Snow Society
The film chosen to represent Spain in the Oscar race, Snow Society, lands in theaters this Friday, arriving ahead of its Netflix release just like Kaiju in the Japanese Godzilla: Minus One and seventeen other titles aiming for a Christmas spotlight.
JA Bayona, renowned for The Impossible and The Orphanage, unveils his latest project, Snow Society, produced by Netflix. The story follows the survivors of the 1972 Andean crash, and its technical and artistic breadth earned it thirteen nominations at the Goya Awards.
The movie, positioned as the Venice Film Festival closing title on September 9, will see a wide theatrical release on January 4, a timing chosen by the director himself.
Godzilla: Minus One
Godzilla returns to cinemas, continuing the legacy of the famous Japanese kaiju. Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, this entry revisits the creature as a symbol of postwar anxiety and national resilience. Nearly seven decades after the original, the film delivers a spectacle powered by groundbreaking effects that captivated audiences at the Japanese box office.
Waiting
Spanish director F. Javier Gutiérrez, who recently shot a project in the United States, describes the film as terrifying. He returns to his roots with a rural thriller set in 1970s Andalusia, telling the story of Eladio, a farm caretaker who accepts bribes to influence hunting outcomes.
Knitting
French writer Laetitia Colombani, celebrated as an actress, screenwriter, producer, and director, brings her feminist novel The Braid to the screen. The film traces the lives of three women connected by a remarkable coincidence, showing how hearts cross borders from India to Canada and through Italy, weaving a global tapestry of resilience.
Dance First
In 1969, Samuel Beckett, newly humbled after his Nobel Prize, speaks to a young Parisian bon vivant. A world war and a life shadowed by fame challenge a playwright who seeks forgiveness and self-acceptance, grappling with flattery and the cost of a public persona.
Gold
Helen Mirren embodies Golda Meir in a nuanced portrayal of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The narrative zeroes in on the crucial twenty days when Israel faced a severe crisis, capturing the tension and decisions that shaped the conflict’s course.
Negu Hurbilak
Negu Collective, headed by Basque directors Ekain Albite and Mikel Ibarguren and Catalan filmmakers Nicolau Mallofré and Adrià Roca, presents a film starring Jone Laspiur. The story examines isolation, longing, and identity in the context of the Basque conflict and its aftermath.
Blood
Michelle Monaghan leads Blood, a new horror feature from veteran genre filmmaker Brad Anderson, who was honored with a career award at Sitges. The plot centers on a boy who contracts a disease after a dog bite, triggering an uncontrollable craving for blood.
Caravaggio’s Shadow
Caravaggio’s Shadow brings together Riccardo Scamarcio, Louis Garrel, Isabelle Huppert, and Micaela Ramazzotti. Italian director Michele Placido explores the late years in the life of a controversial artist who used hopefuls and the underprivileged as muses.
Tony, Shelly and the Magic Lantern
The week also sees the release of the animated adventure Tony, Shelly and the Magic Lantern. The film follows a puppet-led journey, alongside The Magic of Christmas, Teddy, a tale of family and friendship, and Road to Bethlehem, a Christmas musical featuring Antonio Banderas as King Herod.
Changes
Documentaries in this wave include Changes, a four-generation portrait of lesbians in Catalonia, and Women, which follows Constantina and Irene, the last guardians of a centuries-old tradition in Asturias. Also featured is the Acquittal of Juan Alfredo Amil, a candid look at morbid obesity.
The Magnificent Hotel: Rimbaud in Africa
Additionally, The Magnificent Hotel: Rimbaud in Africa, The Last Night of Sandra M., and a film inspired by actress Sandra Mozarowsky mark a set of stories that blend fiction with real-life figures. These titles highlight the festival’s exploration of memory, art, and the ethical questions surrounding fame in cinema.
All together, the program paints a vibrant picture of contemporary cinema in a moment when European storytelling and international collaborations continue to push creative boundaries. Sources from festival programs and distributor briefs confirm the lineup and release windows for this season’s most anticipated titles.