The 73rd San Sebastián International Film Festival (19–27 September 2025) gathers acclaimed auteurs and bold emerging filmmakers in an edition defined by artistic contrast and thematic depth. From Edward Berger’s Macau-set Ballad of a Small Player to Claire Denis’s politically resonant The Fence, the Official Selection is rich with prestige cinema. Meanwhile, debuts by Dolores Fonzi, Olmo Omerzu and Xiaoyu Qin promise fresh perspectives, complemented by special screenings from Juliette Binoche and Junji Sakamoto.
At the forefront of the competitive strand is Oscar-winning director Edward Berger with Ballad of a Small Player, a Macau-set tale of gambling, fate and human fragility. Starring Colin Farrell alongside Fala Chen, Tilda Swinton and Alex Jennings, the film follows Berger’s acclaimed All Quiet on the Western Front.
Claire Denis presents Le Cri des Gardes (The Fence), adapted from Bernard-Marie Koltès’s stage play, an exploration of grief, exploitation and power set in West Africa, with performances from Isaach de Bankolé, Matt Dillon and Mia McKenna-Bruce. Additionally, Dolores Fonzi, returning as director, contributes Belén, a moving drama inspired by real events surrounding a woman wrongfully imprisoned.
Belgian filmmaker Joachim Lafosse offers Six Days in Spring, charting a family’s Riviera holiday marked by fragile emotional undercurrents, while Czech director Olmo Omerzu makes his Official Selection debut with Ungrateful Beings, a study of fractured family bonds and shifting identities.
Debut director Xiaoyu Qin presents Her Heart Beats in Its Cage, a poignant narrative of maternal reconciliation and social reintegration after incarceration, marking a striking transition from documentary to fiction. Finally, James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg adds historical gravity. Starring Rami Malek as psychiatrist Douglas Kelley, it revisits the courtroom’s moral and psychological battles, with Kelley confronting Hermann Göring during the epochal post-war trials.
The Special Screenings section brings further distinction. Juliette Binoche makes her directorial debut with In-I In Motion, a reflective documentary capturing her collaborative dance-theatre work with choreographer Akram Khan, offering a meditation on artistic process and identity.
Acclaimed Japanese director Junji Sakamoto presents Climbing for Life, a dramatisation of mountaineer Junko Tabei’s historic ascent of Mount Everest, rendered as both an inspirational biopic and an ode to resilience.
The San Sebastián Festival extends its influence beyond the week of screenings. Through its Z365 platform and initiatives such as Ikusmira Berriak, Nest, and Zinemaldia+Plus, the Festival sustains a year-round commitment to fostering new talent and engaging audiences with evolving cinematic discourse.
In combining historical resonance, political urgency and intimate human storytelling, San Sebastián once again affirms its role not only as a showcase of global cinema, but also as a cultural space where art, politics and lived experience converge.
Images courtesy of San Sebastián Festival
