Like every year in mid-summer, the San Sebastian International Film Festival is gradually revealing which films will contend for the different sections of the upcoming Festival - the 69th in its history - to be held from 17 to 25 September in the charming Basque town, so affectionately portrayed by Woody Allen in his latest film. The organisers have just announced nine films that will be included in the official selection, including two familiar visitors at the Festival: French Director Laurent Cantet and the British film maker Terence Davies. Cantet is contending with Arthur Rambo [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Laurent Cantet
scheda film], a sharp reflection on the consequences of toxic messages poured out over social media, while the British Director's offer is Benediction [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], a sensitive historical feature film focusing on a man seeking to accept himself in a twisted world.

Other key names in this first announcement of the candidates for the Festival's most coveted award, the Golden Shell, are Lucile Hadzihalilovic and Claire Simon. The first one already won the Special Jury Prize six years ago with her fascinating second feature film Evolution [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], while an equally attractive candidate is her new film, Earwig [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Lucile Hadzihalilovic
scheda film], described as telling the story of a girl with ice teeth who never leaves her closed-windowed apartment. Claire Simon’s offering, meanwhile, is the daring I want to talk about Duras [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Claire Simon
scheda film], which narrates the intense relationship between the mature French writer Marguerite Duras with the young Yann Andréa (read more).

This first announcement of the programme for San Sebastian - which from this year onwards will award a single lead and supporting actor award, regardless of gender, like in the last Berlinale - includes a notable début from Romanian Alina Grigore with Blue Moon [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Alina Grigore
scheda film], a tense drama about a young woman trying to stop the violence taking place in her home. There is also another interesting début work: As in Heaven [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Tea Lindeburg
scheda film], by Danish moviemaker Tea Lindeburg, portraying a sudden coming of age, based on the literary classic by Marie Bregendahl.

From across the Atlantic we will also see the US/Chilean/Spanish co-production Fever Dream [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Claudia Llosa
scheda film], by Claudia Llosa (Director of the Golden Bear 2008 The Milk of Sorrow [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] and Aloft [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Claudia Llosa
scheda film]), a story of motherhood based on the book of the same name by Samantha Schweblin; and the Argentinian Director Inés Barrionuevo with her fourth film, Camila comes out tonight; while from Asia we will see the Chinese thriller Fire on the Plain, by another newcomer, Zhang Ji.

The selected movies:

Competition

Arthur Rambo [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Laurent Cantet
scheda film] – Laurent Cantet (France)
Benediction [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] – Terence Davies (UK)
Camila comes out tonight – Inés Barrionuevo (Argentina)
Blue Moon [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Alina Grigore
scheda film] – Alina Grigore (Romania)
Fever Dream [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Claudia Llosa
scheda film] – Claudia Llosa (US/Chile/Spain)
As in Heaven [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Tea Lindeburg
scheda film] – Tea Lindeburg (Denmark)
Earwig [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Lucile Hadzihalilovic
scheda film] – Lucile Hadzihalilovic (France/UK/Belgium)
Fire on the plain – Zhang Ji (China)
I Want To Talk About Duras [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Claire Simon
scheda film] – Claire Simon (France)