism that overwhelms the viewer and catapults the film to the stratosphere occupied by masterpieces like Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River (2003) and Ben Affleck’s Gone Baby Gone (2007).”
Pedro Vallín, LA VANGUARDIA
“A film that radiates happiness from every inch of the screen.”
Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A well-made, unadorned film. A subtle drama with an unhurried rhythm.”
Harkaitz Cano, EL DIARIO VASCO
“The suspicion and doubt are sustained by the complicit gazes and the words spoken quietly.”
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“A savage script.”
G. Belinchón, EL PAÍS
“A great script matched by a good cast of actors superbly directed. The film shows how the police manipulate and hide evidence. Don’t miss it when it reaches the commercial circuit.”
Carlos Pumares, LA RAZÓN
“An agreeable film.”
Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“The director’s camera takes a very solemn stroll through these tragic landscapes.”
Oti Rodríguez, ABC
“Courageous descriptions that narrate the events interspersed with intelligent suggestions.”
Anton Merikaetxebarria, EL CORREO
“It takes your hand and slowly but surely leads you into a dilemma (…) admirable treatment of a fascinating subject: memory and forgetting.”
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Wonderful, charming (…) An exquisite, enjoyable and, above all, a funny film.”
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“Bravery, nerve and intelligence from François Ozon in his latest jewel.”
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“You may like it, be surprised by it, annoyed by it or fall in love with it.”
EL DIARIO VASCO
“Ainara Gurrutxaga gives a superb performance.”
Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“A wonderful film (…) and the scenes of the past are exquisite.”
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“Magnificent performance from María Renée Prudencio, whose emotions dominate the screen, and just as impressive is the way the young Lucio Giménez Cacho conveys his feelings first to his mother and then to everyone else.”
Oti Rodríguez, ABC
“A subtle portrait of the relationship between a single mother and her son.”
Teresa Flaño, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Serenly dominates space and time, describing a triangular relationship in which nothing is missing and nothing is superfluous.”
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“Drew as much laughter during the screening as applause at the end.”
C. David Carrón, LA RAZÓN
“Here is an excellent and very shrewd observer of reality. Fernando Eimbcke’s technique and capacity to convey feelings are exremely promising (…). Not a single second is gratuitous. Nothing is out of place and nothing is missing in this summer tale.”
Juan Zapater, NOTÍCIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“The film is thrilling on screen and perfect in its conception. One of the best Spanish movies of the year? In a word, yes. Unambitious but totally charming, entertaining, heart-warming, aesthetically pleasing, authentic and, please (please!) worthy of the fiercest defence.”
Víctor EsquiroI, GARA
“Explosive thriller-meets-drama admirably orchestrated by Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke.”
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“A harsh, cruel but spectacular film. One of those that leaves you gaping and builds up a sense of intense expectation right from the start.”
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“Curtis weaves plots that keep you on the edge of your seat.”
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“This production admirably triggers emotions related to how hard it is to take control of your life and confront past emotions.”
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“It is a glossy and enjoyable journey.”
Mark Adams, SCREEN DAILY
“Gina Kim shoots with a good deal of energy, mixing up the laughs with the pathos and the food with the fun, and making good use of Shanghai and Singapore locations.”
Mark Adams, SCREEN DAILY
“The director demands everything from his actors and they respond with a performance that does justice to the terrible animal nature of human beings.”
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“Excellent rhythm and entertaining adaptation of the comic strip series about the life of the French foreign affairs minister.”
Oti Rodríguez, ABC
“The actor Thierry Lhermitte is the spitting image of Dominique de Villepin.”
Oti Rodríguez, ABC
“He always knows where to point his camera, training his shrewd gaze adroitly on reality.”
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“Entertaining political satire with a cohesive cast that makes the plot that much more enjoyable.”
Anton Merikaetxebarria, EL CORREO
“The laughter that rang out at the San Sebastian Film Festival is a testimony of Tavernier’s know-how.”
EL MUNDO
“A surprising incursion into the world of comic strips and comedy (…) treats us to a stimulating film, a fast-paced plot, a piercing caricature about high politics at a time when all things political reek of stupidity and corruption.”
Juan Zapater, NOTÍCIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“Comes from John Lennon’s enigmatic Strawberry Fields which, like the film, once played is not easily forgotten.”
Fionnuala Halligan, SCREEN DAILY
“Javier Cámara, who delivers what is probably one of his best performances, manages to dominate the entire story and film with his own enthusiasm and his character’s as well.”
Oti Rodríguez, ABC
“Narrated with art, subtlety, emotion and flair. Everything is there—style, perception, bitter-sweet humour, fluid descriptions, lyricism, tenderness and sentimental complexity.”
Carlos BOYERO, EL PAÍS
“Javier Cámara is impeccable (…) he’s spontaneous, funny and brilliant all at once.”
Carlos BOYERO, EL PAÍS
“The contribution of film director and screenwriter David Trueba to the festival—this tender, luminous comedy—is truly welcome; a tremendously necessary film for lightening up the darker areas of the Official Section (…) A wonderful and intelligent entertainment.”
Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“David Trueba took the audience on an emotional journey to 1960s Spain and received thunderous applause at the matinee screening.”
Oskar L.Belategui, EL CORREO
“Pure joy from start to finish. A feel-good film that uses real anecdotes intelligently, flirts with Beatlemania and admirably captures the ingenuous, freedom-seeking spirit of the sixties in Spain.”
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Extraordinary performance from Javier Cámara in a role that seems to have been made for him and which probably only he could play.”
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A film that’s easy to watch and recommended for all audiences. It will probably be a box-office hit and the Spanish comedy film of the year. A great hymn to fearless living and human kindness.”
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Superb performance from Javier Cámara.”
Mitxel Ezquiaga, EL DIARIO VASCO
“The amazing thing about this is the capacity to make a film out of the lyrics of a song. And David Trueba manages to create an epic out of Strawberry Fields Forever.
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“It creates an impact with the sudden certainty that this film by the screenwriter, film director and novelist is Trueba through and through, an authoritative voice eternally embarked on the endeavour of responding to adversity with human insubordination and vitality.”
Pedro Vallín, LA VANGUARDIA
“A film so warm and human that even those bleak white bones in the cruel desert seem to throb with love and hope.”
B.T., EL DIARIO VASCO
“Provokes purely visual tension by using devices totally alien to the crime film genre”.
Oti Rodríguez, ABC
“The contrast between the character’s profile and the actor’s real personality—amiable, effusive, talkative—says a lot about the acting skills of this journalist on leave of absence”.
EL CORREO
“Olimpia Melinte, outstanding”.
Oskar L. Belategui, EL CORREO
“Impeccable performance from Antonio de la Torre”.
Anton Merikaetxebarria, EL CORREO
“Powerful story about a Granada tailor played by an excellent Antonio de la Torre. Applause in the theatre, praise all round after the screening”.
Mitxel Ezquiaga, EL CORREO
“A film with precise images that captivate the audience, slowly building towards a disquieting atmosphere”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL CORREO
“The austere texture, the exquisite beauty of every single shot, the subtly infectious climate of loneliness and emptiness (…) are wonderful. And Antonio de la Torre is an impressive force, with his presence and silences, not to mention the look in his eyes…”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL CORREO
“One of the most evocative and opportune films in the Official Section”.
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“The scenes in Sierra Nevada are visually hypnotic, the Romanian actress Olimpia Melinte’s voice and face ooze authenticity, and the excellent Antonio de la Torre interprets the director’s orders to the letter, creating a character that comes across as hieratic rather than disturbing”.
Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“Impeccable style, skilfully crafted photography and faith in Antonio de la Torre’s performance”.
Gregorio Belinchón, EL PAÍS
“Combines that same sensitivity with greater mellowness, depth and maturity, as well as a disciplined visual style and firm command of tone”.
David Rooney, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“Parades its icy tone with style and distinction through the Official Section”.
Zulet, DIARIO VASCO
“With «Wolf» and «Japanese Dog», New Directors makes the qualitative leap forward we’ve all been waiting for".
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“Jim Taihuttu had the Kursaal 2 audience on their feet with his astonishing conviction”.
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“ Tudor Cristian Iurgiu surprised everyone with his superlative exercise in minimalism”.
Víctor Esquirol,GARA
“'Campanella's 3D toon pic bows to applause and cheers at San Sebastián", John Hopewell, VARIETY.COM
“Futbolínis the story a father tells his son to get him to stop ruining his fingers playing video games and have a go instead with modest but legendary table football.” Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“The audience watched it enthusiastically, sometimes in silence and sometimes breaking out into laughter. At the end applause resounded around the theatre. ” Manex Munduate, BERRIA
“It manages to surpass the comparison of having ‘exceeded Pixar’s technical and artistic quality’ (…) thanks to its originality. It is visually spectacular and takes the action to the extreme; the dialogues are fluid, and the potential of what might have otherwise been limited situations has been admirably exploited, achieving moments of true brilliance.” Angel Aldarondo, BERRIA
“Superb opening reference to 2001; hilarious monologues about the meaning of life from the midfielder character.” L. Martínez, EL MUNDO
“Futbolín is 100%Campanella.” Gregorio Belinchón, EL PAÍS
“What makes this film about table football figures that come to life so stimulating is the sheer quality of the animation.” Pedro Vallín LA VANGUARDIA
“A miniature marvel from Costa Rica”, Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“He has made a wonderful, moving film, casting the action aside and focusing instead on the lead character’s feelings.” Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“Its presence represents one of those unforgettable moments that enrich every festival and ensure its place in history.” Juan G. Andrés, NOTÍCIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“Asier Altuna has achieved a magnificent result with a very small story and an astonishing ending.” Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“Alardearen seme-alabakis woven scene by scene thanks to excellent research and convincing testimonies.” Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“The lovable characters from the Bruguera legendary comics come back to life in the 21st century but are just as devoted to their marbles and pranks as ever.” Ricardo Aldarondo, EL DIARIO VASCO
“The filmmaker takes Zipi and Zape (…) to the big screen with an original story created especially for them.” Carlos Pumares, LA RAZÓN
“The audience laughed, applauded, shouted at the baddies and cheered on the goodies… A resounding success.”Mitxel Ezquiaga, EL CORREO
“The animated drawings speak for themselves, creating conflicting feelings in the viewer.” Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“An attractive starting point, a very convincing aseptic ambience, a disturbing atmosphere and an excellent tempo…” Koldo Almandoz, BERRIA
“Manages to transport us to a disconcerting world, as sickeningly dream-like as harrowingly real.”Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Exquisite yet eerily disturbing still photography.” Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Eery adaptation of José Saramago’s novel.” Mikel Insausti, ZAZPIKA
“A heartfelt story about the life of a young mother trapped in a city.” Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“Constructed with myriad nuances about the individual and society, a certain degree of emotional restraint and some humour in the secondary characters.” Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“With restraint, good rhythm and balance, this is essentially a film about confrontations with mothers. A tale well told. It is like the page in a story in which neither yesterday nor tomorrow matter, only today.” Carlos Pumares, LA RAZÓN
“Has skilfully found the meaning in this daring endeavour in which the viewer identifies with the children portrayed.” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Moving film that combines flexibility and discipline, with a particularly poignant ending: the crossroads. Roads that meet and lead to reconciliation.” A.L, NOTÍCIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“Over and above its historical interest, this documentary has enormous narrative tension. The viewer gets totally caught up in the plot of the story." Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“This documentary should be carefully preserved for the future.” Urtzi Urkizu, BERRIA
“A brave and frank documentary in praise of friendship in the midst of conflict and violence, which of course the director knows may arouse controversy.” Rocío García, EL PAÍS
“Aitor Merino bares his soul in front of the camera to remind us of a not-so-distant and ever-present past, using a sharp, decidedly austere and ingenious discourse to do so.” Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“A magnificent, moving story about the emotional and sexual quest of a teenage girl and a fascinating young woman.” Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“Las brujas de Zugarramurdiis a fun film that works very well.” Oti Rodríguez, ABC
“Sure to be a box-office hit.” Juan Arteaga, EL DIARIO VASCO
“Hugely enjoyable horror comedy that will raise box-office takings. Pure, unadulterated De la Iglesia. ”Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL DIARIO VASCO
“A rush of adrenaline that keeps the viewer glued to the screen for two hours.” Mitxel Ezquiaga, EL DIARIO VASCO
“It’s been a long time since I smiled, laughed and roared out loud at the cinema (…) The gags, dialogues and situations are superb. It’s funny, visually spectactular, the actors are genuinely comical. You want this verbal and visual fiesta to go on and on.”Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“Álex de la Iglesia at his best. One-hundred per cent Álex.”Mikel Insausti, GARA
“A total success. Enjoy!” Carlos Pumares, LA RAZÓN
“Las brujas de Zugarramurdi marks the return of Alex de la Iglesia at his best” Juan Zapater, NOTÍCIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“Hanif Kureishi’s script is brilliant and his characters ooze intelligence, a sense of humour and a shrewdly ironic vision of life, time, love, art and human relations.” Oti Rodríguez, ABC
“The two characters are both complete and complex, and the impressive couple of actors that play them give what might well be this year’s finest performance.” Oti Rodríguez, ABC
“Starring two talented actors, especially the exquisite Lindsay Duncan who deserves the Silver Shell for Best Actress” , Anton Merikaetxebarria, EL CORREO
“Stimulating script that admirably captures sensations that everyone can identify with”, Mikel G. Gurpegui, EL CORREO
“Le week-endis intimist, elegant, intelligent, bitter-sweet and subtle (…) It’s the best film I’ve seen so far in the competitive section” , Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“A wonderfully entertaining film about a Birmingham couple in their autumn years on a weekend getaway to Paris. The actors are blessed with the talent to create believable characters” , Carlos Pumares, LA RAZÓN
“Le week-endasks questions about love, desire, friendship and routine and answers them in a wholly competent and entertaining way”, P. Vallín, LA VANGUARDIA
“Flows, advances, captivates.”Begoña del Teso, EL DIARIO VASCO
“We’d never known a mixed Rumanian-Japanese couple, but it works. In love and on the big screen.”B. T., EL DIARIO VASCO
“Over two intense hours. Wind surfing, the wave of life and the sea stripped bare and viewed from every angle. From the authenticity and charm of the pioneers to the impressive power of the respectful followers.”Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“Michael B. Jordan skilfully crafts a well-written role that chimes with the rhythm of a narrative that doesn’t need the typical tragic ending but simply the dots that roll up the screen at the end of the film.”Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Paulina García comes across as courageous and totally in tune with a wonderfully drawn character.”Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“A good cast matched by good dialogues, characters and situations illuminate an ordinary and wholly believable group of folk. A choral portrait of the common man in France today.” Juan Zapater, NOTÍCIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“The relationship between the two main characters makes for plenty of comical scenes, and once again we are treated to a brilliant performance by Guillermo Francella”.
Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“A story based on real-life events, shot by Eduard Cortés with a sharp sense of humour, a carefully crafted atmosphere, and a solid performance from the wonderful Argentinean actor Guillermo Francetta”.
Anton Merikaetxebarria, EL CORREO
“The film portrays relationships between teenagers with an unrelenting harshness, removing all idealisation from love”.
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“Six Acts is both modern and a story for the ages".
Fionnula Halligan, SCREENDAILY
“A film packed with star performers that will break box office records on autumnal Saturdays this year”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“A precise, truthful, emphatic, and at times poetic portrayal of a changing society, committed to inexorable progress that will wait for no man”.
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“The Hypnotist’s tense plot breaks the mould, thanks to the fact that the hypnotist character plays a completely different role in the story than that which we have come to expect in conventional detective dramas”.
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“The film gets off to a raucous start, leading us to suspect that Albert will provide us with some memorable moments throughout the film. This turns out to be the case, as he leaves the audience howling with laughter”.
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“This endearing story does not shy away from depicting the harshness of life within an oppressed social class, and also provides an intricate study of characters as intriguing as they are likeable”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Bertolucci has woven a sensitive tale here, which is complimented by fine photography and a soundtrack that is as effective as it is appropriate”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Another unsettling and wonderfully subtle exploration of (...) not only the fear of being young but also, and especially, the fear of being alive”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“König’s comics contain emotion and tenderness, irony and social and political condemnation. One thing remains constant throughout: Humour”.
Koldo Almandoz, BERRIA
“This is a delightful piece because it speaks to us of freedom, political stances and life philosophies, homosexuals, heterosexuals, men and women”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“Bayona (…) reaches the pinnacle of anguish, tragedy, violence and perplexity”.
Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“A well-made commercial film”.
Anton Merikaetxebarria, EL CORREO
“Bayona (…) successfully negotiates the difficult task of casting and directing children, reminiscent of Spielberg at his best. The breathtaking beginning to The Impossible also reminds us of a Spielberg production”.
Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“It hits the viewer with the tsunami before striking them with the emotional impact of the ensuing family tragedy”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“An impressive exercise in pure cinematographic virtuosity; a startling (…) piece, reminiscent of something that would be created in the Spielberg film factory”.
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“The most skilled film at using blogs and text messages on screen”.
Juan Arteaga, DIARIO VASCO
"Both the style and treatment are courageous, saturated and ghostly, on landscapes that are scorched, forgotten, frozen."
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“Real-life fiction which tells us much more than any documentary. It is a new lesson from the old teacher”.
Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“It offers an excellent insight into that absurd world”.
Alberto Moyano, DIARIO VASCO
“The pleasant surprise in Gad Elmaleh's characterisation of this modern-day Robin Hood of the rich is its openly satirical, no-holds-barred tone”.
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“Plots, lies and bedroom and office secrets give rise to a series of tragic reverberations which evoke a Shakespearean style”.
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“The film’s attention to detail takes on a significance of its own, so much so that a simple gesture is capable of changing the entire dynamic of the plot”.
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“A pleasant, benevolent and tender film. A characteristic Sorín piece which displays the passion so typical of his work”.
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“The direction the story takes is incredible. After watching the opening scenes, few could have foreseen what was to come”.
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“They have managed to create a well-rounded film. Marvellous (…) everyone left the cinema feeling happy”.
Beñat Eizagirre, BERRIA
“A fun romantic comedy, shot in Basque, which aimed to make people smile and has been met with raucous laughter by audiences at the Festival”.
DEIA
“A wholesome romantic comedy whose dramatic mechanisms work perfectly”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Contemporary cinematographic realism is at its finest in China, and Emily Tang’s latest film provides yet another example of this”.
Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“Geographically emphatic. Geologically stunning. Cinematographically excellent. Full of life”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“It manages to move the viewer, making them feel the pain, anguish and loneliness suffered by the on-screen characters”.
Iratxe Fresneda, GARA
“Faithful to his ironic, mocking and stubborn style, Krahe is portrayed as an outsider who doesn't worry too much about the whims of the music industry”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“This work of docufiction captivates us throughout with its brilliant ideas”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“This is capable of brightening up anyone’s day”.
Beñat Eizagirre, BERRIA
“A colorful, fun and hugely accesible slice of backwater ethnography”.
Neil Young, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“The film begins almost in the style of a Hitchcock thriller before later unsettling us with the moral conflict faced by someone who is forced to take sides”.
O.L. Belategui, EL CORREO
“An impressively lifelike, profound political and historical film which bears worrying similarities with the present day”.
Anton Merikaetxebarria, EL CORREO
“A serious, interesting, solid, well-conceived, well-arranged piece, which places its central character in an extreme situation and is skilful enough to follow him at an excellent pace”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“The Attack is a beautiful film which provides us with much food for thought and debate”.
Harkaitz Cano, DIARIO VASCO
“The film dazzles its audience by constructing, without deception, a form of beauty which, in its self-assurance and unusualness, becomes almost subversive”.
Alberto Moyano, DIARIO VASCO
“Courtois' film flows cleanly and takes its time, weaving its own winding paths and ellipses. It fills us with information, reflections, doubts”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“Smooth, well-grounded, laden with looks, memories, solitude, hope and hopelessness, Shell occupies a place far away from the sea but close to the human soul and its mysteries".
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“(Valero) didn't have a script written on paper but what he did have were fistfuls of shots and reverse angle shots; sound and interesting camera movements and the capacity to make shrewd editing decisions".
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
"The pick makes a pleasurable surplus from minimal resources and plenty of ironic-comic-violent storytelling energy".
Robert Koehler, VARIETY
“The moment when the artist explains the grandeur of an idea, trapped in a Rembrandt painting, about a child's first steps is, probably, the most lucid and moving explanation of the miracle and emotion of art”.
Oti Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“It is difficult to create so much with so little. It is the grandeur of something small".
Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“It offers timely reflections about the loss of innocence in the face of the inexorable reality that is death, while vindicating the triumph of art over the tragedies of war”.
Antón Merikaetxebarria, EL CORREO
“Everything in the film is perfectly measured and controlled, avoiding both exaggerated gestures and empty silences”.
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“There is much that fascinates me about this unorthodox and profound film. It is exquisitely written by Carriére and Trueba, displaying intelligence, heart and love, with a staggered rhythm that serves the narrative superbly, suffused by intimations of joy and sorrow”.
Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“Trueba delivers an exquisitely crafted reflection on the big three - life, death and art - in El Artista y la Modelo”.
Fionnuala Halligan, SCREENDAILY
“This is certainly a solid and well-made film”.
Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“Cantet showcases all of his talent and irascibility here, as well as his capacity for lyricism and his poetic sensibility”.
Antón Merikaetxebarria, EL CORREO
“Beautiful”.
Carlos Pumares, LA RAZÓN
“A journey to a chaotic and beautiful city, encompassing its strife and anguish, hopes and joys”.
Rocío García, EL PAÍS
“Tales of daily struggles, resistance and pride, and as the song says A ella le duele (She’s hurting), but she keeps on singing”.
Iratxe Fresneda, GARA
“A vibrant portrait of life and emotions which, in its determination to avoid facile tear-jerking and cheap laughs, resembles other audacious films such as Julian Schnabel's excellent The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“The precise blend of high comedy and melodrama make this film an extremely pleasant surprise”.
P. Vallín, LA VANGUARDIA
“It speaks of the passage of time, life and death and what we revive through collective memory (…) and it does this with honesty, tough-mindedness and an endearing sense of humour”.
Paula Echeverría, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“A fascinating story of discrimination and abuse at its core”.
Fionnuala Halligan, SCREENDAILY
“Después de Lucía is one of the best films about bullying ever made”.
Harkaitz Cano, DIARIO VASCO
“Zuloak is spectacular, innovative, powerful, brave, extraordinary and, most importantly: it is true. In one word, amazing”.
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“A vibrant film that is both fun and intelligent and which, in making the transition from theatre to the big screen, manages to preserve the seductive power of the written word intact”.
Juan Zapater, DEIA
“A thought-provoking film which invites us to observe a game that is as delighting as it is stimulating”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“A film that exudes brilliance”.
Luís Martínez, EL MUNDO
“A vitriolic brain-teaser with shades of Polanski at the peak of his powers”.
Pedro Vallín, LA VANGUARDIA
“Sacristán delivers an arresting performance of great depth and bears all for the viewer (both literally and figuratively)”.
Luís Martínez, EL MUNDO
“Rebollo (…) introduces incoherencies between what we see and what we are told, and adds to these a smattering of intermittent anticlimaxes. This game creates a new discourse about that legendary journey upon which the twilight hero embarked. It is an argument about what one sees and what one hears, full of ambiguities”.
Pedro Vallín, LA VANGUARDIA
“A lugubrious road-movie following a terminally-ill hitman over thousands of miles through Argentina, El Muerto y Ser Feliz requires audiences willing to embrace its Patagonia-dry gallows humor”.
Neil Young, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“We like our blood-stained dialogues to be intelligent”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“The film, far from obsessing over the military badges of the soldiers and the deadly blades of their swords, portrays, in a gloriously gritty style (...) the great satellite city, which moves in unison with the retreating army; a travelling city inhabited by prostitutes and merchants, cooks and quacks. In doing so, it displays the most exquisite mastery of drama, narrative and composition”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“Attention: this is a Serbian film: contains Balkan rage and uneasiness”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“It makes you shed tears that, far from being tears of despair, are clean, soft tears; the type of teardrops that comfort us when they fall”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“Backgrounds are lush and colorful in the style of 19th century French landscape painting - more Manet than Monet”.
Neil Young, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“The values of solidarity, commitment and friendship are championed above all else”.
I.P. Chavarri, EL PAÍS
“It achieves a healthy balance between drama and comedy, and is theoretically influenced by the marvellously distorted perception that each child possesses”.
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“Berger brings the classic silent film mould to his story, which is a grotesque version of the tale of Snow White, resembling something that Buñuel may have dreamt up after drinking his fill of dry martinis”.
Oti R. Marchante, ABC
“Snow White could so easily have been a sparkling and personal, to the point of self-indulgence, accumulation of visual effects (…) However, Berger manages to bring all of these elements together to tell a soulful tale. Beneath the aestheticism there are tears and smiles, emotion and beauty, the grotesque and the sublime”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“A dazzling, macabre tale which shatters the stereotypes of flamenco-loving Spain and draws in equal measures from expressionist cinema, the photography of Cristina García Rodero and the paintings of Zuloaga and Romero de Torres”.
EL CORREO
“A beautiful, painful and profound journey through silent cinema”.
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“Pure choreography: there is music, singing and movement. A plane, whose flight can only be described as wild and erratic, collects a wealth of references on its journey, before continuing along the path that has been reopened by Canadian director Guy Maddin”.
Juan Zapater, NOTÍCIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“Argo is a magnificent example of magnificent cinema. It invites its audience to bear witness to almost all the qualities that this art offers to an author and captivates the viewer right from the beginning”.
Oti R. Marchante, ABC
“He has created a film that is solid and full of force. Argo is a political thriller which indirectly relays events in Teheran (…) making slick use of tension and rhythm”.
G. Agote, BERRIA
“The film (…) is a successful nod to the filmmaking style of the likes of Pakula, Scorsese and Paul Schraeder”.
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“The film explains the situation for the benefit of those who don't know with perfect rhythm and tension. This is pure entertainment”.
Carlos Pumares, LA RAZÓN
“An intelligent and, in many parts, happy film that makes us laugh and shudder in equal measures”.
Juan Zapater, NOTÍCIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“A lethal thriller and cloudy documentary which claws at our (fragile) theories about Blame and Deception”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“A cracking film that is innovative to the core, visionary in ultra tones of rampant colour and strange and savage all at the same time. It would certainly have appealed to Apichatpong and Sokurov”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“It is packed with hilarious situations, without hiding or avoiding the repression, barbarism and injustices suffered by the opponents to Pinochet's regime”.
Inés P. Chavarri, EL PAÍS
“A historical fresco that is sleek, believable, emotive and, above all else, unflinching in conveying the complex social and political backdrop in Chile during that period”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“This is the story of a group of women who have been victims of many different forms of violence and repression (...) Each one of them, by recounting their personal experiences, invites us to share in a highly enriching discussion”.
BERRIA
“Jarecki, without fussing over style, manages to deliver a plot that alone acts as bait on a fishing rod, keeping the viewer writhing on the end of the line until the very end”.
Oti R. Marchante, ABC
“Arbitrage moves over rocky ground: it's a commercial thriller, with doses of family life, lovers, police investigations and corporate betrayals. It also functions, however, as a work of intelligent cinema, and sends a clear message about greed, the moral corruption of those in power, and life's injustices”.
Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“Arbitrage is one of those films that has such a solid plot it seems to have been adapted from a prize-winning novel. This, however, is clearly not the case, as it displays too profound a knowledge of the film narrative”.
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“Haneke (…) masterfully portrays life’s decline and the fragility of human existence. His work provides a looking glass through which we can observe life. He portrays this life fearlessly and without complexes, awakening powerful emotions in us without resorting to sentimentalism".
Iratxe Fresneda, GARA
“When watching Amour, we are struck by the same sensations of uneasiness and anguish that take hold of the character played by a splendid Jean-Louis Trintignan, who finds himself trapped in his apartment and forced to witness first-hand the progressive physical, mental and psychological deterioration of his partner”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Zeitling creates a harrowing landscape, where the people have deteriorated as badly as their natural surroundings. However, things weren’t always this way”.
Pedro San Juan, EL CORREO
“Proud film-making, free use of the camera, and a flawless script. An indomitable pride which tames the Beasts and captivates viewers”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“Original in its plot, powerful in its visual treatment, Zeitlin films the edible animals as though they were people and the people as though they were simply a source of food."
Alberto Moyano , DIARIO VASCO
“Breathtaking”
EFE, NOTÍCIAS DE GUIPÚZKOA
“Silent City makes it presence felt even through textures. Those of its celluloid? Of course, but those of its celluloid are the same as the ones on the fish that Rosa learns to fillet”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“A documentary transformed into a work of fiction, using 85% of true and reliable data (…) filmed with tiny, agile and sophisticated digital cameras which fit snugly with this low-budget production designed in style by Lee Bonner”.
Begoña del Teso; DIARIO VASCO
‘A relentless plot shot in black and white, memorably supported by excellent acting, this austere film is about real people, a fistful of human truth, appalling pessimism and an unobtrusive camera that captures the troubles of the desperate characters.’
Antón Merikaetxebarria, EL CORREO
‘Ripstein hands us the (poisoned) gift of a Ripstein film in the most pure Ripstein style. The text exudes pure passion, pure excess, pure darkness.’
Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
‘Ripstein describes raw failure with a talent that had seemed rusty.’
Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
‘Ripstein is out to recover paradise lost right from the beginning, with the dramatic curves, the sensual arabesque of the female thigh lying on the bed.’
Juan Zapater, NOTÍCIAS DE GIPUZKOA
‘‘The best thing about this adaptation (…) is not how skilful it is, how lively and spectacular it is, how playful it is, and how brilliantly edited, paced and choreographed (…). It is all that, and so much more.’
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
‘It is a well-crafted bit of mainstream entertainment that doesn’t disappoint in terms of good old-fashioned swashbuckling fun.’
SCREENDAILY
‘‘Suitable for all ages and universal, despite appearances to the contrary. A beautiful piece of work that enriches Basque cinema and the imagination.’
Xabier Mendiguren Elizegi, DEIA
‘‘Having seen the film Americano, we can assert that the next generation has taken up the baton.’
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
‘‘A moving and amusing combination of primitive charm and modern filmmaking.’
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
‘‘Enjoyable if you give it a chance and don't miss the dialogue.'
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
‘Melodrama meticulously filmed by Canijo.’
E. Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
‘A film that narrates the undesireable state of things intelligently and comprehensibly.’
Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
‘Katz, who wrote this script precisely with her brother, keeps the right mix of drama and comedy, with a touch of acid humour.’
Mateo Sancho Cardiel, DEIA
‘Harrelson turns his film into a playground and affords a riveting vision of his character’s neurasthenia’
Mateo Sancho Cardiel, DEIA
‘Quietly, in a premeditated silent manner, the director makes a perfect critical analysis of how complicated trying to being good can become’
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
‘It makes it very clear how Japan survived the horrors of WW II and why neither earthquakes, tidal waves nor all the nuclear power the Fukushima heroes managed to bring under control will destroy the Japanese.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
‘It goes without saying that the last moments shared with family and friends are precious and emotional. Beautiful.’
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
‘There is anger. There is loathing. There is sadness. There is tight-knit, narrow filming. If you can slip through the crack Nicolas opens, bingo! You’re in. If not, you’re left out. Wandering.’
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
‘The film starts with a very moving sequence, showing us an aspect of immigration rarely seen in films on this topic.'
Koldo Almandoz, BERRIA
‘Only a few privileged people get to see films like "Le Havre", the kind of film that makes you continue to believe in the potential of films as an artistic medium.’
Iratxe Fresneda, GARA
‘A modern story (…) starred by one of those people who should be essential for the world to function as it should: a humble shoe shiner who fooled around with art in the past and who has a code of behaviour leads him to help whoever asks for it, and at any price
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
‘A perspicacious and absurd sense of humour makes the audience laugh out loud. Well-deserved, resounding applause at the end.’
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
‘The scene at the police station that reduces the Kafka-like like universe of bureaucracy to the level of the absurd is the funniest part of Adikos Kosmos.’
Mikel Insausti, GARA
‘An authorative enough proposal that depicts the moral and economic breakdown of the contemporary world.'
Sara Brito, PÚBLICO
‘A perplexing drama (of sorts) that appears to be heavily ideological.’
SCREENDAILY
‘Passionate, fascinating, he fights back, dares, attempts, fails, succeeds, provokes, goes into a delirium, dresses leathers and sap, takes out the skates, sets the streets on fire with them, philosophises about life, beauty, the opera, parents, friends, Death and manages to fid the (good) rhyme he was looking for.'
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
‘Verso is an innovative proposal in the Spanish film scene that combines dialogue in verse, a hip hop rhythm and the simultaneous leading roles of a work by Cervantes, and allusions to comics and graffiti.’
Joseba Imaz, NOTÍCIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“Achieves a plausible depiction of the landscape by hinting at, rather than highlighting, the terrible backdrop that echoes to the sound of the names of those who are to be executed”.
E. Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“A film that describes the undesirable state of things intelligently and lucidly”.
Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“A microcosmic world that turns the audience into voyeuristic entomologists, observing the fears, desires, sexuality, quarrels, memories, pain, hopes and voices that together make up this stifling, claustrophobic film; a film which has been constructed with the meticulousness of a scientist (dispassionately) analysing the creatures that have been placed under the (cold) gaze of his microscope”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“La Voz Dormida is filled with an emotional intensity, seen for example in those splendid sequences of visits to the prison, and in Maria León possesses a remarkable performer who lights up the screen and makes the most of this peach of a role”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“A gripping and emotional examination of the lives of the thousands who suffered the reprisals of Francoist ‘justice’ ”.
Juan Zapater, NOTÍCIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“A cinematic achievement so gritty it would make our beloved Ken Loach want to high-five the director”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“The success of this film lies in its silences, only broken by the music of Anja Plaschg (...), in its dark moments, in the feelings of guilt that everyone is burdened with and in the mother’s attempts to carry on a normal, everyday life”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“Dissects its characters with great humour”.
Beñat Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“Brave, enormous in its scope, with a setting that literally consumes its characters and a rowdy, at times scurrilous sense of humour”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“An absolute delight, not just from a musical perspective but from a political, historical and social standpoint”.
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
“To (...) situates his explosive discourse in the plot of a brilliant script in which the villains of the piece are not the gangsters but the banks”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Superb technical execution and the remarkable dramatic abilities that Swedish actors always bring to their roles give Happy End a grown-up feeling of solidity”.
Juan Zapater, NOTÍCIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“Kore-Eda is a master at revealing the psychology of children with scenes redolent of local culture that warm your soul”.
Itziar Reyero, ABC
“A film that has two layers, two flavours, although only one is actually seen; however, it is not difficult to discern from afar the subtle aftertaste of unhappiness in the countershot of the children”.
E. Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“A film that is convinced of its capacity to move without importuning, to generate an emotional response without pestering the audience”.
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
“Like a window on everyday life, on the spontaneity of its characters and the aptness of its setting – both in terms of the family environment and the city that is presided over by an omnipresent cloud of volcanic ash that no one seems to pay attention to”.
Carlos Pumares, LA RAZÓN
“Here, Kore-Eda (...) adopts a friendlier tone yet does not renounce his taste for everyday life narrated with exacting detail, without authorial intervention or the temptations of contemplation”.
Pedro Vallín, LA VANGUARDIA
“A beautiful fable about desires, dreams and miracles, told with great tenderness and shot with supreme mastery”.
Gontzal Agote, BERRIA
“A splendid fury is generated in the guts of this film, which is lit by director of photography Eric Devin with an unhesitating harshness”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“Moving, without ever falling into the easy discourse of sentimentality. A work of great beauty”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Yesterday, Nacho Vigalondo managed to keep the audience in fits of laughter for the duration of the screening of his second feature film”.
Enrique Mingo, DIARIO VASCO
“A comedy in which the ridiculous is dressed up as realism; a cross between science fiction and the TV sketch show Muchachada Nui”.
Mitxel Ezquiaga, DIARIO VASCO
“Vigalondo has met with exceptional grace the challenge of concentrating almost all the action of the story into a single scene and sharing the narrative between a cast of just four individuals”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“A side-splitting laugh riot that some are already calling the independent Spanish comedy of the year”.
C. David Carrón, LA RAZÓN
“Highly calculated; Vigalondo's script moves along with clockwork precision”.
Pedro Vallín, LA VANGUARDIA
“Extraterrestre is an inventive chamber piece that marries the alien invasion and rom-com genres with a cheery sense of audience collusion”.
SCREEN DAILY
“A carefully worked and personal vision of the character and filmography of a woman who was also very closely linked to the film festival and to San Sebastian”.
Olga Pereda, EL PERIÓDICO
“Applauded during the press conference and provoked roars of laughter and gasps of surprise for its plot twists”.
Inés P. Chávarri, EL PAÍS
“Dynamic and at times irreverent, this laudable film is supported by the efforts of a cast filled with veterans such as Josean Bengoetxea, Nagore Aranburu, Kontxu Odriozola and the evergreen Montserrat Carulla”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Esnal takes on a complicated genre, black comedy with a touch of thriller, and comes up trumps”.
NOTÍCIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“A film that can be defined in just one word: incredible”.
B.Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“Intelligent in its responses and in its study of how each individual experiences religion, crude in its allusions to Tintin (watch out, Spielberg!) and sober but effective in its drawing and animation”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“A mastery of image and timing that allows the audience to fully grasp the extent of the sorrow that casts its shadow over the lives of the brothers and the unjust dependence it creates”.
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“Rayo invites us to make our own interpretations of a film that has much in common with Asian cinema”.
B .Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
“Even the predictable elements of the story work in the film’s favour”.
Harkaitz Cano, DIARIO VASCO
“Davies communicates the theatrical feel of the story (...) with his usual recourse to lights and shadows, giving the mise-en-scène a honeyed, timeless hue”.
E. Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
“Love in all its rawness, without ornament, alleviation or artifice: what hurts and what causes suffering. The definitive nature of love”.
Daniel Roldán, EL CORREO
“It peers into corners of the human soul in silence, passing over stony ground”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“With The Deep Blue Sea, Davies offers up another excellent film made in his unique style”.
Ricardo Aldarondo, DIARIO VASCO
“The screen is infused with the closest thing to the truth (in abstraction) that we have seen at this festival. This film is like a wounded animal”.
L.M., EL MUNDO
“If the most precious – and envied – gifts are beauty and intelligence, The Deep Blue Sea shows itself to be amply blessed with both; yesterday it rose up above everything else shown here at San Sebastian, perhaps above everything else made over the last few years, and is on the point of receiving the first cries of ‘bravo!’ from the public here at the Kursaal”.
P. Vallín, LA VANGUARDIA
“Davies creates temporal cracks, introduces an ellipsis, folds time in on itself and gives a master-class in dense, powerful cinema”.
Juan Zapater, NOTÍCIAS DE GIPUZKOA
“A Spanish animated film for adults that deserves to come away from the festival with a distributor”.
Antón Merikaetxebarría, EL CORREO
“Moving, without ever falling into the easy discourse of sentimentality. A work of great beauty”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Arrugas imaginatively and sensitively explores one of the major issues confronting most of the developed world: how to look after senior citizens in a rapidly aging population.’
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“A journey through the life of Carrière that is more poetical than biographical”.
Gregorio Belnichón, EL PAÍS
“An extremely personal and rather strange journey to Africa that pays homage to Miquel Barceló and his beloved François Augiéras”.
Olga Pereda, EL PERIÓDICO
“An embodiment of change and fusion. In this film you can find a western, a comedy, a love story, a spiritual quest and, if you look hard enough, even gods”.
Sara Brito, PÚBLICO
“An excellent piece in which the movements of the dancer and her apprentices acquire an almost dreamlike dimension”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Julie Delpy’s sweetly autobiographical and fearlessly bawdy comedy Le Skylab is 100% French and then some, yet marbled with universal touches”.
SCREEN DAILY
"Unsettling, uncertain and cruel; qualities that are even reflected in its soundtrack. Snowtown is a unique film, one that grabs you by the guts".
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“Take This Waltz moves skilfully through the ambiguous terrain of personal relationships, imagined desires and unspoken frustrations”.
Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
“A pleasant romantic comedy”.
Mikel Insausti, GARA
“The ethics of its visual approach, of the composition, planning and construction of its sequences, are stringent and passionate”.
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
“The way in which McQueen guides us through this vertiginous, almost suicidal New York night and the subtle intent with which he makes sense of the siblings’ shared traumas are among the most notable achievements of this drama about wounded souls and sexual fury”.
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“Rodrigo García tells this doomed, irredeemably tragic story with intelligence and feeling”.
Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
“Both do a splendid job; after seeing her in men’s clothes, the audience is struck dumb upon seeing her dressed as a woman for the first time".
Harkaitz Cano, DIARIO VASCO
“Nader and Simin, a Separation is a fresh, very current film that gives us an insight into the reality of an Iranian society that is seeking to forge new links beyond its borders while remaining rooted in its ancient customs of religion and the family".
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
“An intimate film that awakens our desire to go back to nature and to a simpler way of life".
EFE
“Pic also records the passing of an age when Spain shrugged off its last illusions of its ‘70s transition to democracy and rapidly morphed into a get-rich-quick consumer society”.
VARIETY
Fresnadillo achieves a perfect balance between the childhood blackness of the tale and the obvious sordidness of the adult world, and gradually places the keys of the plot with and absolute expertise to avoid that the spectator make himself or herself comfortable neither in the fantasy nor in the reality.’
E. Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
‘The director from Tenerife has managed to make an impeccable visual film.’
O. Belategui, EL CORREO
‘The story terrorizes to the extent of dazzling and dazzles to the exact limit of terror.’
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
‘A magnificent analysis of the man panic-stricken by his proper destiny, his tragic fate’
Antón Merikaetxebarría, EL CORREO
‘This film is part of a serious cinema which leaves the spectator trembling with the most powerful beginning the Spanish cinema has seen in many years.’
Mikel G. Gurpegui, DIARIO VASCO
‘José Coronado (who really deserves to be crowned in this Festival) captures the essence of this man called Santos Trinidad with just to brush strokes.’
E. Rodríguez Marchante, ABC
‘A quick and severe blow on the thumb of soul or a little bit more up on the backbone of the retina.’
Luis Martínez, EL MUNDO
‘The most sinister event happened in this country during this century, that damn M-11, has found in Urbizu a chronicler who is unpayable managing the fiction based in so many frighteningly real details.’
Carlos Boyero, EL PAÍS
‘José Coronado is absolutely brilliant. He fills the screen with his interpretation.’
Carlos Pumares, LA RAZÓN
‘Epic, but mainly human, Living in the Material World stresses the dual condition of the depicted.’
B.D., PÚBLICO
‘So beautiful, so wonderful, so peculiar, so imbued with films of the past and so able to walk on oaths not drown yet, on rails that does not exist.’
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
‘Iria knows how to be suggestive. She does not use a large paintbrush, but a small one. With just to details she announces us what do Negus, Chale, Chata and Sapo do when they get off the skate, when they finish the graffiti or the joint they have shared.’
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
‘A sample of the narrative power of young creators who are presenting thirteen films at Horizontes Latinos section.’
Alicia G., EFE
‘A trip through the sordid world of the drug trafficking.’
Alicia G., EFE
‘It is cloaked in a sublime, swollen darkness.’
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
‘An excellent, amazing and different Opera Prima.’
B. Eizagirre Indo, BERRIA
‘It pulls you to the screen because of its characters, those people that go from fair to fair with their bumper cars ring loaded in their lorries.’
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
‘The role of women according to the gipsy ethnic group’s traditions, begging, alcoholism, infidelity, death. Nothing is hided to the camera, which consequently becomes the protagonist.’
B.D., PÚBLICO
‘Making use of all kind of publics, Labaki composes a present fresco aimed at being nice for all kind of publics.’
Koldo Landaluze, GARA
‘The prodigious film jumps between the past and the present, runs between parallel realities, it does not permit the spectators to lower their guard, and when it finishes, it does not end; continues.’
Begoña del Teso, DIARIO VASCO
‘Its aim is to amuse us and whet our appetite during an hour and a half. Mission accomplished in both fronts, thanks to the rows of a pair of sentimental clumsies who (...) fall hopelessly in love while they try to save a chocolate factory from bankruptcy.
Víctor Esquirol, GARA
‘Taught an exciting lesson of how can be understood and transmitted what is poetry.’
Juan Zapater, NOTICIAS DE GIPUZKOA
‘A proud tribute, made by people able to appreciate how much of excitement and significativeness is between “bertsolaris” and how to bring it to the screen.’
Mikel G. Gurpegi, DIARIO VASCO
‘He has captured poetic and astonishing images.’
Maddalen Larrinaga, GARA