San Sebastian 2011: Day 1

I've been merely 24 hours in San Sebastian but I'd swear I've spent here all my life. I arrived yesterday too late for the morning press screening of Intruders, opening film of the Official Selection, but just in time for the press conference, in which a self-assured Juan Carlos Fresnadillo defended his film surrounded by his cast, led by an irresistibly charming Clive Owen. There's no much to say here. Rumour quickly spread that Intruders is a disappointment, and judging by the banalities we heard during the press conference, it's probably true.

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San Sebastian 2011 review: 'No habrá paz para los malvados', a film by Enrique Urbizu (***)

Enrique Urbizu's career is a curious anomaly in Spanish filmmaking. Spanish genre filmmakers usually score a couple of box office gongs and go on to collaborate with renowned international actors, screenwriters or directors, then feel disappointed or frustrated with the experience and go back home where their creative freedom is less restricted. (After directing Nicole Kidman in The Others, produced by Tom Cruise, Alejandro Amenábar shot The Sea Inside with an all-Spanish cast, while Jaume Balagueró chose Manuela Velasco for the lead of his hit Rec after unsuccessful collaborations with Anna Paquin and Calista Flockhart).

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