Charlie Chaplin Doc, ‘The Platform’ Sequel and Icíar Bollaín Among Basque Cinema’s Powerhouse Lineup at San Sebastian

SAN SEBASTIAN —  At this year’s San Sebastian Festival, Basque cinema brings arguably its strong slate ever, fruits from its fast growing scene. 

Among the throng of titles is Andrea Jaurrieta’s “Nina” offering a contemporary, feminist twist on the classic Western, featuring Patricia López Arnaiz as a woman seeking revenge in her coastal hometown. David Pérez Sañudo’s “The Last Romantics” presents a tale of second chances, starring Miren Gaztañaga as a woman confronting her mortality. 

The documentary lineup is equally compelling, with Raúl de la Fuente’s “Los Williams” exploring race and identity through Basque soccer stars Iñaki and Nico Williams, and Carmen Chaplin’s “Charlie Chaplin, A Man of the World” providing an unprecedented look at the legendary filmmaker’s Romani heritage.
Here’s the rundown:

Main Competition

“I’m Nevenka,” (Kowalski Films, Feelgood Media, Icíar Bollaín) 

Co-written with Isa Campo, Icíar Bollaín dramatizes the harrowing true story of Nevenka Fernández, the first Spanish politician to successfully sue her boss, Ponferrada mayor Ismael Álvarez, for sexual harassment. Premiering at San Sebastián, where the presence of the real-life Nevenka Fernández prompted heartfelt applause, the film explores emotional manipulation and trauma, capturing Fernández’s descent from initial empowerment to profound suffering, ultimately finding liberation. A Movistar Plus+ co-production with Kowalski Films and Feelgood Media, Bollaín combines powerful narrative techniques and genre elements, from lush settings to horror motifs. SA: Feelgood Media

Official Selection Out of Competition

“Querer,” (Movistar Plus+, Feelgood Media, Kowalski Films)

Alauda Ruiz de Azúa directs the highest-profile series at San Sebastián. Set in the current day and laced by genre drive as both a courtroom drama and psychological thriller, “Querer” begins when Miren, after more than 30 years of marriage and two sons, abandons the family home and goes to a police station with her lawyer to denounce her husband for decades of sexual abuse.

Perlak

“Marco,” (Irusoin, Moriarti Produkzioak, Atresmedia Cine, La Verdad Inventada A.I.E)

Directors Jon Garaño and Aitor Arregi and scribe Jose Mari Goenaga bring “Marco,” a film based on the true story of Enric Marco, who falsely claimed to be a Nazi concentration camp survivor while leading Spain’s association for deportees. Starring Eduard Fernández, the film explores themes of truth and deception, and hits San Sebastián with good word-of-mouth from its world premiere in Venice. SA: Film Factory

Made In Spain

“Nina,” (BTeam Pictures, Irusoin, Lasai Producciones)

A contemporary, feminine homage to the classic western from director Andrea Jaurrieta following up her Goya-nominated debut “Ana by Day.” Patricia López Arnaiz stars as Nina, who returns to her coastal hometown with a shotgun to exact revenge on a celebrated writer. Reconnecting with her past and childhood friend Blas, however, she questions if vengeance is her only option. The film won the Silver Biznaga Critic’s Jury Special Award at the 2024 Málaga Film Festival. SA: Filmax

New Directors

“The Last Romantics,” (Irune and Miguel Maria, La Claqueta, Irusoin)

Miren Gaztañaga stars as Irune, a 40-year-old orphan whose solitary life working at a paper factory is upended when she discovers a lump in her breast. Confronted with her mortality, she begins to break out of her isolation, forming new bonds and reevaluating her existence in a story of self-improvement and love. San Sebastian went wild for director David Pérez Sañudo’s previous “Ane Is Missing,” taking a hatrick of gongs in 2020. SA: Latido

RTVE Gala

“The Girls at the Station,”(Las Chicas de la Estación AIE, Kowalski Films SL, Feelgood Media SL, La Periférica Produccions SL)

A drama about Jara and her two best friends who have grown up in a juvenile center. Hoping to celebrate Jara’s birthday at a concert of their favorite trap artist, they need money but have limited options. Jara realizes they have something certain men always want. The film stars Julieta Tobío, Salua Hadra, and María Steelman. SA: Film Factory, with distribution by A Contracorriente Films.

Kimuak

“When It Comes (It Will Have Your Eyes,)” (Sultana Films)

Directed by Izibene Oñederra, this short explores a small community crippled by an environmental crisis. While the privileged indulge in a hedonistic haze, others struggle to survive. The film is said to question what the future holds and whether anything can save us when there’s nothing left. Produced by Sultana Films and distributed by Kimuak.

Culinary Zinema

“The Platform 2,” (Basque Films)

2019 smash “The Platform,” in Netflix’s Top 10 of most viewed non-English films for the last four years, depicted a nightmarish version of the world’s wealth gulf, said Gaztelu-Urrutia. This time round, it looks like depicting the suffering people are capable of imposing on others. “As a mysterious leader imposes their rule in the Platform, a new resident becomes embroiled in the battle against this controversial method to fight the brutal feeding system,” the synopsis says. “But when eating from the wrong plate becomes a death sentence, how far would you be willing to go to save your life?” Coming to Netflix.

Zinemira Documentaries

“Los Williams,” (Kanaki Films, En Cero Coma (Fremantle))

As black Basque footballers of Ghanaian descent playing for Athletic Club de Bilbao – a team exclusive to Basque players – “Los Williams” navigates the complexities of brothers Nico and Inaki feeling like foreigners in their own land. Over two pivotal years they confront their family history and future. Raul de la Fuente explores similar themes to previous work but through the global lens of soccer.

“Ciento Volando,” (Bixagu Entertainment, A Contracorriente Films)

Director Arantxa Aguirre presents “A Hundred Birds in the Sky,” a contemplative journey starring Jone Laspiur as Jone, an art student who spends a year exploring Chillida Leku in search of sculptor Eduardo Chillida’s essence. Through his artwork, writings, and conversations with those who knew him, she pieces together the image of this elusive artist. The film offers a poetic reflection on art and identity. World premiere at San Sebastián. SA: Latido

“Chaplin | Spirit of the Tramp,” (Wave of Humanity, Basque Films, Atlantika Films, Kwanon Films, Submarine Sublime)

Actor and director Carmen Chaplin offers a study of her grandfather’s Romani heritage. Featuring exclusive interviews with Chaplin’s children, Johnny Depp, Emir Kusturica and unprecedented access to the Chaplin estate. The doc comes alive with contributions from contemporary Roma artists. SA: Film Constellation

“This Is Not Hollywood (The Unfinished Story of the Ibarretxe Brothers)” (Euskadi Movie AIE)

Daughter and niece to the titular brothers shows the unique legacy of the Basque filmmakers once described as a mix between the Marx Brothers and Monty Python alongside co-director Nere Flagan Martin. Featuring interviews with Stephen Fry, Santiago Segura, and other notable figures, the film follows Jone as she explores their lasting impact. SA: Euskadi Movie

“Los Poderes De Lolo,” (Baleuko S.L., TVE)

Exploring the life of Lolo Rico, the pioneering creator of the beloved Spanish TV show “La Bola de Cristal” (“The Crystal Ball”). The film reveals how Rico, a forward-thinking woman, raised seven children alone while revolutionizing Spanish television. Miguel Alba Rico, Nino Fontán Allen and Itziar Bernaola Serrano direct. Produced by Baleuko and co-produced by RTVE, the documentary makes its market premiere at San Sebastián.

“Zortzitik Infinitura,” (Baleuko)

The history of Basque cinema is on show here told through the life of filmmaker Benito Ansola. Guided by writer Miren Agur Meabe, the doc traces the journey from the early beginnings of Basque cinema to its current flourishing state. Produced by Baleuko, the documentary makes its market premiere at San Sebastián. Its director is Naia Laka Arrizubieta.

“That World That Gives You Nothing,” (Cala Falsa 123)

Traces the tumultuous, on-off relationship of two university students who meet in Bilbao in 1978 amid political unrest. Their encounters and misunderstandings span decades “until in 2001, during a trip to Havana to visit the aunt and cousin she had never met, the two forever went their different ways,” the synopsis runs. SA: Cala Flasa 123

“Replica,” (Zazpi T’erdi)

An intimate portrait of his filmmaking father Juanmi Gutiérrez “from the distance, I return to his films in an exercise of personal memory through an image, or rather, through its absence. Can the lack of an image be as powerful as its presence? And if so, what should we do with that void?” says director Pello Gutiérrez Peñalba.

Zinemira Not In Competition

“Let It Know,” (Mirokutana Koop Elk Txikia)

Tracking Tamara Muruetagoiena who, 40 years after ETA kidnapped her family and the state agents tortured and murdered her father, embarks on a search for truth and justice. It emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the past and using dialogue as a primary means to resolve conflicts.

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