71 San Sebastian Film Festivals: As a wrap up

    Photo gallery: https://youtu.be/x8cw9a4gN6o

It has been an intense week, with a lot of cinema, great weather, and more than interesting press conferences.

My impressions have been varied, just like the movies I have seen. There has been quite a bit of European cinema on my list, and not much from across the pond, but more Japanese cinema than usual. I have been able to enter the theater about 30 times during these days, and it has always been a challenge. That's what I love about the festival, even if you have read something about the movie, know the director, or love the story or the actors, the surprise is almost always guaranteed.

Starting with Wim Wenders and Kaurismaki has been really good, continuing with Trueba and enjoying the music on a Saturday morning is a real luxury. For me, this year has been all about the music, which is always important in movies, but this year I have felt it much more intensely and enjoyed it all.

I have been pleasantly surprised by both Fingernails and Ex-husbands, the former for being a lovingly pleasant dystopia and the latter for its realistic portrayal of love across different generations.

The week has been filled with walks along the beach, blessed weather that makes everything more enjoyable, and more movies like Achilles, which I found to be a road movie, and the documentary about Carme Elias, which was very emotional and its theme resonated with me throughout the festival, even reaching Memory.

I have the feeling that I heard a lot of French on the screen this year. If I count, there have been 6 French productions. I don't know if it was a coincidence, but it was also very diverse.

I want to highlight how much I enjoyed the film La estrella azul. I don't know if it was because of the nostalgia for another era, the music (again), or the imitation of Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente, but it was one of the most enjoyable moments of these days. The final ovation, in my humble opinion, was well-deserved. I still have that guitar touch in my head.

The Tabacalera short films have also been very interesting, and I really enjoyed Camping du Lac, following the director's recommendation, who also enjoyed it during the filming.

Lastly, the press conferences have given me another perspective on the films, and it has been a pleasure to see directors, producers, and actors defending their ideas portrayed in images.

All in all, it's sad that it's coming to an end, but we're already closer to the 2024 zinemaldi, where we hope to enjoy even more and better.

See you in cinemas! So long San Sebastian!