The San Sebastian International Film Festival (SSIFF, September 18-26) kicked off on Friday night as ceremony presenters issued a plea to end genocide and Werner Herzog collected an honorary Donostia Award.
Show hosts Fariba Sheikan and Mariona Terés highlighted the situation in Gaza as one of the most critical issues of the day and expressed support for Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the Israeli co-directors of NAZA who have faced calls from Israeli government figures to be stripped of their citizenship.
The presenters urged an end to “unilateral breaking of international law, to colonialist looting, to sexual violence and to the cruel wars that systematically violate human rights”.
Herzog collected his award at the Kursaal auditorium from Orlando Bloom, one of the stars of the filmmaker’s latest feature Bucking Fastard, which screens at the festival following its world premiere in Venice. “I am proud to be here in front of all of you […] who have the most incredible language among all the languages of Europe,” Herzog said. “You were here tens of thousands of years ago, long before the Indo-Europeans began to enter Europe. You were the first.”
The German filmmaker, whose body of work includes Aguirre, The Wrath Of God (1972) based on the life of the 16th-century Basque Spanish conquistador Lope de Aguirre, continued: “Every year I watch on YouTube the competition here in this country of poets, who compete by improvising verses. I do not speak a word of your language, but when I see this, I feel as if I belong to that community, to this country of poets. And I receive this award from the Basque poets.”
The gala marked the 40th anniversary of Roland Joffé’s 1986 Cannes Palme d’Or winner The Mission, which screens as a restored version at the festival. Star Jeremy Irons joined producer David Puttnam on stage and the pair reflected on the film’s continuing relevance, obseving that cinema should offer “caution and hope”.
The Fipresci grand prix was awarded to Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. Warner Bros Spain SVP of local productions Carlos Prada accepted the honour on behalf of the US director, who previously received the honour for There Will Be Blood, Magnolia, and Phantom Thread.
Actress and Spanish Academy of Performing Arts president Cayetana Guillén-Cuervo paid tribute to Argentinian superstar Ricardo Darín, who is the official face and poster of the festival’s 74th edition, and spoke about the close ties between San Sebastian and Latin American cinema.
Guillén-Cuervo ended with an appreciation of outgoing festival director José Luis Rebordinos who is presiding over his final year. “His attitude, his kindness, his human quality have gone beyond everything professional and have filled this city, this festival and all of us with wonderful things,” she said. “Rebor, we love you. Thank you.”
The opening night screening was Fatih Akin’s competition selection and fantasy romance Ghost Song (Geister). The second Donostia Award will be presented to Naomi Watts on Sunday.
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