Premiere of 5 Minutos Más at San Sebastián

The Spanish film ‘5 Minutos Más’ (5 More Minutes), directed by Javier Ruiz Caldera, premiered in the main competition at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. The film marks the screenwriting debut of comedian Berto Romero, who also stars alongside Belén Cuesta. Described as a genre-blending mix of black comedy, science fiction, and psychological thriller, the plot follows a couple attempting to repair their marriage at a vacation home in Girona amidst a global time loop phenomenon. During the festival, the film was highlighted as a competitor for the Golden Shell. Romero noted that the film’s refusal to adhere to a single genre is intended to reflect “the complexity of real life.” In connection with the festival, Movistar Plus, a production partner for the film, announced a strategic shift toward Spanish cinema. CEO Alfonso Gómez Palacio and content director Juan Andrés García Ropero revealed a commitment to release one Spanish film per week on the platform and are expanding original series production with creators such as J.A. Bayona and Fernando León de Aranoa. Furthering the festival’s showcase of Spanish talent, filmmakers Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, known as Los Javis, presented ‘La bola negra’. The film, which won best direction at Cannes and the Audience Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, has been selected by the Spanish Academy to represent Spain at the Oscars. Inspired by the unfinished work of Federico García Lorca, the production stars Penélope Cruz and explores themes of identity, memory, and desire across three eras. At the festival, Los Javis noted that their creative process is driven by a “deep need for validation” and a desire to address the historical repression of sexual diversity.