Fatih Akin’s latest film opens San Sebastián festival

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Fatih Akin’s latest film opens San Sebastián festival

Developing story first seen 2 hours ago

Variety · 2 hours ago

The San Sebastián Film Festival will open this year with the world premiere of "Ghost Song" ("Geister"), a new film from acclaimed German director Fatih Akin. The poetic drama, described as blurring the line between dreams and reality, will screen on 18 September as part of the festival's main competition, following an opening gala at which Werner Herzog will receive the festival's Donostia lifetime achievement award. The selection continues a strong showing for German cinema across major festivals this year and marks another accolade for Akin, whose career includes a Golden Bear win at Berlin and a Golden Globe.

"Ghost Song" stars Eren M. Güvercin and Mariam Dawoud and follows Farasha, 20, who after her death enters the dreams of a man named Faris, sparking a romance across the boundary of life and death. Akin, best known for "Head-On", "The Edge of Heaven" and "In the Fade", has described the film as arthouse cinema aimed at younger audiences, part of a deliberate shift towards teen-skewing material as arthouse audiences in Europe grow younger. The film is produced by Akin's Bombero International and Warner Bros. Film Productions Germany, in co-production with Rialto Film, and is sold internationally by Beta Cinema.

  • Fatih Akin's "Ghost Song" opens San Sebastián Film Festival on 18 September
  • Werner Herzog to receive festival's Donostia lifetime achievement award
  • Film described as a dreamlike romance aimed at younger arthouse audiences

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Ghost Song, or Geister, is a new film by the German director Fatih Akin, which will have its world premiere at the San Sebastián Film Festival in Spain this year. It is set to open the festival on 18 September, screening in the main competition. Akin is known internationally for films such as Head-On, The Edge of Heaven and In the Fade, and has previously won a Golden Bear and a Golden Globe.

San Sebastián is one of Europe's longest-running and best-known film festivals, and its opening film and awards typically draw significant attention within the industry. This year's opening gala will also see the veteran German filmmaker Werner Herzog receive the festival's Donostia award, given for a lifetime's contribution to cinema. Ghost Song itself is a drama described as blending dreams and reality, starring Eren M. Güvercin and Mariam Dawoud, and centres on a romance that crosses the boundary between life and death.

The film's selection is being noted partly because it reflects a broader pattern of German cinema featuring prominently at major festivals this year, and because Akin has spoken of deliberately making work aimed at younger audiences as arthouse cinema-goers in Europe skew younger. It is produced by Akin's own company, Bombero International, together with Warner Bros. Film Productions Germany and Rialto Film, with international sales handled by Beta Cinema.

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Originally published by Variety as “San Sebastián Sets Fatih Akin’s ‘Ghost Song’ as Opening Night Film  ”.