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San Sebastian Film Festival · 2015

San Sebastian Film Festival 2015

Zabaltegi

Programme

24 films · 3 reviews

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327 Cuadernos

A documentary by Andrés Di Tella starring Ricardo Piglia, one of the great narrators in the Spanish language, who decides to closely read his intimate diary for the first time.

(Country: Argentina; Year: 2015; Director: Andrés Di Tella)

Adama

Adama lives in a remote West African village. One night his older brother, Samba, disappears and he decides to set off in search of him on a quest that takes him over the seas, to the North, to the frontline of the First World War.

(Country: France; Year: 2015; Director: Simon Rouby; Writer: Julien Lilti, Simon Rouby; Stars: Pascal N'Zonzi, Azize Diabaté Abdoulaye, Oxmo Puccino, Jack Amba, Aziz Diabaté)

A German Youth (Une jeunesse allemande)

Film based on the rise of The Red Army Faction, German revolutionary terrorist group founded by Andreas Bader and Ulrike Meinhof.

(Country: France, Switzerland, Germany; Year: 2015; Director: Jean-Gabriel Périot; Writer: Jean-Gabriel Périot)

Birdboy: The Forgotten Children (Psiconautas, los niños olvidados)

Review preview for Birdboy: The Forgotten Children

With imagery that shifts seamlessly from the kawaii to the diabolical, not least in a darkly psychedelic sequence near the end, this is a film that really makes its mark.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Three children decide to leave their homes looking a better life.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2015; Director: Alberto Vázquez , Pedro Rivero; Writer: Joe Deasy, Pedro Rivero, Pedro Rivero, Stephanie Sheh, Alberto Vázquez, Alberto Vázquez; Stars: Andrea Alzuri, Eva Ojanguren, Josu Cubero, Félix Arcarazo, Jorge Carrero, Nuria Marín, Josu Varela, Jon Goiri, Maribel Legarreta, Iker Diez, Juan Carlos Loriz, Kepa Cueto, Josu Díaz, Mónica Erdocia, Ander Vildósola Gala)

Full review

The Bride (La Novia)

A love triangle between two men and a woman.

(Country: Spain, Germany, Turkey; Year: 2015; Director: Paula Ortiz; Writer: Javier García, Paula Ortiz, based on Bodas de sangreby Federico Garcia Lorca; Stars: Manuela Vellés, Leticia Dolera, Inma Cuesta, Asier Etxeandia, Álex García, María Alfonsa Rosso, Ana Fernández, Verónica Moral, Luisa Gavasa, Carlos Álvarez-Nóvoa, Mariana Cordero, Laura Contreras, Consuelo Trujillo)

Beyond My Grandfather Allende (Allende, Mi Abuelo Allende)

The granddaughter of Chilean president Salvador Allende, who died in a coup d'etat, embarks on an intimate journey to discover the personal side of his life.

(Year: 2015; Director: Marcia Tambutti Allende; Writer: Bruni Burres, Paola Castillo)

Butterfly (Mariposa)

A butterfly’s flapping wings divides Romino and Germán’s universe into two parallel realities: in one of them they grow as siblings who conceal their desire for one another; while in the other they are two youngsters who have an unusual friendship.

(Country: Argentina; Year: 2015; Director: Marco Berger; Writer: Marco Berger; Stars: Ailín Salas, Javier De Pietro, Julian Infantino, Malena Villa, Justo Calabria, María Laura Cali, Jorge Díez)

Counting

Review preview for Counting

We are in Calvino territory, seeking out the invisible all around us.

Jennie Kermode · 3.5 out of 5
Fifteen distinct but interconnected chapters, shot in locations from Russia to New York City to Istanbul. Together, these build to a reckoning at the intersection of city symphony, diary, and essay film.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Jem Cohen)

Full review

Duellum

A duel in the woods, any given day.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2015; Director: Tucker Davila Wood; Writer: Tucker Davila Wood, Michael James Dukes; Stars: Michael James Dukes)

Francofonia

Dramatised story of the two men who tried to preserve the treasures of the Louvre in the face of war.

(Country: France, Germany; Year: 2015; Director: Aleksandr Sokurov; Writer: Aleksandr Sokurov; Stars: Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Vincent Nemeth, Benjamin Utzerath, Johanna Korthals Altes)

The Greatest Shows on Earth: A Century of Funfairs, Circuses and Carnivals (Show Of Shows: 100 Years Of Vaudeville Circuses and Carnivals)

This film tells the story of itinerant circus performers, cabaret acts and fairground attractions.

(Country: Iceland, UK; Year: 2015; Director: Benedikt Erlingsson )

Heart Of A Dog

Personal essay film concerning themes of love death and language.

(Country: US; Year: 2015; Director: Laurie Anderson; Writer: Laurie Anderson)

The Here After

After having served time for murdering his girlfriend, John discovers that the real pain he needs to experience has not yet begun.

(Country: France, Poland, Sweden; Year: 2015; Director: Magnus von Horn; Writer: Magnus von Horn; Stars: Mats Blomgren, Ulrik Munther, Loa Ek)

In The Room

A tapestry of stories, all of which unfold in a hotel room over several decades. The common thread is sex.

(Country: Singapore; Year: 2015; Director: Eric Khoo; Writer: Jonathon Lim; Stars: Josie Ho, George Young, Shô Nishino, Kkobbi Kim, Gillian Tan, Lawrence Wong, Choi Woo-Shik, Boon Pin Koh, Daniel Jenkins, Aeaw)

Isla Bonita

Fer, a seasoned publicist going through a life crisis, is invited to Menorca by his friend Miguel Angel. There he will meet Nuria, an anti-establishment sculptor, and her daughter Olivia.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2015; Director: Fernando Colomo; Writer: Fernando Colomo; Stars: Tim Bettermann, Fernando Colomo, Lilian Caro, Olivia Delcán, Nuria Román, Miguel Ángel Furones, Lluís Marqués)

Jia Zhangke, A Guy From Fenyang

Documentary about the Chinese director.

(Country: Brazil; Year: 2014; Director: Walter Salles; Writer: Walter Salles, Jean-Michel Frodon; Stars: Jia Zhangke)

Losers (Karasti)

Elena, Koko, Patso and Gosho, are high school students in a small provincial town, where an unexpected event triggers new relationships.

(Country: Bulgaria; Year: 2015; Director: Ivaylo Hristov; Writer: Ivaylo Hristov; Stars: Elena Telbis, Deyan Donkov, Ovanes Torosian, Georgi Gotzin, Plamen Dimov)

The Magic Mountain (La montagne magique)

Review preview for The Magic Mountain

Her mix of animation, collage, and actual footage from the various periods covered suits her subject to perfection.

Richard Mowe · 4 out of 5
The adventures of mountain climber and photographer Adam J. Winkler, who fought in Afghanistan with the mujahedin against the Soviets in the 1980s.

(Country: France, Poland, Romania; Year: 2015; Director: Anca Damian; Writer: Anca Damian; Stars: Christophe Miossec, Jean-Marc Barr, Jerzy Radziwilowicz)

Full review

Mi Querida España

Documentary about Spanish journalist Jesús Quintero, using interviews with him.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2015; Director: Mercedes Moncada)

Mountain (Montanha)

A hot summer in Lisbon. David, 14, awaits the imminent death of his grandfather but refuses to visit him, fearing this terrible loss. The void already left by his grandfather forces David to become the man of the house.

(Country: Portugal, France; Year: 2015; Director: João Salaviza; Writer: João Salaviza; Stars: Carloto Cotta, Maria João Pinho, Cheyenne Domingues, Rodrigo Perdigão, David Mourato, Margarida Fernandes, Ema Araújo, Raul Windson, Ana Cris)

The Propaganda Game

Documentary analysing the different propaganda techniques and strategies, focussing on the surprising and always prominent case of North Korea.

(Country: US, France, Germany, Spain, China, North Korea; Year: 2014; Director: Álvaro Longoria; Writer: Álvaro Longoria)

Swap

A young father torn between solving a crime and committing another when his only son is kidnapped and the only way to get him back is to kidnap another child in exchange for his life.

(Country: Philippines; Year: 2015; Director: Remton Siega Zuasola; Writer: Remton Siega Zuasola; Stars: Dionne Monsanto, Matt Daclan, Mon Confiado, RK Bagatsing, Jess Mendoza, Ligaya Rabago)

The Treasure (Comoara)

Two men go on a quest for fortune.

(Country: Romania; Year: 2015; Director: Corneliu Porumboiu; Writer: Corneliu Porumboiu; Stars: Radu Banzaru, Toma Cuzin, Florin Kevorkian, Dan Chiriac, Iulia Ciochina)

Un Dia Vi 10,000 Elefantes

Angono Mba, recalls the expedition when he worked as porter for the filmmaker Hernández Sanjuán, travelling round Spanish Guinea from 1944 to 1946, in search of a mysterious lake where, legend would have it, you could see 10,000 elephants.

(Country: Spain; Year: 2014; Director: Alex Guimerà, Juan Pajares; Writer: Pere Ortín; Stars: Gorsy Edu)