Closing film Bad Times At The El Royale Closing film Bad Times At The El Royale

The 66th edition of San Sebastian Film Festival ran from September 21 to 29. This year one of its retrospectives was dedicated to British filmmaker Muriel Box. The festival opened with An Unexpected Love and closed with Bad Times At The El Royale. Read about all the winners here.

View Films by Strand:

View previous years coverage of the San Sebastian Film Festival festival:

Box office and information

SSFF Latest Reviews

Asako I & II
Asako I & II
Asako is a 21-year-old woman, living in Osaka. She falls in love with Baku who has a free spirit. One day, Baku suddenly disappears. Two years later, Asako now lives in Tokyo and she meets Ryohei. He looks just like her ex-boyfriend Baku, but he has a completely different personality.
Dilili In Paris
Dilili In Paris
With the help of her friend, a delivery boy, young Dilili from New Caledonia investigates a spate of mysterious kidnappings of young girls that is plaguing the Paris of the Belle Epoque.
Jaén, Virgin And Extra
Jaén, Virgin And Extra
Documentary about the Jaén region and olive oil.
Birds Of Passage
Birds Of Passage
Story of a family who become involved with the drugs trade.
Vision
Vision
A Frenchwoman enters a Japanese forest in search of a herb rumoured to be able to cure emotional pain.
The Third Wife
The Third Wife
The story of a 14-year-old who becomes the third wife of a much older man in 19th Century Vietnam.
Yuli
Yuli
The true story of Carlos Acosta, a black Cuban dancer who rose from an impoverished childhood to find international acclaim as a ballet dancer with London's Royal Ballet.
The Sisters Brothers
The Sisters Brothers
Two assassins set out into the wilderness on the trail of a man with a secret.
Beautiful Boy
Beautiful Boy
A father tries to help his son break his cycle of drug addiction.
An Elephant Sitting Still
An Elephant Sitting Still
The lives of four people cross over the course of a day in China.
A-Z of San Sebastian Film Festival 2018 reviews >>>

San Sebastian Film Festival Features

Life in movement
Icíar Bollaín and Paul Laverty on bringing Carlos Acosta's biopic Yuli to the screen
The lives of others
Nadine Labaki on Capernaum and the way the refugee crisis affects children
An unseen world
Lila Avilés talks about putting the focus on The Chambermaid
A world of intensity
Luke Davies on Philip Seymour Hoffman, Heath Ledger, Anton Corbijn, Capote and Beautiful Boy
Creating an illusion
Gabriela Cartol on learning the craft of The Chambermaid
Rhapsody in red
Peter Strickland on dreaming through films and In Fabric
Binoche out of this world
High Life star on creating character and feeling fear
Pattinson's High Life
Actor on challenges and rewards of Claire Denis' space drama
Judi Dench says Kevin Spacey should not have been cut from film
Star speaks out about her 'good friend'
Dancing through life
Carlos Acosta on ballet and biopic Yuli
Comedy at the double
Louis Garrel and Jean-Claude Carrière on writing A Faithful Man together
Circularity of the moments
Luke Davies on co-scripting Felix van Groeningen's Beautiful Boy
Keeping up appearances
Marcello Martinessi on cultural conservatism and filmmaking honesty in The Heiresses
Spike Lee puts Trump in Cannes firing line
Charlottesville riot provides powerful coda to film

San Sebastian Film Festival News

Parasite joins Pearls
San Sebastian announces first titles in Audience Award contest
Roberto Gavaldón retrospective
San Sebastian to celebrate Mexican director at 67th edition
Between Two Waters wins top prize at San Sebastian
Rojo, Yuli and A Faithful Man all garner honours.
Judi Dench receives Donstia
'I shall boast about it to everyone'
Kore-eda honoured
'I'm just half way through my career'
Danny DeVito receives Donostia
'I dedicate this to our movie fans'
Light, bright start for San Sebastian
Festival embraces humour on opening night
Alexander Payne to be San Sebastian president
Director joined on jury by Biscayart, de Rossy and Rourich
Bad Times At The El Royale to close San Sebastian
Drew Goddard brings second film to fest.
Judi Dench to receive Donostia Award
Veteran actress honoured for lifetime achievement.
Phantom Thread wins FIPRESCI Grand Prix
Paul Thomas Anderson scores hat-trick with critics
San Sebastian adds nine titles
Films to feature in Zabaltegi-Tabakalera section
Donostia Award for DeVito
San Sebastian to celebrate comic actor, director and producer's lifetime in film.
San Sebastian adds six to competition
Peter Strickland, Brillante Mendoza and Louis Garrel join line-up
San Sebastian announces Horizontes Latinos titles
Reygadas, Martinessi and Seigner join line-up.
An Unexpected Love to open San Sebastian
Producer Juan Vera makes directorial debut
Spanish titles announced by San Sebastian
19 homegrown features and shorts in line-up
San Sebastian announces first New Directors titles
A look at the 13 up-and-coming directors selected.
San Sebastian announces first Competition titles
Claire Denis, Naomi Kawase and Kim Jee-woon join line-up
Kore-eda to receive Donostia Award
San Sebastian to honour Japanese director
San Sebastian to celebrate work of Muriel Box
Retrospective dedicated to British filmmaker

San Sebastian Film Festival Galleries

San Sebastian releases 2018 posters
San Sebastian 2018 posters
News

59th New York Film Festival early bird highlights Futura, Jane By Charlotte, James Baldwin: From Another Place and The Velvet Underground

More news and features

Playing Now

Eye For Film continues to support festivals both locally and across the world. At the moment, we're covering:

Abertoir

DOC NYC
New York's celebration of factual film

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
One of the largest film gatherings in northern Europe

French Film Festival
The UK's longest running celebration of Francophone cinema

London Korean Film Festival

In the Archive


Archive of festival coverage.

Daily diary and reviews from 2005-2018.

Coverage of the lynchpin German festival.