Javier Bardem, winner of a San Sebastian 2023 Donostia Award for career achievement, is putting back his on-stage acceptance of the distinction until the 2024 San Sebastian Film Festival.
The postponement is due to the “limits imposed under the strike called by the U.S. Actors Union (SAG-AFTRA),” the San Sebastian Festival announced Friday.
It deprives this year’s Festival of its biggest on-stage major star moment this year.
The fest will, however, enjoy its customary bullish presence of world-class auteurs, led this year by Claire Denis, main competition jury chair, and Victor Erice, will accept his Donostia Award on Sept. 29. San Sebastian announced Friday that Hayao Miyazaki will also accept a Donostia Award online.
Gabriel Byrne, François Cluzet, Emmanuelle Devos, Griffin Dunne, Aidan Gillen, Mads Mikkelsen, James Norton and Dominic West have confirmed their attendance, Byrne and Gillen for one of the festival’s biggest tickets, James Marsh’s official selection closing film “Dance First.”
Dunne and Norton will accompany director Noah Pritzker to present “Ex-Husbands,” playing in main competition. Also attending, Daniel Auteuil and Devos star in Joachim Lafosse’s “A Silence.” Mikkelsen will present Nikolaj Arcel’s “The Promised Land, screening in the Perlak best of fests section.
Chinese actor Fan Bingbing, the Colombian producer-director-writer Cristina Gallego, French photographer Brigitte Lacombe, producer Robert Lantos, Spanish actor Vicky Luengo and German director Christian Petzold accompany Denis as jury members.
Top auteurs set to roll into the Basque resort, accompanying their latest films, take in Maite Alberdi, J.A. Bayona, Robin Campillo, Isabel Coixet, Michel Franco, Matteo Garrone, Craig Gillespie, Jonathan Glazer, Kitty Green, Todd Haynes, Tran Anh Hung, Ladj Ly, Marsh, Cristi Puiu, Valeria Sarmiento and Justine Triet.
