The 73rd edition of the San Sebastián Film Festival, to be held from September 19 to 27, is preparing to welcome the best of international cinema.
A large Uruguayan delegation led by ACAU president Gisella Previtali—who will also serve as a jury member for the DALE! (Latin America-Europe Development) award, which aims to promote collaboration between Europe and Latin America in the film industry—will be present at the festival.
ACAU representatives will join members of the delegation in bilateral meetings, co-production rounds, and networking events. These activities aim to boost the visibility of Uruguayan projects under development and films currently being screened, fostering their continued presence at international festivals.
In this edition, Uruguayan cinema and talent will be present in different sections:
Official Competition
This year, the festival will feature Uruguayan talent at the opening of the official section. The Argentine film 27 Nights, starring and written by Uruguayan Daniel Hendler, has been chosen to open the festival in the official section.
Horizontes Latinos
Un cabo suelto, a film by Daniel Hendler, has been selected for this year’s program. This section highlights twelve Latin American feature films produced this year, either wholly or in part, that have not yet been released in Spain. The selected films are directed by filmmakers of Latin American origin or focus on Latin American communities worldwide. The film stars Pilar Gamboa, Sergio Prima, and Alberto Wolf. It was produced in Uruguay by Micaela Solé (Cordón Films – Uruguay), in co-production with Ezequiel Borovinsky (Wanka Cine – Argentina) and Jorge Moreno, Luis Collar (Nephillim Producciones – Spain).
The film won the 2024 WIP Latam Industry Award and was selected in 2023 at the Co-Production Forum. It will be part of Horizontes Latinos after its premiere in the Spotlight section of the Venice Film Festival.
El Mensaje, an Argentine co-production with the participation of Uruguayan producer Germán Ormaechea, will also be in this section.
Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum
Two Uruguayan projects were selected to participate in the Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum. This space seeks to promote the development of audiovisual projects, foster collaboration among professionals, and enhance their access to new international markets. It is aimed at fiction and non-fiction projects in development, and film projects from both Europe and Latin America can be submitted to the Co-Production Forum.
The Uruguayan film Papá no es Punk, directed by Pablo Stoll and produced by Inés Peñagaricano (Temperamento films), is a fictional family comedy and will be present at the Forum. The project is currently in development and was the winner of the 2024 Development Fund. On this occasion, it will be presented to potential partners to complete financing and promote access to international markets.
La piel del león, directed by Álvaro Brechner, a co-production between Tornasol Media from Spain, U-Films from Uruguay, and Vitrine Filmes from Brazil, will also be participating in this section.
Meet Them! San Sebastián 2025
Uruguayan professionals will be participating in this program, which allows those who are not selected by the festival in other sections the opportunity to participate in co-production meetings, as well as other activities to strengthen their projects.
Through a partnership between ACAU and San Sebastián, the following were selected to participate: Juan Manuel Solé from Región Cinema, Adriana Gonzalez from Passaparola, and Alina Kaplan from Anfibia Cine.
More info about the San Sebastián Festival click here.
