Latest news with #SanSebastianFilmFestival
Yahoo
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Angelina Jolie-Starring ‘Couture' and Franz Kafka Biopic Join San Sebastian Film Festival Lineup
New feature films from Alice Winocour, Arnaud Desplechin, Kentaro Hirase and Yutaro Seki, Agnieszka Holland and Milagros Mumenthaler will compete in the San Sebastian Film Festival official selection. Winocour, who won the special jury prize at San Sebastián with Proxima in 2019, will return to the competition with her fifth film, Couture, a French American co-production starring Angelina Jolie and Louis Garrel set in the fashion world. More from The Hollywood Reporter Spotify Hits 276 Million Paying Subs, Exceeding Forecasts, But Swings to Quarterly Loss Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth Feature in New Images From Guillermo Del Toro's 'Frankenstein' Locarno Adds Vicky Krieps-Starring 'Yakushima's Illusion' From Naomi Kawase to Competition Frenchman Desplechin will participate for the first time in competition with Two Pianos, in which a virtuoso pianist returns to his hometown of Lyon to experience a story of impossible love. Among the cast members are François Civil, Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Charlotte Rampling and Hippolyte Girardot. The duo made up of Hirase and Seki, who co-directed 2022's Roleless with Masahiko Sato, will premiere their second feature film, the Japanese production Sai. Actor Teruyuki Kagawa comes back to star in the dark tale in which a mysterious man tragically enters the lives of a number of people, appearing under different identities. Elsewhere, Holland's new film, a Franz Kafka biopic titled Franz, will premiere as the director returns to San Sebastian. Argentine filmmaker Milagros Mumenthaler will debut in competition with her third film, The Currents, a Swiss-Argentine co-production starring Isabel Aimé González Sola in the role of a woman confronting a past she thought she had left behind. These titles join the four previously announced Spanish productions that will also compete at the Spanish festival: Maspalomas, by Jose Mari Goenaga and Aitor Arregi; Good Valley Stories, by José Luis Guerin; Los Tigres, by Alberto Rodríguez, and Sundays, by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa. The rest of the feature films included in the competition will be announced in the coming weeks. The 73rd edition of the San Sebastian International Film Festival runs Sept. 19-27. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 40 Greatest Needle Drops in Film History The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Wes Anderson's Movies Ranked From Worst to Best Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Saoirse Ronan-Starring ‘Bad Apples' to Open New Directors Strand at San Sebastian Film Festival
The San Sebastián Film Festival has set its New Directors lineup, with Saoirse Ronan's Bad Apples to open the strand. Filmmakers across the world, including from China, Turkey, Denmark, India, Costa Rica, Spain, Sweden and the U.K., will present their first and second feature films in the section that spotlights emerging talent. They will all compete for the Kutxabank-New Directors Award. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Don't Let the Sun,' Jacqueline Zünd's Fiction Feature Debut, Looks to Heat up Locarno (Exclusive First Look) BBC's 'Repair Shop' Presenter Jay Blades Charged With Rape How Locarno Opener 'In the Land of Arto' Tackles Armenia's "Collective Trauma" Irish actor Ronan stars in Bad Apples, described as a biting satire with a thriller aftertaste that will open the section. Directed by Jonatan Etzler, the film tells the story of a teacher dealing with a conflictive 11-year-old pupil. The U.K. production is the second movie from its director, writer of the prize-winning short film Swimmer and the feature One More Time (2023). White Flowers and Fruits, the debut feature film from Yukari Sakamoto will close the section. The movie is set in a Christian all-girls boarding school, where the suicide of a popular student leaves everyone shaken, particularly one of the new boarders, who has the ability to see ghosts. Following her recognition for short film If You Knew and her directing work on the BBC series Mood, British filmmaker Stroma Cairns turns to feature film with The Son and the Sea. Written by Cairns herself and her mother, producer Imogen West, the film follows the travels of two friends on Scotland's north east coast, where they discover a connection that goes beyond words. Kurdish-Turkish filmmaker Seyhmus Altun will show his debut film As We Breathe, which participated in last year's WIP Europa with the working title of Memento non mori. This Turkey-Denmark co-production follows the changes suffered by a family from a rural Anatolian town during a relentless fire. Also included in the lineup is Tsao Shih-Han's Before the Bright Day, John Skoog's Redoubt, Emilie Thalund's Weightless and Kim Torres' debut If We Don't Burn, How Do We Light Up the Night. See the full list of films set for the New Directors strand here. Last week, organizers unveiled that new feature films from Alice Winocour, Arnaud Desplechin, Kentaro Hirase and Yutaro Seki, Agnieszka Holland and Milagros Mumenthaler will compete in San Sebastian's official selection. Winocour, who won the special jury prize at San Sebastián with Proxima in 2019, will return to the competition with her fifth film, Couture, a French American co-production starring Angelina Jolie and Louis Garrel set in the fashion world. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 25 Best U.S. Film Schools in 2025 The 40 Greatest Needle Drops in Film History The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Solve the daily Crossword
Sydney Morning Herald
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
We know how the mushroom trial ended. In this film, we can't be sure
In one of those strange confluences of art and real life, Francois Ozon's When Fall Is Coming is getting its Australian release just as the dust settles on the closely watched trial of Erin Patterson. The film hinges on another mushroom poisoning, this time cooked in what looks like a delicious fricassee by an elderly mother for her daughter and grandson. The film had its international premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival last year, long before the Beef Wellington story spread to Europe. Recent events do, however, lend Ozon's elusive, charming film an extra tang. Michelle (Helene Vincent) is 70 years old, living in a picturesque cottage on the outskirts of a small town in Burgundy. She gardens; she cooks and makes preserves; she has the typical French reverence for eating that means she sets the table properly even when she is alone. Her most constant companion is Marie-Claude (Josiane Balasko), a longstanding friend of similar age; the two of them go foraging in the woods, go to church on Sundays, and enjoy a wine or two. But all is not calm. Michelle's daughter, Valerie (Ludivine Sagnier), hates her and is rude and vicious and demanding. Michelle, desperate to maintain her close kinship with Lucas, her beloved grandson, tries to mollify her, but in vain. When Valerie is taken ill after their lunch, she accuses her mother of trying to kill her. Michelle wonders if that might be true. Is she losing her wits? Or does some part of her want to get rid of this bitter, bullying woman, even if she is her daughter? Wouldn't life be better if Valerie were dead? Loading It is the unspeakable question; this film asks it aloud. 'I had in mind a very good friend of mine who had an addicted son,' Ozon says. 'Her life was so difficult, and when he died of an overdose, she was relieved. Of course, she was totally destroyed. But that's the strength of nature – you are able to survive.' Marie-Claude is more inclined to blame herself for the fact that her hapless son Vincent (Pierre Lottin) has led a life of petty crime, culminating in his current prison sentence. 'She asks herself: what have we done wrong with our children? And Michelle answers, 'we did our best',' Ozon says. 'And I think Michelle is heroic to have this reaction, but at the same time she's monstrous.' Whether the poisoning was accidental is never resolved. 'Life is full of ambiguity, contradictions, it is not black-and-white,' Ozon says. 'And that is what I like to show. I like all my characters.' Even snarling Valerie, who begins as an unambiguous hate figure, has her reasons, at least in her own mind. Her sweet, elfin-faced mother made her living as a prostitute; she and Marie-Claude worked together. People found out; of course they did. Valerie can never forgive her mother for that shame. That idea, says Ozon, came to him as this poisoned family took shape in his mind. 'It was step by step. I liked the idea of a woman with a past – and the fact that the past is always coming back in your life. You can't erase it. I did a lot of research into children with mothers who were prostitutes. I realised there were two kinds of reaction. Some children punish their mothers with shame. Others understand it, accept and think their mothers were just victims of social circumstances. And try to help them, especially as they age. Because in France, prostitutes have no place. They don't have pensions or social security. Really, it's a very strong thing for spectators to respond to this in their imaginations. To make them understand the situation.' In a filmography otherwise distinguished by its variety, ageing women have been Ozon's go-to subject. 'I love old people in movies – and old women have been rendered almost invisible,' he says. 'Maybe less in France because we love our old actresses – but then, some old actresses in France don't look old any more! I love to have real actresses whom we can see are 70 or 80 years old, the idea they are beautiful as they are. And filming them in a natural way, you know.' That requires their trust, which he has built up with several of France's senior stars over the years. 'The advantage with old actresses is that the past is on their faces. So it is very touching when they let you make some close-ups. Helene Vincent is a great actress, and you see her life on her face or just in her way of walking. Just watching her can tell us so many things.' His choices still meet some resistance. 'I never say I want to make a political movie, but equally I realise that to choose two old actresses as the leads is political,' he says. Still, he adds that things are better than they used to be. In 2000, he made the first of three collaborations with Charlotte Rampling. Under the Sand is a spare and enigmatic film about a woman whose husband goes missing, presumed drowned, after going for a swim one morning. 'I couldn't find the money. Everybody tells me Charlotte Rampling is too old: she will interest nobody. And she was only 50! Can you imagine?' Loading Undeterred, he made a splash two years later with his murder mystery musical Eight Women, which featured Fanny Ardant, Catherine Deneuve and an 85-year-old Danielle Darrieux; it brought him an international audience and remains his most critically and commercially successful film. 'Hopefully things have changed now. It was not so difficult to finance this time.' Ozon has been surprised by the responses he has had to the new film. 'It is an amoral movie. I leave space for the audience to make their own judgment of the situations; I like this game with an audience. But sometimes you think much more perverse things than I have in mind; it's amazing to hear some spectators say what they have seen in the story. Sometimes I'm shocked!' He smiles urbanely; it is hard to imagine what on earth would shock Francois Ozon. 'But the film doesn't belong to me any more. It's very touching when someone puts his own obsession into your story because often people are talking about themselves, especially in a film about family relationships. Some women feel very close to Michelle. Others say that she is a monster: her daughter is suffering.' For others, the mushroom becomes a metaphor for the toxicity in the family. 'And why not? If you want to see that, why not? For me, it was more about nature – and the fact nature can be beautiful and dangerous at the same time.' Like these aged women, he adds, looking impish. 'I like the idea Michelle looks like a perfect grandmother, but she is more complex. It is kind of a cliche to idealise old people. Old people can be dangerous! Be careful!' So, is she guilty? Unlike real mushroom poisoners, Michelle never faces court, so never answers the key questions. Ozon says he knows the answers, but he won't tell. In San Sebastian, where foraging for mushrooms is part of life, audience sympathies were with Michelle; a mushroom mistake could happen to anyone. For Australians, it may be another story. Loading When Fall Is Coming is in cinemas from July 31. Must-see movies, interviews and all the latest from the world of film delivered to your inbox. Sign up for our Screening Room newsletter.
The Age
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
We know how the mushroom trial ended. In this film, we can't be sure
In one of those strange confluences of art and real life, Francois Ozon's When Fall Is Coming is getting its Australian release just as the dust settles on the closely watched trial of Erin Patterson. The film hinges on another mushroom poisoning, this time cooked in what looks like a delicious fricassee by an elderly mother for her daughter and grandson. The film had its international premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival last year, long before the Beef Wellington story spread to Europe. Recent events do, however, lend Ozon's elusive, charming film an extra tang. Michelle (Helene Vincent) is 70 years old, living in a picturesque cottage on the outskirts of a small town in Burgundy. She gardens; she cooks and makes preserves; she has the typical French reverence for eating that means she sets the table properly even when she is alone. Her most constant companion is Marie-Claude (Josiane Balasko), a longstanding friend of similar age; the two of them go foraging in the woods, go to church on Sundays, and enjoy a wine or two. But all is not calm. Michelle's daughter, Valerie (Ludivine Sagnier), hates her and is rude and vicious and demanding. Michelle, desperate to maintain her close kinship with Lucas, her beloved grandson, tries to mollify her, but in vain. When Valerie is taken ill after their lunch, she accuses her mother of trying to kill her. Michelle wonders if that might be true. Is she losing her wits? Or does some part of her want to get rid of this bitter, bullying woman, even if she is her daughter? Wouldn't life be better if Valerie were dead? Loading It is the unspeakable question; this film asks it aloud. 'I had in mind a very good friend of mine who had an addicted son,' Ozon says. 'Her life was so difficult, and when he died of an overdose, she was relieved. Of course, she was totally destroyed. But that's the strength of nature – you are able to survive.' Marie-Claude is more inclined to blame herself for the fact that her hapless son Vincent (Pierre Lottin) has led a life of petty crime, culminating in his current prison sentence. 'She asks herself: what have we done wrong with our children? And Michelle answers, 'we did our best',' Ozon says. 'And I think Michelle is heroic to have this reaction, but at the same time she's monstrous.' Whether the poisoning was accidental is never resolved. 'Life is full of ambiguity, contradictions, it is not black-and-white,' Ozon says. 'And that is what I like to show. I like all my characters.' Even snarling Valerie, who begins as an unambiguous hate figure, has her reasons, at least in her own mind. Her sweet, elfin-faced mother made her living as a prostitute; she and Marie-Claude worked together. People found out; of course they did. Valerie can never forgive her mother for that shame. That idea, says Ozon, came to him as this poisoned family took shape in his mind. 'It was step by step. I liked the idea of a woman with a past – and the fact that the past is always coming back in your life. You can't erase it. I did a lot of research into children with mothers who were prostitutes. I realised there were two kinds of reaction. Some children punish their mothers with shame. Others understand it, accept and think their mothers were just victims of social circumstances. And try to help them, especially as they age. Because in France, prostitutes have no place. They don't have pensions or social security. Really, it's a very strong thing for spectators to respond to this in their imaginations. To make them understand the situation.' In a filmography otherwise distinguished by its variety, ageing women have been Ozon's go-to subject. 'I love old people in movies – and old women have been rendered almost invisible,' he says. 'Maybe less in France because we love our old actresses – but then, some old actresses in France don't look old any more! I love to have real actresses whom we can see are 70 or 80 years old, the idea they are beautiful as they are. And filming them in a natural way, you know.' That requires their trust, which he has built up with several of France's senior stars over the years. 'The advantage with old actresses is that the past is on their faces. So it is very touching when they let you make some close-ups. Helene Vincent is a great actress, and you see her life on her face or just in her way of walking. Just watching her can tell us so many things.' His choices still meet some resistance. 'I never say I want to make a political movie, but equally I realise that to choose two old actresses as the leads is political,' he says. Still, he adds that things are better than they used to be. In 2000, he made the first of three collaborations with Charlotte Rampling. Under the Sand is a spare and enigmatic film about a woman whose husband goes missing, presumed drowned, after going for a swim one morning. 'I couldn't find the money. Everybody tells me Charlotte Rampling is too old: she will interest nobody. And she was only 50! Can you imagine?' Loading Undeterred, he made a splash two years later with his murder mystery musical Eight Women, which featured Fanny Ardant, Catherine Deneuve and an 85-year-old Danielle Darrieux; it brought him an international audience and remains his most critically and commercially successful film. 'Hopefully things have changed now. It was not so difficult to finance this time.' Ozon has been surprised by the responses he has had to the new film. 'It is an amoral movie. I leave space for the audience to make their own judgment of the situations; I like this game with an audience. But sometimes you think much more perverse things than I have in mind; it's amazing to hear some spectators say what they have seen in the story. Sometimes I'm shocked!' He smiles urbanely; it is hard to imagine what on earth would shock Francois Ozon. 'But the film doesn't belong to me any more. It's very touching when someone puts his own obsession into your story because often people are talking about themselves, especially in a film about family relationships. Some women feel very close to Michelle. Others say that she is a monster: her daughter is suffering.' For others, the mushroom becomes a metaphor for the toxicity in the family. 'And why not? If you want to see that, why not? For me, it was more about nature – and the fact nature can be beautiful and dangerous at the same time.' Like these aged women, he adds, looking impish. 'I like the idea Michelle looks like a perfect grandmother, but she is more complex. It is kind of a cliche to idealise old people. Old people can be dangerous! Be careful!' So, is she guilty? Unlike real mushroom poisoners, Michelle never faces court, so never answers the key questions. Ozon says he knows the answers, but he won't tell. In San Sebastian, where foraging for mushrooms is part of life, audience sympathies were with Michelle; a mushroom mistake could happen to anyone. For Australians, it may be another story. Loading When Fall Is Coming is in cinemas from July 31. Must-see movies, interviews and all the latest from the world of film delivered to your inbox. Sign up for our Screening Room newsletter.
Al Bawaba
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Bawaba
'Genocide in 4K': Oscar-winner Javier Bardem condemns global backing of Gaza attacks
ALBAWABA - In a strong public statement, Oscar-winning Spanish actor Javier Bardem said that Israel, the US, and European countries were all involved in what he called a "genocide" in Gaza and asked everyone to speak out. He wrote this on an Instagram post: That Israel kills. The United States gives money. "Europe backs." His message came with a video of a guy carrying the body of a child who had been killed by an Israeli airstrike. Bardem made a call to his fans and said: "Respectable people like us need to speak out against this genocide." 'Don't keep quiet; if you do, you're also guilty.' El actor español Javier Bardem, denunció el genocidio de Israel en Gaza, acusando a y Europa de complicidad. El actor compartió imágenes impactantes en Instagram y usó su plataforma para exigir acción. Sus declaraciones las realiza en el marco de su primera nominación al… — El Ciudadano (@El_Ciudadano) July 20, 2025 Bardem has been speaking out against Israel's war on Gaza for a number of months now. This speech is one of them. At the 2024 San Sebastián Film Festival, Bardem said that he didn't like keeping quiet. He said that the war was a genocide happening "in front of our eyes and in 4K" at the New York opening of the movie F1. He also said that the Israeli government was breaking international law by committing "crimes against humanity." During an interview on ABC's "The View," he said these things again to support his point of view. Bardem's strong stance has been praised by people who fight for human rights around the world, but it has also been criticized by people who back Israel. Even so, he has argued that staying quiet about these kinds of crimes is like betraying humanity.
