The San Sebastian Festival unveils a strong Spanish lineup this year, including Isabel Coixet with One Love and Fernando Trueba alongside Shooting the Pianist, a visually inventive project co-directed with Javier Mariscal, plus a documentary focused on the Spanish music icon C. Tangana. These selections emphasize the festival’s dedication to contemporary storytelling and bold visual exploration.
Isabel Coixet will bring an adaptation of Sara Mesa’s acclaimed novel, with Laia Costa starring, marking Coixet’s first direct competition appearance. The adaptation promises a richly layered narrative told in a voice known for thought-provoking, character-centered cinema. Festival director José Luis Rebordinos described the project as a weaving of intricate threads that advances with a victorious momentum.
Trueba and Mariscal will present Shooting the Pianist as a visually striking feature shown in a dedicated cinema venue. The documentary This Extreme Ambition follows C. Tangana over a two-year arc of the Sin cantar ni afinar tour, offering audiences an intimate look at the artist’s ambitions and creative process. Viewers can experience this intimate portrait at Velodrome, a space renowned for immersive premieres and audience engagement.
The festival’s September 22–30 program includes exciting television and film projects. A new series titled Christ, created by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, features a strong Spanish cast including Macarena García, Lola Dueñas, and Carmen Machi. It appears in the official section but runs without competition, enabling the series to attract attention and generate critical discussion alike.
Another anticipated project, Other Side, is written by Berto Romero, Javier Ruiz Caldera, and Alberto del Toro. It features Romero alongside María Botto and is also showcased at Velodrome, underscoring the festival’s emphasis on contemporary Spanish storytelling across formats and genres.
During a press conference at the Film Academy headquarters in Madrid, festival director Rebordinos outlined the lineup of Spanish films in various competition categories. He noted that while several titles were confirmed, a few more could still be added to strengthen the slate and broaden the festival’s international reach in the Americas and beyond.
In addition to Coixet’s work, the festival will feature cassette tapes in the Golden Shell competition, and Jaione Camborda’s How and Sultan’s Dream, an animated project directed by Isabel Helguera, will also be presented. Rebordinos highlighted that the three Spanish films in the competition are directed by women, underscoring the event’s commitment to female voices in cinema.
For the New Directors section, the lineup will include Blue Star, directed by Javier Macipe, and Horizontes Latinos will showcase Blonde, the directorial debut of Argentine actress Dolores Fonzi, along with Castle, directed by Martín Benchimol. In Zabaltegi, the festival’s arena for experimental cinema, the slate will feature Night Before, Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell by Alberto Martín Menacho and An Pham Thien, and a collection of medium-length works including a short by Ion de Sosa, Accountant, which screened at Cannes alongside Irati Gorostide’s Mammal. These selections demonstrate the festival’s appetite for bold, boundary-pushing cinema.
The films announced today are part of a broader festival roster revealed in recent days. The competition also includes Argentine titles such as Strength by María Alché and Benjamin Naishtat, and Practical by Martín Rejtman, alongside new projects from European filmmakers including Belgian director Joachim Lafosse and Romanian filmmaker Cristi Puiu. The festival continues to position itself as a hub where Spanish language cinema meets global audiences, inviting conversations across cultures and languages.
Note: This summary reflects the festival’s public communications and event programming through official press channels, as reported by organizers and attending media partners. All selections aim to foster cross-border collaboration and showcase diverse voices in contemporary cinema, with a focus on women directors and innovative storytelling.