Rookie bow scores large

'Deep Blue Sea''The Marziano''I Wish''The Reasons from the Heart'Jose Luis Rebordinos nabbed Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's Clive Owen starrer 'Intruders' for his first edition as San Sebastian festival directorLast September -- three several weeks after Jose Luis Rebordinos was named San Sebastian Festival director -- Spain's press squeezed its hands within the fest's future."Bigger black storm clouds" were rumbling into view, newspaper El Pais augured."Huge challenges -- economic, cinematographic -- await Rebordinos. He faces a titanic task, spreading loaves and seafood," it thundered.Rebordinos began his job in The month of january, and nine several weeks in, no disaster has struck the Basque festival -- quite the contrary as experts note a feeling of energy and direction towards the The spanish language meet.Indeed, global upheaval and Latin America's economic emergence may play into San Sebastian's hands.Rebordinos first handled San Sebastian's budget, observing that 2010's annual 6.7 million ($9.six million) was "little for any festival striving for important industry and worldwide press presence." He handled to obtain fest partner Guipuzcoa County to boost its investment by $208,800 to $1.4 million. Fest's other partners -- Sebastian Town Hall, the Basque regional government, Spain's Secretary of state for Culture -- all maintained $1.4 million annual funding.By netting new sponsors, for example insurance provider Mapfre Foundation (co-organizer of the frosh kids' film workshop), Rebordinos upped the fest's 2011 budget to $10.a million: a little miracle indeed.Using the budget in check, experts declare that 2011's levels of competition are a 2010 redux.Certainly a group of fest regulars return: Terence Davies, a 2008 retrospective recipient, with "The Dark Blue Ocean" past double Golden Spend champion Arturo Ripstein with "The Reason Why from the Heart" Ana Katz's dysfunctional family comedy "The Marziano" and Hirokazu Kore-eda, his 4th competition berth, with brother or sister drama "If Only."Hallmark sections remain: Kutxa-New Directors' competition, dangling a 90,000 cash prize Films happening, a showcase for incomplete films a retro of Jacques Demy and also the career achievement Donostia Award, this season provided to Glenn Close.But Rebordinos never stated that he's repairing San Sebastian in the bottom up."I have been in the festival's management committee since 1995: the 2010 changes really are a logical evolution," not really a total break, he argues. He walked into Mikel Olaciregui's footwear, he adds, partially to preserve San Sebastian's distinctive The spanish language and Latin American pic bent.Nevertheless, under Rebordinos San Sebastian is changing fast: Venice accustomed to nab Spain's greatest fall movies. This season, Spain's greatest film, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's Clive Owen starrer "Burglars," opens San Sebastian, publish-Toronto. Marking its most powerful The spanish language selection in a long time, the 2011 fest boasts 17 world preems of local photos: competing is Benito Zambrano's publish-Civil War women's drama "The Sleeping Voice," Enrique Urbizu's crime thriller "No Relaxation for that Wicked" and Isaki Lacuesta's "The Double Steps." The spanish language films within the fest span more sections than ever before, from intimate drama (David Trueba's chamber piece "Madrid 1987"), radical cinema ("The Double Steps"), animation (Ignacio Ferreras' senior buddy comedy "Facial lines") and broad comedy (Telmo Esnal's mother-in-law-from-hell tale "Urteberri on, amona!"). Sidebars bowing this season: a Culinary Zinema showcase and Night time Tests. Brought by Martin Scorsese's George Harrison doc, special tests are up from four game titles this past year to 12, the foundation, possibly, states Rebordinos, for any stand alone section in 2012. You will find more genre choices: "Burglars," "No Relaxation" Eduardo Chapero-Jackson's fantasy thriller "Verbo" Nacho Vigalondo's "Extraterrestial," unfolding throughout a UFO attack and Oren Moverman's "Rampart," about shady L.A. police dealings. San Sebastian has two longer-term obsessions, Rebordinos states: "Building worldwide press presence (and) being a Latin America-European industry meeting point."This season, San Sebastian hosts a Mexico-Basque producers' meet. Rebordinos is speaking to Latin American film institutes about staging a Europe-Latin America co-production forum in 2012. A best situation example, he states, climax an industry as opposed to a co-production meeting, is Ventana Sur, organized by Argentina's Incaa Film Institute and Cannes' Market.The timing is great: 2 yrs ago, Latin American producers looked to Europe for finance now European producers are starting to turn to Latin America.A bigger industry presence draws in more world premieres and much more press. But a forum entails a bigger budget. "I'm going to be focusing on it beginning in October," Rebordinos states.HIGHLIGHTSPremieresSan Sebastian has secured 36 world premieres this season, including 21 from The country, six from Latin America and three from Asia.World preems with major pre-fest buzz include Kim Ki-duk's Europe-lensed "Amen" paraplegic-designed closing evening pic "Untouchable," from Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache and acquired through the Weinstein Co. in This summer Sebastian Cordero's Ecuadorian road movie "Pescador" Julie Delpy's space station pic "Le Skylab" and Filippos Tsitos' Greek crime drama "Unfair World."Worldwide premieres include Martin Scorsese's documentary "George Harrison: Residing in a fabric World" "The 3 Musketeers" by Paul W.S. Anderson (Europe's greatest-allocated film of the season) Sarah Polley's family drama "Take This Waltz" and Simon Arthur's pscyhological thriller "Silver Tongues."Star PowerStars likely to sophistication the red-colored carpet include 2011 Donostia award recipient, Glenn Close jury prez, Frances McDormand Clive Owen and Daniel Bruhl ("Burglars") Antonio Banderas (20-minute sneak preview of "Puss in Boots") Matthew Macfayden and Logan Lerman ("The 3 Musketeers") Francois Cluzet and Omar Sy ("Untouchable") Walter Hill James Grey (participates a retro named American Film Noir 1990-2010) Amy Canaan Mann ("Texas Killing Fields") Agnes Varda Rosalie Varda and Mathieu Demy ("Jacques Demy").Primary Industry EventsSept. 15-16: 3rd Audiovisual Digital ForumSept. 19: European Film Promotion's Latin America meetingIle p France-Madrid Film Commission co-production lunch and The country Film Commission meetingSept. 19-21: EFP's European Marketers: Up NextSept. 20-21: Films happening WORLD REPORT: SPAINPlay for that match TV tacks in new direction Fest Traveler: San SebastianRookie bow scores large Genre fare reborn under Rebordinos How you can Shoot in SpainFair-weather filmmaking Studio aims for parity with Euro rivals Key gamers Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com