A bearded Brad Pitt at the San Sebastián Film Festival
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By h.b. - Sep 18, 2009 - 3:35 PM
A large crowd turned out to welcome the actor outside his hotel on Friday afternoon

Brad Pitt has brought out the crowds today at the start of the 57th International Film Festival in San Sebastian. He’s in the city to promote, along with director Quentin Tarantino, his new film, ‘Inglorious Basterds’.

He arrived at the Hotel María Cristina at 2pm on Friday afternoon, to be welcomed by a crowd of about 500, mostly of them women. He signed plenty of autographs but kissed no one. He arrived at the airport by private jet and is travelling alone.

This year the official section of the festival will see 18 films shown between today and the 26th of the month, with proceedings opened by the Canadian, Atom Egoyan, with ‘Chloe’. One of the films which may represent Spain at the Oscars this year, ‘El Baile de la Victoria’ by Fernando Trueba, is also shown today, although outside the competition.

There are three Spanish films hoping to pick up the Concha de Oro, which has not gone to a national production since ‘Los Lunes al Sol’ in 2002. They are Isaki Lacuesta with a story about war guerrillas, ‘Los Condenados’, Javier Rebollo with ‘La Mujer Sin Piano’, and Álvaro Pastor and Antonio Naharro with a story about a youngster with Down’s syndrome, ‘Yo también’.

France is the other main protagonist this year, with films also from Argentina and Colombia, Iran, Germany and South Korea.

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, by Terry Gilliam, will show the posthumous work of Heath Ledger, and the public will also be able to see the latest works from directors such as Jim Jarmusch, Woody Allen, Michael Heneke and Ang Lee.

The lifetime achievement award, the Premio Donostia, goes to the British actor, Ian McKellen, who won the Concha de Plata at the festival back in 1998 for ‘Gods and Monsters’.

The United States film, ‘Mother and Child’ starting Naomi Watts and Samuel L. Jackson, will close the festival.

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