Brad Pitt Returns to San Sebastián With 'Heart of the Beast' — SkimNews
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- Brad Pitt returns to San Sebastián with "Heart of the Beast," his first appearance since "Inglourious Basterds" — Penelope Cruz also arrives with two films, "The Invite" and "La Bola Negra"
- Naomi Watts receives a Donostia Award on Sept. 19, while Werner Herzog picks up his at the Sept. 18 opening ceremony
- Global streamers invested €2.0 billion ($2.3 billion) in Spain in 2024, versus €0.8 billion in France and €0.7 billion in Germany, as Spain produced 423 features against France's 228
- "La Bola Negra", a Movistar Plus Original that already played Cannes, is San Sebastián's biggest title for local audiences; the Made in Spain strand jumps to 24 films in 2026 from an 11-film average over 2018–22
- Movistar Plus announced it will double Spanish original series production from 8 to 16 per year, also backing "Sirāt," "The Beloved" and "La Bola Negra" in films
- Pablo Larraín world-premieres "My Sad Dead," a movie-format presentation of his Netflix TV series, while buzz titles include Studiocanal's "Les Misérables" and Michaël Roskam's closer "Le Faux Soir"
- Festival Director José Luis Rebordinos will hand the festival to Maileen Beloki from January 2027, ending a tenure since 2010 that helped drive Spain's emergence as a European film-TV power
Why it matters: Spain's €2.0 billion streaming haul now exceeds France and Germany combined, and Movistar Plus's doubling of original series gives Spanish creators a domestic anchor with scale — but with Rebordinos exiting in January 2027, the industry is watching whether Beloki preserves the candor and sponsor stability that made San Sebastián a launchpad for Spain's rise.
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