Yahoo Lifestyle Seville’s European Film Festival Embraces the Mainstream With Broader Program and Jeremy Irons, Johnny Depp, David Puttnam Attending
As Spanish film festivals go, few have demonstrated the mainstream clout and drawing power of this year’s Seville European Film Festival (SEFF), which boasts one of its most audience-friendly lineups of stars and films to date.
Sevilla aims to bring the best in European cinematographic culture to the south of Spain for dialogues between new artists and recognized figures from the industry while also dedicating space to new media for cinematographic expression. Always a haven for independent and arthouse fare, the festival has broadened its program in recent years to include more mainstream titles and A-list guests. It’s an intentional trend that the festival’s team hopes to continue nurturing in future editions.
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This year’s Official Selection jury features two European cinema legends, producer David Puttnam and Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons.
Irons is the more recognizable of the two, given his on-screen work in films such as “Reversal of Fortune” – which earned him a lead actor Oscar in 1991, “Lolita,” “The Man in the Iron Mask,” “Kingdom of Heaven” and voicing one of Disney’s greatest villains, Scar, in “The Lion King.”
Although his face may not ring as many bells, Puttnam stands out as one of his generation’s most important producers. He spent three decades working in the industry, and his resume includes legendary titles such as “Midnight Express,” “Chariots of Fire,” “The Killing Films” and “The Mission.” His films have won 10 Oscars, 13 Golden Globes, nine Emmys, 31 BAFTAs and a Cannes Palme d’Or.
Inviting big-name celebrities isn’t about drawing eyeballs, however, but rather about reinforcing Seville’s commitment to all European cinema, not just independent and arthouse titles often associated with festivals of Seville’s size and relative profile.
According to festival director Manuel Cristobal, “Having David Puttnam as the head of the jury and having figures like Jeremy Irons here sends a message. These are the kinds of personalities we want to have at this festival and that we think represent European cinema.”
Regarding SEFF’s inclusion of more mainstream titles in its program, Cristobal says, “We wanted to take a wider approach to European cinema. The concept of ‘European Cinema’ is very broad, and we wanted to represent the entire range at that festival. There is, of course, arthouse cinema, which is what most festivals tend to focus on. But there are also broader crowd-pleasing films, and we want to embrace that.”
An obvious example in this year’s selection is Johnny Depps’ sophomore directorial feature “Modi – Three Days on the Wing of Madness,” a raucous dramedy with a star-studded cast that adeptly straddles the line between arthouse and broad audience appeal. It’s easily one of the most commercially viable films in this year’s selection.
Well received at its San Sebastian world premiere, the film is produced by Depp’s U.K. label IN.2 Film, which is creating a pipeline “focusing on European sensibility combined with American accessibility,” Depp said when the unit was unveiled in 2021.
That trans-Atlantic sentiment can be applied to the Seville European Film Festival under Cristobal’s direction. In addition to courting bigger names and a broader lineup, Seville is positioning itself to help springboard European titles to greater mainstream success outside of the continent with its new Puerto America Award, earmarked for one of the 16 Oscar-submitted films in this year’s program.
Not new this year, but certainly an example of SEFF’s openness to mainstream cinema, is the Europa Junior section, which features a robust lineup of content for kids and families. From a Best of Annecy Kids 2024 selection to “Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia” and Annecy standout feature “Into the Wonderwoods,” Seville’s family section is sure to be one of the best-attended at the Spanish event.
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