‘Mother, Couch!’ Is set to feature in San Sebastian Film Festival’s New Directors Sidebar this year. The film is the feature film debut of Swedish director Niclas Larsson, and is one of eleven films from nineteen countries in the New Directors lineup. San Sebastian Film Festival is one of the most prestigious events in Spanish-speaking cinema.
Larsson has previously directed a number of short films, including ‘The Magic Dinner’ starring Alicia Vikander and Anna Wintour. The film is about “three estranged siblings brought together when their mother refuses to move from a couch in a furniture store”.
Taylor Russell stars in Larsson’s upcoming film, and is known for her previous work on Luca Guadagnino’s cannibal romance Bones and All, as well as Trey Edward Shults’ Waves. Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting) and Ellen Burstyn (Requiem for a Dream) also star in the film.
The 71st San Sebastian Film Festival will run from 22 - 30 September, 2023. In addition to ‘Mother, Couch!’ one of the other films included in the lineup is Chinese director Liang Ming’s feature film ‘Xiao Yao You / Carefree Days’. The film is adapted from a novel of the same name by Ban Yu, and centres around a young patient searching for her place in society. This is Liang Ming’s second film, following up from the critically acclaimed Wisdom Tooth.
Other films include Javier Macipe’s second feature film ‘La estrella azul / The Blue Star’. The Spanish director has directed two short films which were finalists at the Goya Awards, in addition to his 2014 feature film debut ‘Los inconvenientes de no ser Dios’. The lineup also includes Canadian director Henry Bernadet’s ‘Les Rayons Gamma / Gamma Rays’, Irani filmmaker Farhad Delaram’s ‘Ashil / Achilles’ and Japanese director Daichi Murase’s film ‘Kiri no Fuchi / Beyond the Fog’ which will close the New Directors section of the festival.
The eleven films are competing for the Kutxabank-New Directors Award, and prize money of €50,000. The money is to be divided equally between the Spanish distributor of the film, and the director. The eleven directors are also eligible for the TCM Youth Award, a prize awarded by a jury of 150 students.
San Sebastian Film Festival will take place between September 22 - 30, 2023.