San Sebastian \u2014 Blessed by sun, a steady sustenance of Donostia winning stars and a stream of production announcements, the San Sebastian Film Festival rounded its final bend on Friday after a robust 67th edition. San Sebastian\u2019s status as the highest-profile movie event in the Spanish-speaking world remains unquestioned. The maelstrom of change \u2013 imminent global platforms. markets, Latin American politics -could not but play out over events, forging a festival of sharp contrasts and little granularity about how major pivots in the global business could impact the Spanish-language arthouse business and new directors, its stock in trade. Following seven takeaways from this edition:<\/p>\n
1. The Winners: Spanish SVOD Platforms<\/em><\/p>\n You could hear a proverbial pin drop as HBO Espa\u00f1a unveiled first footage from its first announced series in Spain: \u201cPatria,\u201d a multi-time-period set chronicle on the human impact of the Basque conflict. It left San Sebastian with the status of a must-see show. Leticia Dolera\u2019s \u201cPerfect Life,\u201d a double Canneseries winner, also confirmed its genre-bleeding appeal as, like Paco Leon and Anna R. Costa\u2019s \u201cMadrid on Fire\u201d last year, a Movistar+ Original Series of winning originality and broad audience appeal. Justin Webster\u2019s six-hour \u201cThe Prosecutor, The President and the Spy,\u201d an exacting, rigorous drill-down on the circumstances and personalities involved in the death of Alberto Nisman confirmed the addictive spell of narrative non-fiction and Webster\u2019s status as one of its major Spanish world auteurs.<\/p>\n 2. It\u2019s a Woman\u2019s World<\/em><\/p>\n Eight of the nine directors or producers on Laura Baumeister\u2019s \u201cDaughter of Rage\u201d and Fernanda Veladez\u2019s \u201cNon Distinguishing Features,\u201d the big winners at San Sebastian\u2019s industry section, are women. In San Sebastian competition, its front-runner, at least for Spanish critics polled by El Diario Vasco, is Bel\u00e9n Funes \u201cA Thief\u2019s Daughter,\u201d turning on a working-class single mother, played to acclaim by Greta Fern\u00e1ndez, juggling love, her broken family and multi-tasking low-income employ. Three of the five top rated movies on the poll are directed by women. As opportunities haltingly open up for young female directors, they are seizing the chance with an energizing passion. Selling first-time female directors can also prove \u201csurprisingly gratifying,\u201d said Latido Films Antonio Saura at a San Sebastian Emerging Talents panel.<\/p>\n 3. Latin America\u2019s Double Paradox<\/em><\/p>\n A. Over 2014-16 in Brazil, Ancine\u2019s Audiovisual Sector Fund (FSA) poured some R$2.5 billion ($800 million) into film-TV production-distribution. Energized by state backing, the quality and volume of Latin America movie production has soared, just as international markets have contracted for foreign language art films.<\/p>\n B. Sales agents buzzed about the potential of a brace of projects at a vibrant San Sebastian Europe-Latin America Co-production Forum. Many hit the market running, with European and other Latin American producers in place. Yet, this September, far right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced a near 43% cut to FSA funding in 2020. Over the last five years the Argentine peso has plunged 80% against the Euro. Mexico\u2019s governments \u2013 federal and states \u2013 have slashed Mexican film promotion and festival coin. Production is still holding in Chile and Colombia. It has positively swelled in smaller national movie hubs such as the Dominican Republic, Panama, even Guatemala, noted Saura. Europe, led by France and Germany, is still piling into Latin American feature projects. One big question, however, is how much money producers from Latin America\u2019s big three film powers will be able to bring to the table for international co-production, vital to produce art films of artistic ambition.<\/p>\n 4. Basque Build<\/em><\/p>\n Lighting can strike thrice. After competition standout \u201cLoreak,\u201d and Special Jury Prize winner \u201cHandia\u201d in 2014 and 2017, Moriarti-Irusoin scored at San Sebastian with \u201cThe Endless Trench,\u201d currently ranking second in the \u201cEl Diario Vasco\u201d critics\u2019 poll. Its co-production structure, use of Castilian Spanish and national stars is mark of yet another step up in ambition for Basque cinema \u201cThe Endless Trench\u201d bowing just a week after Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia\u2019s \u201cThe Platform,\u201d produced by Basque Films, won the Toronto Festival\u2019s Grolsch People\u2019s Choice Midnight Madness Award, rolling off Netflix pick-up for the world outside select territories in Asia.<\/p>\n 5. Buzz Titles<\/em><\/p>\n David Zonana\u2019s \u201cWorkforce,\u201d Ina Weisse\u2019s \u201cThe Audition\u201d and \u201cSarah Gravron\u2019s \u201cRocks\u201d have gone down well in competition. With a few films still to be voted on, Ana Garcia Blaya\u2019s \u201cThe Good Intentions\u201d heads the Youth TCM Award votes and Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache\u2019s Cannes closer \u201cThe Specials\u201d the City of Donostia Audience Award.<\/p>\n 6. \u2019A Tabakalera Generation\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n Nobody visiting the splendid facilities of San Sebastian\u2019s Tabakalera cannot be struck by the sense of an on-the-rise culture hub. It now houses the San Sebastian Festival offices, an El\u00edas Querejeta Zine Eskola and a cinema theater and backs the Ikusmira Berriak film program, sparking multiple synergies between them. \u201cMaybe in a few years, we\u2019ll be talking about a Tabakalera generation,\u201d the San Sebastian Festival\u2019s Maialen Beloki said at the Emerging Talents panel. She was not joking..<\/p>\n 7. The Business<\/em><\/p>\n The big news came from big players. San Sebastian began with a bang: Telefonica and Atresmedia\u2019s MOU to create a content production-joint venture to produce for themselves as well as for or with third-party global platforms. Netflix confirmed that it would be announcing in Spain new talents and new formats and programs focused on new talent, not only in Spain but Latin America and other European countries. Warner Bros. Pictures Intl. grabbed near-worldwide distribution rights to \u201cEl Verano Que Vivimos,\u201d a romantic melodrama co-produced with Atresmedia Cine, Bamb\u00fa Producciones and La Claqueta. Ex-Rouge Intl.\u2019s Nadia Turincev announced part of her first slate at Easy Riders Films, a new Paris-based production house.<\/p>\n Select deals targeted select upscale talent. Haut et Court moved smartly to take Alejandro Amenabar\u2019s \u201cWhile at War\u201d off the market for France. MK2 announced international sales on Avalon produced \u201cAlcarr\u00e1s,\u201d from \u201cSummer 1993\u2019s\u201d Carla Sim\u00f3n. Producer Marta Esteban confirmed the next movie by \u201cTruman\u201d director Cesc Gay, \u201cSentimental,\u201d sold by Filmax which also revealed overseas sales rights on \u00c1lvaro Fern\u00e1ndez Armero\u2019s comedy \u201cIf I Were a Rich Man,\u201d Argentine producer-director Beda Docampo\u2019s \u201cThe Curse of the Handsome Man,\u201d and Basque hit comedy sequel \u201cBye, Bye. Mr Etxebeste.\u201d Outsider Pictures picked U.S. domestic on two titles: Gabriel Mascaro\u2019s Sundance hit \u201cDivine Love\u201d and Belgian Oscar submission \u201cOur Mothers,\u201d a Cannes Camera d\u2019Or winner. New Europe Film Sales swooped on \u201cBlanquita\u201d from Chile\u2019s Fernando Guzzoni. FiGa Films snagged \u201cContactado\u201d from the \u201cPelo Malo\u201d team of Marit\u00e9 Ug\u00e1s and Mariana Rond\u00f3n<\/p>\n In newly announced deals<\/em>:<\/p>\n *Cosimo Santoro\u2019s Italy-based sales company The Open Reel announced it has sold Ricky Mastro\u2019s LGBT drama \u201c7 Minutes,\u201d its first full feature production, to Breaking Glass Pictures for North America, as well as one of its new Portuguese feature \u201cVariacoes \u2013 Guardian Angel\u201d to France\u2019s Optimale, and a double sale to Here Media for North America on features \u201cSecond Star on the Right\u201d by Colombian Ruth Caudeli and \u201cBrief Story of the Green Planet\u201d by Argentine Santiago Loza. Both titles were also sold to Filmin for Spain, together with Brazilian documentary \u201cMr. Leather.\u201d<\/p>\n *San Sebastian served as the launchpad for a new Spanish sales agent, the Canary Islands-based Bendita Film Sales. At the festival, Bendita picked-up international rights to two titles: Jon\u00e1s Trueba\u2019s coming-of-age feature \u201cLa Virgen de Agosto,\u201d winner of a Special Jury mention and the Fipresci award at the latest Karlovy Vary; and Peruvian brothers Diego and Daniel Vega\u2019s Horizontes Latinos player \u201cLa bronca,\u201d produced by Maretazo Cine. Backed by production companies El Viaje Films and Volcano Films, the new sales house aims to handle each year worldwide rights to eight-to-ten arthouse films, with commercial outlet, mainly in Spanish-language. \u201cThe number of Spanish sales companies has been gradually decreasing, we think we can find our place in the market,\u201d Bendita CEO Luis Renart told Variety in San Sebastian.<\/p>\n *Gilles Duffaut\u2019s Axxon Films unveiled at the festival the sale to Bet TV in Belgium of Egypt-Luxembourg co-production comedy \u201cSawah,\u201d directed by Adolf El Assal, scheduled for a February 2020 release.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a highly competitive market and audiences are very selective when it comes to betting on indie films. So, we are increasingly reducing the number of projects in which we get involved,\u201d said Alex Lafuente at Bteam Pictures. But indie distributors still have to buy. Just before San Sebasti\u00e1n Bteam announced it had acquired Pablo Larrain\u2019s \u201cEma,\u201d a Venice Unimed Award winner, sold by The Match Factory. They have also moved into production, teaming with Barcelona\u2019s Ober\u00f3n Cinematogr\u00e1fica on \u201cA Thief\u2019s Daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n *On the eve of San Sebastian, Basque distributor Barton Films took Spanish rights to Takashi Miike\u2019s Zabaltegi player \u201cFirst Love\u201d from Hanway Films. Barton also acquired Sebasti\u00e1n Mu\u00f1oz\u2019s Venice Queer Lion Award winner \u201cEl Pr\u00edncipe\u201d<\/strong>, a Horizontes Latinos contender. The deal was negotiated with Patra Spanou Film Marketing & Consulting.<\/p>\n *Miren Aperribay\u2019s Atera Films, a San Sebastian-based indie producer-distributor which recently started to acquire international films for distribution throughout Spain, nabbed at the festival the Venice Feodora Award winner and Horizontes Latinos closer, Jayro Bustamante\u2019s \u201cLa llorona,\u201d sold by Vicente Canales\u2019 Film Factory Entertainment.<\/p>\n *Headed by Emilio Oliete D\u00edaz, indie distributor Syldavia Films, which manages the large library of director-producer Gerardo Herrero\u2019s Tornasol Films, has surfed the San Sebastian main competition, nabbing two contenders: Alice Winocour\u2019s \u201cProxima,\u201d a French-German co-production starring Eva Green and Matt Dillon, sold by Path\u00e9 Films; and \u201cThe Audition.\u201d in a deal with Les Films du Losange.<\/p>\n *Spanish rights to another Official Selection player, Louise Archambault\u2019s \u201cAnd the Birds Rained Down,\u201d were acquired at Toronto by Stefan Schmitz\u2019s Avalon Distribuci\u00f3n Audiovisual.<\/p>\n