San Sebastian has added nine titles to its official selection, including new features by Edward Berger and Claire Denis.
Berger will screen Ballad of a Small Player, a UK production starring Colin Farrell as a high-stakes gambler in Macao whose past and debts start to catch up with him. The film also stars Fala Chen, Tilda Swinton, and Alex Jennings.
Denis will screen Le Cri des Gardes / The Fence. The film, which is based on Bernard-Marie Koltès’ play Combat de nègre et de chiens, stars Isaach de Bankolé, Matt Dillon, Mia McKenna-Bruce, and Tom Blyth.
The Argentinian actress, screenwriter, and director Dolores Fonzi will compete in the official selection with her second work as a director. Starring herself alongside Camila Plaate and Laura Paredes, Belén recreates a true story in which Fonzi plays a lawyer from Tucumán as she leads the fight to free a woman imprisoned for having a miscarriage.
Elsewhere, in its Special Screenings section, San Sebastian has added the directorial debut from Juliette Binoche, IN-I In Motion, a non-fiction film that interrogates In-I, the hybrid dance and theatre show produced by the actress in 2007 with the dancer and choreographer Akram Khan.
Scroll down for the full list of additions. This year’s San Sebastian Film Festival runs from September 19-27.
OFFICIAL SELECTION – In competitionBALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYEREDWARD BERGER (GERMANY)Country(ies) of production: UKCast: Colin Farrell, Fala Chen, Tilda Swinton, Deanie Ip, Alex JenningsWhen his past and his debts start to catch up with him, a high-stakes gambler laying low in Macau encounters a kindred spirit who might just hold the key to his salvation.
LE CRI DES GARDES / THE FENCECLAIRE DENIS (FRANCE)Country(ies) of production: FranciaCast: Isaach de Bankolé, Matt Dillon, Mia McKenna-BruceA vast public works project in West Africa. Horn, the construction site manager, and Cal, a young engineer, share lodging behind the double gates of their compound. Leone, Horn’s recent bride, comes to join them the same night that a man appears at the fence. His name is Alboury. Like a specter in the darkness, he demands the body of his brother who died earlier that day on the site. He will hound the two men all night long until they return it, as Leone watches the disaster play out before her.
BELÉNDOLORES FONZI (ARGENTINA)Country(ies) of production: ArgentinaCast: Dolores Fonzi, Camila Plaate, Laura Paredes, Julieta Cardinali, Luis Machín, César Troncoso, Sergio Prina, Ruth Plaate, Lili JuárezTucumán, Argentina, 2014; a young woman is admitted to a hospital with severe abdominal pain, unaware she is pregnant. She wakes up handcuffed to a gurney and surrounded by police. She is accused of having self-induced an abortion and, after two years in detention, is sentenced to eight years in prison for aggravated homicide. A female lawyer from Tucumán will fight for her freedom with the support of thousands of women and organizations, who unite to change the course of history.
SIX JOURS CE PRINTEMPS-LÀ / SIX DAYS IN SPRINGJOACHIM LAFOSSE (BELGIUM)Country(ies) of production: Belgium – France – LuxembourgCast: Eye Haïdara, Leonis Pinero Müller, Teodor Pinero Müller, Jules WaringDespite adversity, Sana wants her twins to have a spring vacation, but all her plans fall through. They secretly decide to stay in her former in-laws’ villa on the Riviera, without telling anyone. Six days of sunshine that mark the end of innocence.
UNGRATEFUL BEINGSOLMO OMERZU (SLOVENIA)Country(ies) of production: Czech Republic – Slovenia – Poland – Slovakia – Croatia – FranceCast: Barry Ward, Barbora Bobulova, Dexter Franc , Antonín Chmela, Timon SturbejDavid takes his two children on holiday to the Adriatic Sea, hoping to hold their fractured bilingual family together. His 17-year-old daughter, Klara, struggling with an eating disorder, falls in love with a local boy, Denis. When he is accused of murder, David rushes the children back home. Klára’s condition spirals, landing her in hospital. The only thing uniting her parents is their need to save her. And desperate times call for desperate measures.
JIANYU LAIDE MAMA / HER HEART BEATS IN ITS CAGEXIAOYU QIN (CHINA)Country(ies) of production: ChinaCast: Xiaohong Zhao, Jingqi Zhang, Junyan WangHong has been in prison for ten years for killing her husband. Due to her contribution to the inmates’ art troupe, Hong unexpectedly gets a chance to reduce her sentence. Her son, Lele, has been raised by his grandmother and has never been ready to live with his mother. After their reunion, Lele always treats her coldly. With a lonely grandmother who wants Lele to come back to her, and a society that is not kind to ex-prisoners, will Hong be able to escape the intangible prison and regain the freedom of her heart?
NUREMBERGJAMES VANDERBILT (USA)Country(ies) of production: USACast: Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, Leo Woodall, Michael Shannon, Richard E. Grant, John SlatteryNuremberg plunges us into the centre of the trials held in the 80s by the Allies following the defeat of the Nazi regime. American psychiatrist Douglas Kelly is tasked with assessing the mental health of the Nazi prisoners and determining if they are fit to stand trial for their war crimes. From one day to the next, Kelly will find himself thrown into a complex battle of wits with Hermann Göring, Hitler’s right-hand man and one of the world’s most feared men.
IN-I IN MOTIONJULIETTE BINOCHE (FRANCE)Country(ies) of production: FranceCast: Juliette Binoche, Akram KahnSpecial Screenings – Not in competition
In 2007, Juliette Binoche and Akram Khan paused their careers to co-create In-I, a daring performance toured worldwide. Today, Juliette Binoche revisits that inspiring journey. Through unseen footage, she reflects, as a filmmaker, on creation, the risks it entails, and the personal transformation it brings.
TEPPEN NO MUKOU NI ANATA GA IRU / CLIMBING FOR LIFEJUNJI SAKAMOTO (JAPAN)Country(ies) of production: JapanCast: Sayuri Yoshinaga, Non , Yuki Amami, Koichi SatoSpecial Screenings – Not in competition
In 1975, a woman made her way to the summit of Mount Everest. Her name is Junko. She became the first woman in history to conquer the world’s highest summit. Her glorious achievement captivated the world, casting a radiant light but also a deep shadow on her friends and family. In her later years, even though she was diagnosed with a terminal illness, Junko continued to challenge the mountains throughout her life. What did Junko last see beyond the top?
The post Edward Berger’s ‘Ballad Of A Small Player’ & Juliette Binoche’s Directorial Debut Among Nine Titles Added To San Sebastian Line Up appeared first on Deadline.
