Update: The film will world premiere out of competition at the San Sebastián Film Festival when it opens on September 18.
When we share most first looks for a film there’s the intrinsic notion that one day fairly soon you’ll be able to easily see the film. For the latest reveal, there’s a likely chance that, depending on what country you’re in, you’ll never legally be able to view the film–and the delay has nothing to do with the ongoing pandemic.
Following A Rainy Day in New York, which has yet to secure U.S. distribution, Woody Allen is returning this year with his next feature, Rifkin’s Festival. Starring Gina Gershon, Wallace Shawn, Christoph Waltz, Elena Anaya, Louis Garrel, and Sergi López, the romantic comedy follows a married couple from America who head to the San Sebastián Film Festival. Getting caught up in the charms of both the festival and the Spanish town, the wife has an affair with a brilliant French director and the husband falls for a Spanish woman. Tripictures has picked up the film for a likely fall release in Spain, with what we imagine will be timed with a San Sebastián Film Festival premiere in September.
“There was a time when I was passionate about going, but when I became a director, I stopped going because I didn’t like that noise and those crowds, Allen says about film festivals, speaking to Fotogramas. “For example, I sent my work directly to Cannes. But, after a while, they convinced me to return and they entertained and cared for me so much that I enjoyed them again. In addition, my wife likes to come.”
“Tripictures has followed the work of Woody Allen for many years,” Felipe Ortiz, CEO of Tripictures, tells Deadline. “We have had the immense satisfaction of distributing Whatever Works, a delightful film for timeless enjoyment. When we learned about Rifkin’s Festival, we immediately wanted to participate in this wonderful project. Furthermore, the story unfolds in San Sebastián, a city we love, naturally. As distributors, what more could you ask for? A Woody Allen project set in our beloved San Sebastian. It is an honor for us at Tripictures to have the opportunity to promote Woody Allen’s latest project in Spain, and I want to thank The Mediapro Studio and its entire team for the opportunity afforded us.”
See the first images above and below, which also features cinematographer Vittorio Storaro in his fourth collaboration in a row with Allen.
Following the publishing of his autobiography last month, Woody Allen’s Rifkin’s Festival will arrive in Spain this fall via Tripictures and does not have U.S. distribution.