Spanish film festival seeks respect

MADRID -- The Spanish-speaking world's biggest film festival, San Sebastian, opens Thursday, still struggling for respect on its 50th birthday.\nAs usual, there's a smattering of stars (Francis Ford Coppola gets a lifetime achievement award; John Malkovich presents his first movie as director) and a full slate of movies -- 233 -- but no major world premiere. \nSan Sebastian's Golden Shell -- to be awarded Sept. 28 -- lacks the glamour associated with the Palme d'Or (Cannes), Golden Bear (Berlin) and Golden Lion (Venice), not to mention Hollywood's Academy Awards. \nFestival organizers claim not to mind. \n"Other festivals are more industry-oriented,'' director Mikel Olaciregui said in a phone interview from the elegant Basque coastal resort in northwest Spain. \n"We're interested in films, not in names. We bet on risky projects, like films coming from Japan, Iceland or New Zealand.'' \nSan Sebastian prides itself on being an intimate affair where moviemakers and fans mingle and Spanish-language cinema may find a launching pad into the international market. \n"Our aim is that in the next 25 years, somebody can say this top director won the first prize at San Sebastian when he was totally unknown,'' Olaciregui said. \nHe recalled that a young Harrison Ford was almost unnoticed when he presented "Star Wars'' at the 1975 festival. Steven Spielberg presented "Jaws,'' and -- before "The Godfather'' -- Coppola won the festival's prize in 1969 for "The Rain People.'' \nLast year's San Sebastian festival was marred by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Some stars, including Julie Andrews and Warren Beatty, canceled their plans to attend. \nThis year's festival opens with Neil Jordan's "A Good Thief,'' the tale of a down-on-his-luck gambler who decides to rob a casino. The British film stars Nick Nolte. \nPaul Schrader's "Auto Focus,'' about murdered "Hogan's Heroes'' star Bob Crane, is the only U.S. entry among the 18 movies from 15 countries competing for the Golden Shell. The movie, starring Greg Kinnear, opens in American theaters next month. \nOther festival highlights include "El Crimen del padre Amaro'' (The Crime of Father Amaro) by Mexico's Carlos Carrera, and "Lugares Comunes'' (Common Places) by Argentina's Adolfo Aristarain. \nMalkovich's "The Dancer Upstairs'' is a political drama about the capture of a Peruvian guerrilla leader. \nJessica Lange, Bob Hoskins and Dennis Hopper are to receive lifetime achievement awards. \nSan Sebastian began in 1953 as a tourism showcase during the dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco. After Spain's transition to democracy, the festival struggled throughout the 1970s, finding some stability and a sense of identity in the 1980s.