Spanish writer‑director Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s third feature, “Los Domingos,” has been added to the Official Competition of the 73rd San Sebastián International Film Festival, rounding out a four‑strong Spanish contingent that already includes Alberto Rodríguez’s “Los Tigres,” Aitor Arregi and Jose Mari Goenaga’s “Maspalomas,” and José Luis Guerín’s “Historias del Buen Valle.”
Shot this spring in Bilbao, the coming‑of‑age drama follows 17‑year‑old Ainara, who upends her middle‑class family when she announces her intention to enter a cloistered convent instead of university. Debutante Blanca Soroa heads a cast that reunites Ruiz de Azúa with Silver Shell‑winner Patricia López Arnaiz, alongside Miguel Garcés, Argentina’s Juan Minujín, Mabel Rivera and Nagore Aramburu.
“Years ago I heard of an eighteen‑year‑old who chose the cloister; I kept asking myself why,” the director recalled, saying the script grew out of that question and is told through the parallel viewpoints of the devout niece and the sceptical aunt. Guillermo Farré, head of original film at Movistar Plus+, called the screenplay “one of the best we have read in a long time,” praising Ruiz de Azúa as “one of the biggest talents to have emerged in Spanish cinema.”
The film is produced by Movistar Plus+ with Buenapinta Media, Encanta Films, Sayaka Producciones, Think Studio, Colosé Producciones and France’s Le Pacte, and financed in part by Spain’s ICAA. BTeam Pictures will give it a Spanish theatrical release before an exclusive streaming window on Movistar Plus+, while Le Pacte handles international sales.
Festival director José Luis Rebordinos had hinted two weeks ago that a fourth domestic title could still join the Golden Shell race; Wednesday’s announcement confirmed that “Los Domingos” is that film, marking the filmmaker’s competitive debut at her home‑region festival after breakout successes with “Lullaby” and the award‑winning series “Querer.” San Sebastián runs 19‑27 September, with full programme details to follow.
