The upcoming San Sebastian Film Festival just revealed some really cool movies playing in their New Directors section. That part of the festival is all about finding new and upcoming filmmakers from around the world. This year they picked eleven films from places like Argentina, China, France, Georgia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, and the USA.
The New Directors section will kick off with a documentary called “The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortes.” It follows a Spanish filmmaker named Antón Álvarez as he records an album with a famous flamenco artist. That should be really interesting to music and culture fans.
One of the hyped films is called “Turn Me On.” It’s a funny sci-fi love story directed by Michael Tyburski. The movie stars Bel Powley and Nick Robinson in a future where feelings are banned and people take pills to not feel anything. This is Tyburski’s second feature film after his first, “The Sound of Silence,” premiered at Sundance in 2019.
Other international films include “Winter in Sokcho” from French-Japanese director Koya Kamura. This French-Korean co-production follows a young Korean woman whose life changes when a French artist comes to town. Another one is “Gulizar” from Turkey – it’s the debut of director Belkis Bayrak about a sexual assault survivor before her wedding.
The selection has films from all over like “In the Name of Blood” starring Nicolas Duvauchelle and Denis Lavant. Chinese director Yongkang Tang brings his second movie “Stars and the Moon” about an alien-obsessed village boy. Spanish cinema is highlighted too with movies like Sandra Romero’s “Where the Silence Passes.”
Winners of the New Directors section get a €50,000 prize split between the director and Spanish distributor. All the films can also win the main festival awards, showing how important this program is for up-and-coming filmmakers. The diverse lineup shows the festival’s commitment to new talent from across the globe. Cinephiles and the movie industry can’t wait to discover fresh perspectives when the festival starts up later this month!
