Presentation of the 62nd edition of the San Sebastian Festival

Other names to have confirmed their attendance alongside Denzel Washington and Benicio del Toro, are: Antonio Banderas, John Malkovich, Pedro Almodóvar, Viggo Mortensen, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jessica Chastain, Josh Hutcherson, Omar Sy, Ricardo Darín, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Leonardo Sbaraglia, and many more

The latest edition of the San Sebastian Festival was presented at the María Cristina Hotel in San Sebastian. Jose Luis Rebordinos, the Festival Director and Management Committee members Maialen Beloki and Joxean Fernández announced the programme and activities penned for this year as well as the members of some of the juries. They have disclosed as well the names of the guests that will be present at the San Sebastian Festival.

Throughout the 62nd edition of the San Sebastian Festival, numerous personalities from the international film scene will take to the red carpets and different festival hubs.

Denzel Washington, who will receive his Donostia Award, will join Antoine Fuqua to open the Festival on September 19 with The Equalizer. For their part, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Omar Sy together with directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano will be the guests at the closing gala on the 27th with the film, Samba.

Celebrated actors and directors will accompany their films in the Official Selection: Susanne Bier, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Ulrich Thomsen (En chance til / Second Chance), John Malkovich, Veronika Ferres and director Michael Sturminger (Casanova Variations), Antonio Banderas and Gabe Ibañez (Autómata / Automata), Alberto Rodriguez, Raúl Arévalo, Javier Gutiérrez and Antonio de la Torre (La isla mínima / Marshland), François Ozon and Romain Duris (Une nouvelle amie / The New Girlfriend), Cédric Kahn (Vie sauvage / Wild Life), Isaki Lacuesta accompanied by Imanol Arias, José Coronado, Albert Pla, Emma Suárez and Carmen Machi (Murieron por encima de sus posibilidades / They Died Beyond their Means), Carlos Vermut with José Sacristán, Bárbara Lennie and Luis Bermejo (Magical Girl), Noomi Rapace, Matthias Schoenaerts and director Michaël R. Roskam (The Drop), the filmmaker Anahí Berneri and Leonardo Sbaraglia (Aire libre / Open air), Bille August and Paprika Steen (Stille Hjerte / Silent Heart), Pablo Malo with the actors Unax Ugalde, Jon Anza and Francesc Orella (Lasa eta Zabala / Lasa y Zabala / Lasa and Zabala) and the directors Christian Petzold (Phoenix) and Danis Tanovic (Tigers).

In the Pearls section, Jessica Chastain will present The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, while the film Relatos salvajes/Wild Tales will be accompanied by its producer, Pedro Almodóvar, its director Damián Szifrón and its leading character, Ricardo Darín.  

Willem Dafoe will also make an appearance in Pearls with the film in which he plays the starring role, Pasolini, by Abel Ferrara, as will Laurent Cantet and Jorge Perugorría (Retour à Ithaque / Return to Ithaca). Screenings in this section will also be attended by other filmmakers, including Naomi Kawase (Futatsume no mado / Still Water), Diego Luna (Chávez), Mathieu Amalric (La chambre bleue / The Blue Room), Ira Sachs (Love Is Strange) and Céline Sciamma (Bande de filles / Girlhood).

The Pearls section will end with a flourish on September 26 thanks to the attendance of Donostia Award winner Benicio del Toro together with Josh Hutcherson, Claudia Traisac, Carlos Bardem and the director Andrea di Stefano who bring the closing film, Escobar: Paradise Lost.

Viggo Mortensen will introduce the film Jauja in Horizontes Latinos, with its director, Lisandro Alonso. On the other hand, the Spanish premiere of the series P'tit Quinquin, in Zabaltegi, will be attended by its director, Bruno Dumont. This section will also see the premiere of Negociador/Negotiator, to be introduced by its director, Borja Cobeaga, and leading characters, Ramón Barea, Josean Bengoetxea and Carlos Areces at the Zinemira Gala on September 22.

The guests at this year's Culinary Zinema will include the director Lasse Hallström (The Hundred-Foot Journey) and Wayne Wang (Soul of a Banquet).

Concha Velasco will also visit this 62nd edition of the Festival to present the Zinemira Award to the filmmaker, Pedro Olea.

Maribel Verdú and the director Paco Plaza will bring Ultravioleta, a short film forming part of the Cinergía project, a new initiative by Gas Natural Fenosa to be presented at the San Sebastian Festival.