TheSan Sebastian Film Festival has confirmed it will stage Films in Progressduring this September's event, aiming to help struggling Latin American andSpanish film-makers complete their pictures.

Heldin conjunction with the Recontres Cines Amerique Latine de Toulouse, Films inProgress was the first initiative of its kind from two such festivals, and hasbeen held twice a year since 2002, in March in Toulouse and San Sebastiantowards the end of the year. This year's dates at the 52nd edition have been confirmedfor September 21 and 22.

Theaim of Films in Progress is to screen a selection of six films to an audienceof experts - pictures which have already finished shooting and are at least atfirst-cut stage, but are experiencing problems in post-production. Films inProgress shows them to an audience of professionals who can help them finallyreach the public.

Accordingto organiser, Jose Maria Riba, the selection committee expects to see around 50such films between now and San Sebastian, which it will narrow down to a finalsix. Given some film-makers present their project twice a year, the annualaverage is 90 films in post-production which are experiencing difficulties, asurprisingly high tally according to Riba.

WhileToulouse only looks at Latin American films, Spain's San Sebastian also extendsthe umbrella to struggling Spanish features. Some successes of the Films inProgress initiative include Ana Poliak's Parapalos, which was "rescued"at Toulouse in March during the 5th Films in Progress and went on to win thetop prize month's Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival in Poliak's nativeArgentina.