The films will compete for the Kutxabank-New Directors Award with the opportunity to win $54413.50.
San Sebastian Film Festival has revealed that 11 filmmakers from Argentina, China, France, Georgia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey and the USA will present their first and second films in the festival’s New Directors section.
These filmmakers, along with others to be announced soon, will compete for the Kutxabank-New Directors Award.
Gülizar, a Turkish-Kosovar co-production directed by Turkish filmmaker Belkis Bayrak, tells the story of a young woman who becomes a victim of sexual assault before her wedding.
After Gülizar is sexually assaulted, her future husband Emre does not report the incident, but later decides to go after the attacker himself. Gülizar’s wedding preparations slowly turn into a claustrophobic, silent journey as she fears that her attacker will be exposed. Her flame of silence burns not only herself, but also the love she feels for Emre.
The film stars Ecem Uzun, Bekir Behrem, Hakan Yufkacıgil, Ernest Malazogu and Aslı İçözü.
Bayrak, born in Istanbul in 1984, has previously directed short films Apartman and Cemile, which were showcased at international competitions.
Hiver à Sokcho (Winter in Sokcho) is the debut feature by French-Japanese director Koya Kamura. Starring Roschdy Zem and Bella Kim, this French-Korean co-production follows the life of a young Korean girl disrupted by the arrival of a French artist.
Thai director Sivaroj Kongsakul, who made his feature debut with Eternity in 2010, will present his second film, Regretfully at Dawn. The film intertwines the stories of an old man, a little girl, and a young soldier.
Brûle le sang (In the Name of Blood), a French-Belgian-Austrian co-production, is the first feature from Georgian director Akaki Popkhadze. Set in Nice and starring Nicolas Duvauchelle, Florent Hill-Chouaki and Denis Lavant, the film follows the murder of a prominent member of the Georgian community.
Chinese filmmaker Yongkang Tang will showcase his second film, Stars and the Moon, about a boy in a mountain village who dreams of seeing aliens.
American director Michael Tyburski, known for his Sundance debut The Sound of Silence, will compete with his second film, Turn Me On. This sci-fi romantic comedy, starring Bel Powley and Nick Robinson, is set in a new-age community where people take a pill daily to eliminate emotions.
These films join previously announced Spanish productions. Among them are the debut films La guitarra flamenca de Yerai Cortés by Antón Álvarez (C. Tangana) and Por donde pasa el silencio by Sandra Romero. Additionally, two-second features will be showcased: La llegada del hijo by Cecilia Atán and Valeria Pivato, and Azken erromantikoak by David Pérez Sañudo.
All competing films are vying for the Kutxabank-New Directors Award, which includes a 50,000-euro prize divided between the director and distributor of the winning film in Spain. Sponsored by Kutxabank, the award will be decided by a jury. The films are also eligible for the DAMA Youth Award, voted on by a jury of 150 students aged 18 to 25.