Australian actor Hugh Jackman will receive a lifetime achievement award at the San Sebastian film festival which gets underway Friday in Spain with 13 movies in competition for the best film award.
The 44-year-old "Wolverine" and "X-Men" star will collect the festival's Donostia award -- the Basque name for the coastal city San Sebastian -- on September 27, the penultimate day of the nine-day festival, just before his latest film "Prisoners" is screened out of competition.
Directed by Canada's Denis Villeneuve the movie tells the story of a distraught father, played by Jackman, who holds captive the troubled young man he believes kidnapped his six-year-old daughter.
Spanish actress Carmen Maura, best known for her starring role in Oscar-winning director Pedro Almodovar's "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown", will also receive a lifetime achievement award at the festival, the oldest and most prestigious event of its kind in the Spanish speaking world.
Past recipients of the award include Meryl Streep, Richard Gere, Ian McKellen and Robert De Niro.
In the race for the festival's Golden Shell award for best film is Canadian director Atom Egoyan's "Devil's Knot" about a private investigator played by Colin Firth whose detective work helps get three men who had been convicted of murder released from prison in Arkansas.
Firth, who won the Oscar for best actor in 2011 for his role in "The King's Speech", also stars in another movie in competition at the festival, Australian director Jonathan Teplitzky's "The Railway Man" about a British train enthusiast profoundly damaged by his experience as a prisoner of war.
British director Roger Michell's "Le Weekend", about a long-married couple who revisit Paris for the first time since their honeymoon in an attempt to revitalise their marriage, and French director Bertrand Tavernier's "Quai d'Orsay", a political satire about a dashing French foreign minister whose charm masks his incompetence, are also in the run.
"In the official selection we tried to have all types of movies, radical movies, commercial movies," said festival director Jose Luis Rebordinos.
US director and screenwriter Todd Haynes, whose films include the Oscar-nominated "Far From Heaven" and "The Karen Carpenter Story", will chair the jury of the 61th edition of the film festival.
Organisers expect some 150,000 people to attend the event, which brings in around 18 million euros ($22 million) for the local economy, mostly in tourism-related income, according to a study by Basque consulting firm Ikertalde.
The festival, held each year in San Sebastian, a picturesque seaside resort on the northwest Atlantic coast of Spain, was originally intended to honour Spanish language films but it has established itself as one of the most important movie festivals in the world.
It hosted the world premiere of Alfred Hitchcock's spy thriller "North by Northwest" in 1959 and Woody Allen's "Melinda and Melinda" in 2004.
Last year's Golden Shell for best film went to French director Francois Ozon's account of a high school teacher's friendship with an unusual pupil "In the House".
AFP
Thu Sep 19 2013
Indonesia's free meals plan in the spotlight as Prabowo readies for office
Prabowo calls the programme one of the main drivers of economic growth, eventually set to add an estimated 2.5 million jobs.
Astro AWANI's revamped English news website, AWANI International, launches on Oct 21
Astro AWANI's revamped English platform delivers in-depth global news and expert analysis to keep you informed on key developments.
Israeli strikes kill 33 people in Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, medics say
Residents of Jabalia said Israeli tanks had reached the heart of the camp after pushing through suburbs and residential districts.
Liam Payne's ex-partner calls for media restraint after 'painful' death
Cheryl Tweedy used her statement to urge the media to remember they had a seven-year-old son, Bear, who could read the reports.
Analysts: Indonesia's strong MoF leadership team to boost investor confidence
Sri Mulyani Indrawati as head of Indonesia's Ministry of Finance is expected to instil confidence among investors.
Biden offers both a carrot and a stick to Israel as his term nears an end
Israel has frequently resisted US advice and has caused political difficulties for the Biden administration.
Putin says BRICS will generate most of global economic growth
Russian President Vladimir Putin will host a summit of the group in the city of Kazan on Oct. 22-24.
ISIS Malaysia's perspective of Budget 2025
An excellent rakyat-centric budget under the overarching principle of a caring and humane economy.
Budget 2025: Record increase in STR, SARA aid initiatives
The government will provide a significant boost to the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) and Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) initiatives next year.
Budget 2025: EPF contributions to be made mandatory for foreign workers – PM Anwar
The government plans to make it compulsory for all non-citizen workers to contribute to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).
What policies to expect from Indonesia's new President Prabowo
Prabowo will be open to foreign investment, his aide has said, such as by offering investors management of airports and sea ports.
Budget 2025: Govt allocates RM470 mil to empower women's participation in PMKS
The Women's Leadership Apprenticeship Program will be intensified as an effort to produce more female corporate personalities.
Israel sends more troops into north Gaza, deepens raid
Residents of Jabalia in northern Gaza said Israeli tanks had reached the heart of the camp, using heavy air and ground fire.
Indonesia ramps up security ahead of Prabowo's inauguration
Prabowo Subianto will be sworn in as Indonesia's president on Sunday with Vice President-elect, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, also taking office.
Immediate allocation of RM150 mil for local authorities, DID to tackle flash floods
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said this allocation is intended to address the recent flash floods that hit the capital and several major towns.
Budget 2025: Sabah, Sarawak to continue receiving among highest allocations - PM
Sabah and Sarawak continues to be prioritised under Budget 2025, with allocations of RM6.7 billion and RM5.9 billion respectively.
NFOF will be operational in November 2024 with funding of RM1 bil
PM Anwar Ibrahim said NFOF will support venture capital fund managers to invest in startup companies with RM300 million set aside for 2025.
Minimum wage to increase to RM1,700 effective Feb 1, 2025
The Progressive Wage Policy would be fully enforced next year with an allocation of RM200 million, benefiting 50,000 workers.
Bursa Malaysia ends higher on Budget 2025 optimism
The benchmark index, which opened 1.85 points higher at 1,643.29, moved between 1,641.71 and 1,649.31 throughout the trading session.
Five important aspects relating to people’s lives in Budget 2025 - PM
The focus is on driving the MADANI Economy, speeding reforms, cutting red tape, raising wages, and tackling the cost of living.