The San Sebastian Film Festival has announced the lineup of talented filmmakers participating in the prestigious New Directors programme at this year’s festival, scheduled to take place from September 18 to 26.

The New Directors sidebar will feature a diverse group of filmmakers from around the world, showcasing their first and second feature films. The lineup includes filmmakers from Bulgaria, Chile, Germany, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, the UK, and Ukraine.

The programme will open with Jaime Lorente’s debut feature, ‘The Bad Son’ (El mal hijo), which tells the story of 11-year-old Ruben who has to move in with his grandmother after his father mysteriously disappears. The film explores the theme of family wounds being passed down from one generation to another and the struggle to heal them.

The New Directors Lineup

The full lineup includes:

• Jaime Lorente’s ‘The Bad Son’ (El mal hijo) – a poignant coming-of-age story about a young boy’s journey to heal his family’s wounds.
• Billy Lumby’s ‘Florid’ – a powerful drama about a young man’s struggles with mental health and his quest to find balance in his life.
• Thomas Woodroffe’s ‘Erratics’ – a thought-provoking film that explores the intersection of technology and forgotten stories in a futuristic Patagonia.
• Naëmi Ada’s ‘Body of Glass’ – a gripping drama about a dancer who flees her controlling partner and finds herself entangled in the grieving circle of a young man.
• Marlene Emilie Lyngstad’s ‘Cute’ – a transgressive drama about a man’s forbidden feelings for his seven-year-old stepdaughter and his discovery of her double life as a Lolita camgirl.
• Javier Giner’s ‘This Solitude’ – a poignant drama about two lovers who have broken up and are struggling to come to terms with their emotional legacy.
• Massih Parsaei’s ‘Lovers Sleep Alone’ – a powerful drama about a man who has built his life in Berlin around absence and is forced to confront his past when his cousin arrives from Tehran.
• Rodrigo García Saiz’s ‘Morro’ – a moving drama about a small-town vet who forms an unexpected bond with the local capo’s injured dog.
• Ayana Nurdinova’s ‘Mugalim’ – a heartwarming drama about a music teacher who dreams of moving to a big city and finds solace in his students.

The New Directors programme will close with Billy Lumby’s ‘Florid’, a powerful drama about a young man’s struggles with mental health and his quest to find balance in his life.

The San Sebastian Film Festival has announced further titles from its official competition, including Mike Leigh’s latest feature ‘Tender Loving Care’ and Pablo Larraín’s new series ‘My Sad Dead’.

‘Tender Loving Care’ will arrive at San Sebastian after a showing at TIFF, while ‘My Sad Dead’ will screen in its feature-length format, starring Mercedes Morán, Dolores Fonzi, and Carolina Álvarez.

The 2026 San Sebastian Film Festival promises to be an exciting event, showcasing a diverse range of talented filmmakers and their stories from around the world.