- The 21st edition will open with Julie Delpy’s seventh film
- Producer David Puttnam and actor Jeremy Irons will receive the Giraldillo de Honor
- Besides the already announced attendance of Johnny Depp and Mounia Meddour, representatives of award-winning films or Oscar candidates, such as Rusudan Glurjidze, Gints Zilbalodis, Tessa Van den Broeck and Jethro Massey will also attend; along with Spanish celebrities such as Álvaro Morte, Paz Vega, Benito Zambrano, Elías León Siminiani, C. Tangana, Emma Suárez, Natalia de Molina, Paco León and Quim Gutiérrez
Seville is gearing up to host a celebration of European cinema in the coming days. The 21st edition of the Seville European Film Festival will begin this Friday, 8 November, and will welcome 250 figures from the world film industry, including directors, actors, screenwriters, producers and members of the crews of the films selected for the event over the next nine days.
This year’s edition will open with Julie Delpy’s seventh feature film as director. The newly renovated Cervantes Cinema will host the Spanish premiere of the renowned French-American filmmaker’s new film. It will be screened out of competition and opens this cinematic event in which, until the 16 November, the Seville capital will once again turn its attention to the seventh art.
Meet the Barbarians is a sharp comedy set in a picturesque village in Brittany, where the locals, expecting Ukrainian refugees, are surprised by the arrival of Syrians. This bold satire pokes fun at the prejudices surrounding social integration, featuring a standout cast led by Sandrine Kiberlain (two-time César Award winner), Laurent Lafitte (Elle) and Delpy herself, leading actress and co-writer of the “Before” Trilogy, further establishing herself as a mature filmmaker after acclaimed works like Skylab (Special Jury Prize at San Sebastian).
Before this screening, which will kick off the Official Selection, the Cartuja Center CITE will host the Festival’s opening gala, presented by actors Alfonso Sánchez and Alberto López. The locally famous compadres – creators of the El mundo es... trilogy – will serve as masters of ceremony for an event that promises to be filled with humour, tributes to cinema and music, including performances by swing band O Sister!, composer Paloma Peñarrubia and avant-garde flamenco artist Rosario La Tremendita.
Meet the Barbarians
A unique rendezvous between Giraldillos de Honor winners
The opening gala of the Seville European Film Festival will also present the Giraldillo de Honor to the distinguished British producer David Puttnam. Over his celebrated 30-year career, he has garnered numerous accolades, including a dozen Oscars, more than 30 BAFTAs and the Palme d’Or at Cannes. His legacy includes legendary films such as The Duellists (1977), Ridley Scott’s debut; Midnight Express (1978), directed by Alan Parker with a screenplay by Oliver Stone; and The Mission (1986) by Roland Joffé – a restored version of which will be screened as part of the Festival’s Classics cycle.
It was with this film that Puttnam collaborated with Jeremy Irons, who will also receive the Giraldillo de Honor at this year’s edition. An Oscar for Best Actor, two Golden Globes and numerous other accolades since his debut in 1980, the legendary English actor has delivered memorable performances in films by some of the most influential contemporary filmmakers such as Skolimowski, Schlöndorff, Cronenberg, Schroeder, Soderbergh, Malle, McTiernan, Bertolucci, Lynch and Tornatore.
Both winners, Puttnam and Irons, who are members of the jury responsible for this year’s Official Selection awards, will be the stars of a very special event on Thursday, 14 at the Cartuja Center CITE, one of the highlights of the festival for the Sevillian public. They will discuss their pivotal contribution to the iconic film The Mission, reflecting on the challenges they faced during production, the ethical dilemmas raised by its unique portrayal of faith and colonisation, and the lasting cultural impact of this historical representation, which continues to resonate today.
Seville: the epicentre of European cinema
Following the already announced visits by the British producer and actor duo, filmmaker Johnny Depp and French actress Antonia Desplat, the 21st Seville European Film Festival will also welcome numerous international and Spanish figures, making Seville the epicentre of European cinema.
Representatives from films that have won prestigious awards or are Oscar candidates for their country, renowned directors and performers from the world of auteur cinema and rising talents making waves at festivals worldwide will be present, including those featured in the Official Selection. These include filmmakers Pia Marais, Lucie Prost, Ramon Zürcher, Guillaume Senez, Alexandros Avranas, Gints Zilbalodis, Margarida Cardoso, Rusudan Glurjidze and Jethro Massey, as well as actors Tessa Van den Broeck, Eleni Roussinou, Gijs Scholten van Aschat and Salome Demuria.
The New Waves section will showcase unique auteurs such as Pavel G. Vesnakov, Inadelso Cossa, Yolande Zauberman, Paulo Abreu, André Gil Mata, Ben Rivers and Alessandro Cassigoli. Meanwhile, other key sections in competition, including Rampa and Alumbramiento, will feature filmmakers like Pablo Cotten and Joseph Rozé, Laurynas Bareiša, Denise Fernandes, Justine Bauer, Christopher Andrews, Diogo Costa Amarante, Anthony Schatteman, Morgan Simon, Mehdi Barsaoui, Ayoub Gretaa, Roya Sadat, Emilie Girardin, Josef Hader, Julien Menanteau, Jeanne Waltz and Carolina Pavone.
The Festival will also bring together prominent figures and key personalities from Spanish cinema, including directors Gerardo Herrero, Paz Vega, Benito Zambrano, Aitor Echeverría, Elias León Siminiani, Margarita Ledo Andión, Antón Álvarez (C. Tangana), Javier Barbero and Martín Guerra, Hermes Paralluelo, Mar Olid and José Manuel Carrasco. The festival will also welcome renowned actresses and actors such as Emma Suárez, Natalia de Molina, Álvaro Morte, Paco León, Quim Gutiérrez, Sara Sálamo, Mina El Hammani, Natalia Verbeke, Fernando Cayo, Vito Sanz, Marina Salas, Alex Béjar, Javier Morgade, Gabriel Guevara and flamenco artist Yerai Cortés.
Brilliant presence on juries, professional and fringe activities
The juries for the competition sections of the 21st SEFF also include names that shine brightly on the international scene. The aforementioned Puttnam and Irons are joined in the Official Selection by the French-Algerian director Mounia Meddour (César for Best First Film for Papicha), artistic director of the Rome Film Fest, Paola Malanga, and French programmer Eva Rekettyei. The juries of other sections include important figures such as Greek filmmaker Asimina Proedrou (Oscar nominee for Behind the Haystacks), Austrian producer Josef Aichholzer (Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for The Counterfeiters), the director and screenwriter Esteban Crespo (Black Beach), and writers and screenwriters Fernando Navarro (Saturn Return) and Nicolás Casariego (Society of the Snow).
In addition, the Festival’s dynamic professional programme, FRAME Seville, running from Monday, 11 to Friday, 15 November, will serve as a meeting point for prominent figures from the Spanish and international sectors. This includes producers such as María Luisa Gutiérrez, Sandra Hermida, Antonio Saura, Tomas Eskilsson, Manuela Ocón, Marta Velasco and Luis Ferrón; filmmakers like José Luis López-Linares and Manuel Sicilia; writers such as Brenda Navarro and Aroa Moreno Durán; screenwriters such as Isa Sánchez and Marina Parés; and directors from other festivals, including Mickaël Marin (Annecy) and Paola Malanga.
Finally, the Festival’s Fringe Activities programme will bring together filmmakers competing with their films to offer engaging masterclasses, talks and presentations. It will also provide an opportunity to explore the work and careers of other accomplished filmmakers, such as Portuguese animator Regina Pessoa, Días de cine director and writer Gerardo Sánchez, Filmin founder and director Jaume Ripoll, artist and independent filmmaker José Luis Tirado, and the director, screenwriter and producer Guillermo Rojas.
