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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · 9h

After two docs and an intense career as a producer - On Falling, Portuguese Mário Patrocínio presents his first fiction Maria Vitoria at #38Tokyo comp. A coming-of-age story about football in a difficult family, the pitch is less original than its execution, ultimately quite subtle and touching.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · 2d

After two films at Giornate and one in Shanghai Film Fest, Chinese Peng Fei presents Take Off at #38Tokyo comp for Rediance. The rather long period piece is not so classic, the direction is pleasantly discreet, and the actors all seem inspired: a gentle Chinese success worthy of a good Berlin entry.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · 4d

Without ever really breaking through internationally, Japanese comedy director Yûichirô Sakashita presents Blonde, his seventh feature at #38Tokyo Comp, awarded at HAF. The premise is original and the political tone often intriguing. Unfortunately, the film repeats itself without an original form.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · 20d

Romanian actress Maria Popistașu, after a short with her husband Alexandru Baciu, won an award at ArrasDays with the project Y. Premiering today in Warsaw comp, the film evolves from a heavy bourgeois theater to a denunciation of a shameful past - against a backdrop of fine wine. Award potential.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 25

2001 Special Jury Prize here, the unconventional documentary filmmaker José Luis Guerin returns with Good Valley Stories to #SanSebastian2025 comp for Shellac. At least 30 to 40 minutes too long and extremely cheaply made, it's difficult to find it interesting unless you're from the neighbourhood.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 24

After a short film in Berlin and a debut in Goteborg and Wroclaw, Swedish director John Skoog presents Redoubt at #SanSebastian2025 ND for Coproduction Office. The b&w images are striking, but the narrative struggles to hold on for more than 20 minutes. Ambitious but hollow and old-fashioned.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 23

Active and award-winning in advertising, Danish Emilie Thalund presents her debut Weightless at #SanSebastian ND for Reinvent. The film is not flashy and the actress is convincing: a gently disturbing film, sometimes primitive but one that stands out from the lot.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 23

Next Step, Locarno & FidLab project, Aro Berria by Spanish director Irati Gorostidi is launched at #SanSebastian2025 ND. While the political reconstruction is moving, community life is then weighed down by long, exhausting and counterproductive group scenes. A pity.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 23

After studying in North America, Chinese Lai Yuqing made several short films and is now launching her Cambodian debut Whisperings of the Moon at #Busan2025 WoAC. Shot on rough handheld video, the film never really manages to rise above the level of a clumsy essay, like a kind of cheap queer therapy.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 23

After winning awards in 2017 Brussels and 2019 Tallinn, Japan-based Indian filmmaker Anshul Chauhan returns to #Busan2025 to launch Tiger at Vision. Following an engaging first part, the lengthy drama settles down and remains (too) gently pink and predictable to really stand out.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 22

Discovered at Berlinale Panorama with her debut Lullaby, Basque Alauda Ruiz de Azúa went on to make Querer tv-series before her third film Sundays at #SanSebastian2025 comp for Le Pacte. Heavily developed and over-edited, the film could have been made 10 or 20 years ago. Schematic, for OoC.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 22

Winner of the Youth Jury Award here in 2005 and Best Basque Film in 2015, Asier Altuna returns to #SanSebastian2025 OoC with Karmele. A gentle and rare historical adaptation, soberly ambitious, a pleasant surprise that could have deserved a major award to help reach a wider international audience.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 22

2012 Berlinale Forum with his promising debut, Olmo Omerzu, a Slovenian-born FAMU graduate, has since been a regular at Karlovy Vary. He presents Ungrateful Beings at #SanSebastian2025 comp for Cercamon. After a clumsy first half, the bilingual film evolves into a rather silly family drama.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 22

Chinese editor Zhang Zhongchen's debut won an award at First without ever travelling. Produced by Midi Z, Nighttime Sounds is launched at #SanSebastian2025 ND. Although the predominantly handheld camera work is exhausting, the strange encounter between these two girls still exudes a rough charm.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 21

After last year's heavyweight Marco at Orizzonti, Spaniards Jose Mari Goenaga & Aitor Arregi present Maspalomas at #SanSebastian2025 comp for Film Factory. The subject matter is courageous, the first part unexpected. A shame that the rest of the film remains so tame, only suitable for LGBT festivals

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 21

Awarded in Goa and Hong Kong as WIP, Indian Tribeny Rai presents her debut Shape of Momo at #Busan2025 Vision & #SanSebastian2025 ND for Celluloïd Dreams. The return of a young woman to a village in the Himalayas provokes reflections on the place of women. The setting is authentic, that's about all.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 21

Discovered at Locarno and then Cannes Critics Week, Chinese Zhang Lu presents his fifteenth film, Gloaming in Luomu, at #Busan2025 comp. Both gentle and intense, the film reveals an amusing ghostly poetry that could charm audiences beyond the specialists. Better than his 2023 Berlinale comp entry.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 21

Scotland-based Iranian Hassan Nazer has only been invited to Fribourg once in six films. He is presenting Without Permission at #Busan2025 comp for DreamLab. An attempt at experimental cinema about cinema with children, the political ambition struggles to convince – even when invoking Kiarostami.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 21

Iranian Shahram Mokri presented a third interesting film at Orizzonti in 2020. Black Rabbit, White Rabbit, his fourth, Tajik but still as long, is launched at #Busan2025 Vision for DreamLab. The romantic and experimental ambition, under-exposed this year, is further thwarted by overly loose editing.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 21

Following their debut Beyond in 2013, Kyrgyz Erke Dzhumakmatova and the late Emil Atageldijev present Kurak at #Busan2025 Vision. With two rather unoriginal stories artificially intertwined, this gently feminist and ambitious film, co-produced by half a dozen European companies, accumulates blunders

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 20

Awarded here in 2000 for his debut, Spain's Alberto Rodriguez returns to #SanSebastian2025 comp with his ninth film, Los Tigres, for Film Factory. An appealing subject, industrial divers, developed in a heavy-handed manner into drug dealing. Beautiful images, promising fast pace, but too light.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 20

After two shorts in Clermont, Taiwanese Tsao Shih-Han presents his debut Before the Bright Day at #SanSebastian2025 ND for Maboroshi. This beautiful coming-of-age set in 1996 pays tribute to the master Edward Yang. The technique is exquisite, and it is clearly the best Taiwanese film seen this year.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 20

A discreet regular at major festivals, Belgian Joachim Lafosse returns to #SanSebastian2025 with Six Days in Spring for Losange. A short, implausible pretext for a minor film, but still with enough cinema to make the experience interesting. Gently disappointing, saved by Eye Haïdara, of course.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 19

Under-exposed with his 2013 debut, Canarian José Alayón launches his second film Dance of the Living at #SanSebastian2025 New Directors for Bendita. A beautiful family immersion into the Canarian wrestling tradition filmed in S16 like tribal dances. Simple, not so predictable and quite captivating.

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Guillaume @ Arizona Films @gdeseille.bsky.social · Sep 18

Director of romantic domestic films and series, Japanese Kori Nagata launches her Baka's Identity at #Busan 2025 revamp comp. A minor crime thriller about young con artists starring local stars, this long genre drama will struggle to appeal to non-Asian audiences. Unpretentious but not original.

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