Two new titles complete the New Directors section uniting sixteen first or second works by filmmakers from all over the globe.

Martijn Maria Smits (Breda, Netherlands, 1980) will present his second feature, Waldstille, whose lead character returns to his hometown after serving prison for causing his girlfriend’s death in an accident. The town is also home to his in-laws, who now have custody of his daughter.

The short film Otzenrath, made by Smits while studying at the Netherlands Film Academy, won several awards and meant that he was able to make his first feature, C’est déjà l’été, selected for Rotterdam festival. The Dutch director also penned the TV production Anvers, winner of the Golden FIPA in the drama category at the Biarritz Festival.

Teesklejad / Pretenders is the first feature by the Estonian moviemaker Vallo Toomla, author of several short films that have earned him the recognition of promising young filmmaker in his country. Teesklejad, an Estonian-Lithuanian-Latvian co-production, is a psychological drama examining a couple after they take a difficult decision.

These two titles close the list of films competing for the Kutxabank-New Directors Award. The section represents the Festival’s desire to encourage new movie talents. The Kutxabank-New Directors Award, to be decided by an international jury, comes with 50,000 euros for the director and distributor of the film in Spain. The films in this section are also candidates for the EROSKI Youth Award, decided by a jury of 300 students between the ages of 18 and 25.