The San Sebastián International Film Festival (SSFF) will present the Donostia Award to producer Esther García, a central figure in Spanish and Latin American cinema over the past four decades. The tribute coincides with the 40th anniversary of El Deseo, the production company founded by Pedro and Agustín Almodóvar. In parallel, the official poster for the 73rd edition of the festival will pay homage to actress Marisa Paredes (1946–2024), one of the great icons of Spanish cinema, who passed away last year after a 50-year connection with the event.
Born in Cedillo de la Torre, Segovia, in 1956, García joined El Deseo in 1986, beginning with Pedro Almodóvar’s Matador. She went on to produce all of his feature films, including Law of Desire (1987), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), All About My Mother (1999), winner of the Academy Award for Best International Feature, Talk to Her (2002), Volver (2006), Pain and Glory (2019), and The Room Next Door (2024), winner of the Golden Lion in Venice. She also produced Sirāt (2025) by Oliver Laxe, awarded at Cannes. Beyond Almodóvar, García has supported filmmakers such as Álex de la Iglesia, Isabel Coixet, Guillermo del Toro, and Lucrecia Martel. Winner of six Goya Awards and Spain’s National Film Award, she is also recognized for championing female voices, having participated in documentaries such as I Decide: The Train of Freedom (2014) and The Silence of Others (2018).
The festival’s official poster will celebrate Marisa Paredes, whose career spanned theatre, television, and film. A frequent collaborator of Almodóvar, she starred in Dark Habits (1983), High Heels (1991), and The Skin I Live In (2011). She first appeared in San Sebastián in 1977 with The Dog and later returned with films including Petra (2018) and the documentary Mucha mierda (2024), her final screen appearance. Paredes had already graced the festival’s poster in 2006 in an image inspired by Rita Hayworth; the 2024 edition now immortalizes her in a moving tribute to her artistic and human legacy.
“We couldn’t be happier,” said José Luis Rebordinos, the festival’s artistic director.
The 73rd San Sebastián International Film Festival runs from September 19 to 27.