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| 05/12/2006 |
OFFICIAL PRESENTATION OF THE 54th SAN SEBASTIAN INTERNATIONAL
FILM FESTIVAL
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This year’s Festival will pay homage to the career of
fabulous creator Ernst Lubitsch, dedicating its thematic retrospective
to emigration, a harsh reality of our time repeatedly appearing
in other epochs and always energetically reflected by the cinema.
At its presentation on 12th May, the Festival
unveiled its 54th official poster in addition to the posters
representing the different sections. A meeting with friends
from the areas of press and culture at which we also revealed
some of the activities organised for the September Festival.
The poster for the 54th Official Selection has taken its inspiration
from the thriller genre responsible for screeds of masterpieces
in the history of cinema, such as the one inspiring this year's
poster: The Lady from Shanghai, by Orson Welles, 1947.
The creation of this poster meant a reencounter with old Festival
friends who really put themselves out for us: Marisa Paredes
offered her image, photographed by José Luis López
de Zubiría and orquestrated by Toni Galindo and Ana Obradors,
from the company Art&Maña, responsible for conception
and production of the poster.
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| CLASSIC RETROSPECTIVE: ERNST
LUBITSCH |
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That Ernst Lubitsch (Berlin, 1892-Los Angeles, 1947) was one
of the greatest creators in the history of film is an uncontested
claim recognized the world over. A highly unusual filmmaker
of a style demanding its own name: his inimitable, elegant and
intelligent manner of making people laugh was labelled The Lubitsch
Touch.
Billy Wilder, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Woody Allen among so
many other geniuses have always looked up to a master: Lubitsch.
It was he who made Greta Garbo laugh in Ninotchka (1939).
And who dared, in full swing of the Nazi offensive, to ridicule
Hitler in the ferocious, hilarious anti-fascist pamphlet:
To Be Or Not To Be (1942). These are fully recognised achievements
by the creator of comedy masterpieces including The Shop Around
the Corner (1940) or Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife (1938).
However, less presence is enjoyed by the extraordinary anti-war
drama Broken Lullaby (1932) or the large part of his work
made while movies were still silent, from the inheritance
of Oscar Wilde in his version of Lady Windermere’s Fan
(1925) to the delicious inventiveness of Die Austernprinzessin
(1919). The San Sebastian Festival will take an in-depth look
at the complete works of Ernst Lubitsch in a retrospective
completing an overview of a director who was more than just
a stereotyped master of sophisticated comedy, underlining
the palpable traces left by his cinema even today.
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| THEMATIC RETROSPECTIVE: EMIGRANTS |
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Emigration is one of today’s major issues. Cinema, sensitive
to the problems of the moment, has portrayed the desire of hordes
of citizens to improve their lives by changing horizons in search
of something better. Today’s migratory movements from
Africa to Europe features with outstanding cinematographic energy
in European and particularly Maghrebian films. This said, emigration
is not a factor exclusive to our present day, but a phenomenon
repeated down through the centuries, similarly considered in
retrospective by the cinema. Among others are the migratory
movements towards the USA from Europe or other American countries,
from China to Brazil, Sweden to Norway, Portugal and Spain towards
the richer parts of Europe... with the implied linguistic difficulties,
cultural or religious contrasts, rejection by the natives of
the receiving countries, outbreaks of racism, etc.
Emigrants will take the shape of a season of approximately
30 movies raising audience awareness of this burning problem
while surprising them with the quality of their making. The
titles featuring in this season are expected to include Gaijin
Os Caminhos da Liberdade (Gaijin, Roads to Freedom), by Tizuka
Yamasaki (Brazil, 1980); Saïd, by Llorenç Soler
(Spain, 1999); Alambrista!, by Robert Young (USA, 1977); Joe
Hill, by Bo Widerberg (Sweden,1971); O salto, by Christian
de Chalonge (France, 1968); Pelle Erobreren (Pelle the Conquerer),
by Bille August (Denmark, 1987); Espaldas mojadas, by Alejandro
Galindo (Mexico, 1955); L´Horizon perdu, by Laïla
Marrakchi (Morocco, 2000); Utvandrama (The Emigrants) and
Nybyggarna (The New Land), by Jan Troell (Sweden, 1971); America
America, by Elia Kazan (USA, 1963); Bwana, by Imanol Uribe
(Spain, 1996); In This World, by Michael Winterbottom (UK,
2002); Las cartas de Alou, by Montxo Armendáriz (Spain,
1990); Desembarcos, by Jeannine Meerapfel (Argentina, 1989)…
The person to whom our contemporary retrospective will be
dedicated will be unveiled along with the content of the other
Festival sections over the coming months.
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| Sponsors |
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San Sebastian International Film Festival also acknolwedged
the work and collaboration of the different companies and institutions
that help this important event to improve year after year. TVE,
as its Official Sponsor; KUTXA, for the interest
with which it backs the Festival as part of the cultural heritage
of the people of San Sebastian and Gipuzkoa; ALTADIS,
sponsor of the Altadis-New Directors Award; TCM,
sponsor of the Audience Award going to the film earning most
votes; MONTBLANC, sponsor of the Montblanc
Award for New Screenwriters; VOLKSWAGEN, official
Festival vehicle and sponsor of the Volskwagen Youth Award;
IBERIA, the official Festival airline; MAX
FACTOR, official providers of the Festival make-up;
WELLA, the Festival stylists; EL DIARIO
VASCO, KUTXA and the PATRONATO MUNICIPAL DE DEPORTES,
which will be present at screenings in the Anoeta Velodrome;
THE EU MEDIA PROJECT, ICEX and EGEDA for their
backing of the SALES OFFICE; AECI, sponsor
of HORIZONTES LATINOS; HAMILTON Watches, BODEGAS TORRES,
PIPER HEIDSIECK, CONSORCIO DE JABUGO and AGUA DE INSALUS
for their backing of the Festival; DHL, official
Festival carriers; BRUESA, sponsor of Films
in Progress; ESTUDIOS EXA, KODAK, MEDIAPRO, MOLINARE
MADRID, NO PROBLEM SONIDO, TECHNICOLOR ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES
SPAIN and TITRA FILM, who grant the Films in Progress
Technical Industries Award, consisting of the post-production
of the film chosen by these companies. Aid to post-production
will also be granted by the CASA DE AMÉRICA
and the CONFEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DES CINEMAS D’ART
ET ESSAI exhibitors with their CICAE Award. On the
other hand, CICAE, with MAC GUFF LIGNE,
MEDIAVISION, TÉLÉRAMA and TITRA FILM,
will grant a Films in Progress Award in Toulouse to Latin American
films proposed in this section similarly benefitting from the
active collaboration of the PROGRAMA IBERMEDIA, INSTITUTO
CERVANTES, ATELIERS DU CINÉMA EUROPÉEN (ACE),
CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA CINÉMATOGRAPHIE (CNC), FNAC, FONDATION
GAN POUR LE CINÉMA, MARCHÉ DU FILM, SACEM, SIGNIS,
TVE, UNIÓN LATINA and the EU-funded programme
INTERREG III-A FRANCE ESPAGNE; TV5, for its
decisive collaboration with the Festival and particularly for
its backing of the International Film School Meeting.
San Sebastian, 12th May 2006 |
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