The San Sebastian Film Festival is set to unveil the captivating debut of Michael Tyburski's 'Turn Me On' this September, starring the esteemed talents of Bel Powley (known for her roles in 'The Diary of a Teenage Girl' and 'Everything I Know About Love') and Nick Robinson ('Damsel' and 'Love, Simon'). This year's festival boasts the first and second films of 11 promising new filmmakers in the esteemed New Directors category, with the remaining entries to be announced in the coming weeks.
Amongst the lineup is Michael Tyburski's sci-fi romantic comedy, 'Turn Me On,' which explores a futuristic society where individuals are required to swallow a pill daily to eliminate their human emotions. The film stars the captivating Bel Powley and the charming Nick Robinson, promising a thought-provoking and emotionally charged experience.
Also gracing the screens is 'Gulizar,' a Turkish-Kosovar co-production helmed by Belkis Bayrak, which delves into the heartbreaking story of a young victim of sexual assault on the eve of her wedding. Meanwhile, Koya Kamura, the auteur behind 'Homesick' (2019), presents 'Winter in Sokcho,' a tale of a young Korean girl whose life is disrupted by the arrival of a French artist.
Other notable entries include Sivaroj Kongsakul's 'Regretfully at Dawn,' Akaki Popkhadze's 'In the Name of Blood' from Georgia, and Yongkang Tang's 'Stars and the Moon,' a heartfelt tale of a boy from a mountain village who spends his days gazing at the sky, convinced he will encounter extraterrestrial life.
All these films, along with the Spanish productions already announced, such as Antón Álvarez's opening film 'La guitarra flamenca de Yerai Cortés,' will compete for the prestigious Kutxabank-New Directors Award, with a prize of 50,000 euros to be shared equally between the winning director and the film's Spanish distributor. The San Sebastian Film Festival commences on September 20 and continues through to September 28, promising a cinematic journey that will inspire, move, and challenge audiences.
