SanSebastian

Aita is, after La línea recta (The Straight Line) (2006), the second movie from José María de Orbe, one of current Spanish cinema’s most unclassifiable and personal directors. Aita is produced by Luis Miñarro, recent winner of the Crystal Globe at Karlovy Vary for Agustí Vila’s La Mosquitera (The Mosquito Net). He has also coproduced, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Lung Boonmee Raluek Chat (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives), bagged the Golden Palm at Cannes 2010. Miñarro chaired the Jury of the International Film Students Meeting at San Sebastian in 2009.

Catalans Judith Colell and Jordi Cadena sign their names to Elisa K, based on Lolita Bosch’s “Elisa Kiseljak”. 53 Días de Invierno (53 Winter Days), Judith Colell’s previous work, was premiered at Zabaltegi–New Directors in 2006, while Jordi Cadena, one of the most representative directors of Spain’s Transition to Democracy, competed in the Official Selection at San Sebastian in 1991 with Los Papeles de Aspern.

El Gran Vázquez (The Great Vázquez) is Oscar Aibar’s fourth movie. Santiago Segura, who formerly starred in La Máquina de Bailar (Dance Machine), Alex Angulo and Enrique Villén, headline the ensemble cast of this unusual biopic construed comedy-style with bitter flecks. El Gran Vázquez (The Great Vázquez) takes its inspiration from the life of the cartoonist Vázquez, flagship of the Bruguera Publishing House under Franco’s régime.

Agustí Villaronga brings us Pa Negre (Black Bread) in his third visit to San Sebastian, following Aro Tolbukhin (Official Selection, 2002) and Tras el Cristal (In a Glass Cage, Zabaltegi-New Directors, 1986). Villaronga is a regular at major international festivals, having seen his works screened at the Berlinale (El Mar (The Sea) and Cannes (El niño de la luna). Based on the book of the same name by the Catalan author Emili Teixidor, Pa Negre (Black Bread) features a long list of fine actors including Laia Marull (Silver Shell for Best Actress in 2003 for Te doy mis ojos [Take My Eyes]), Eduard Fernández and Sergi López.

The Festival will shortly complete the list of Spanish titles to participate at this year’s edition.