Spain has selected Saturn Return By Isaki Lacuesta And Pol Rodríguez as its submission for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Oscars.
The pick was confirmed this morning by the Spanish Academy. The announcement was made by Spanish actor Eduardo Noriega.
The film’s synopsis reads: Late 1990s. Art and culture are in full swing in Granada. Against that background, an indie band is about to change the music scene in Spain. Just before creating their new album, the band is going through its worst possible moment.
The film is produced by Ikiru Films, La Terraza Films, Áralan Films, Bteam Prods, Sideral Cinema, Los Ilusos Films, and Toxicosmos AIE. Bteam Pictures distributed the film in Spain. Lacuesta and Navarro penned the screenplay and the lead cast features Daniel Ibáñez, Cristalino, Stéphanie Magnin, Mafo, Chesco Ruiz, and Edu Rejón.
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Saturn Return played at the Malaga Film Festival where it won awards for best editing, director, and Spanish film. The film went on to play Seattle, the Guadalajara International Film Festival, and the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema.
Lacuesta is a Catalonian-born filmmaker best known for The Next Skin (2016), Between Two Waters (2018), and One Year, One Night (2022), which debuted in competition at the Berlin Film Festival and won the Goya Award for best-adapted screenplay. He is the winner of two Golden Shell Best Film Awards at San Sebastian. Saturn Return is Rodríguez’s second feature. He directed the 2016 film Quatretondeta, which won best cinematography at Malaga.
The Oscars shortlists will be announced on December 17.