San Sebastian adds 'Berlin,' 'Help'

Films added to special screenings lineup

By JOHN HOPEWELL

Schnabel

Julian Schnabel is set for a double outing at San Sebastian this year. Schnabel’s “Lou Reed’s Berlin,” a record of Reed’s live performance of “Berlin,” has been added to San Sebastian Film Festival’s special screenings lineup; helmer’s “Diving Bell and the Butterfly” will unspool in the Zabaltegi Pearls sidebar.

A restored version of Richard Lester’s “Help!” joins the previously announced Portuguese song-and-dance film “Fados,” from Carlos Saura, in the special screenings lineup.

Pascale Ferran’s frank but tender “Lady Chatterley” and Frank Oz’s comedy of embarrassment “Death at a Funeral” are among highlights in San Sebastian’s Zabaltegi Pearls sidebar, the festival announced Thursday.

Pearls, which carries a TCM Audience Award for E70,000 ($95,100), focuses on prior festival standouts.

Further Pearls films include Cannes pics “Control,” Anton Corbijn’s biopic of Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis; Israel’s Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen’s debut, comic ensembler “Jellyfish”; Barbet Schroeder’s “Terror’s Advocate,” which profiles Jacques Verges, Klaus Barbie’s defense lawyer; Nadine Labaki’s Beirut beauty salon-set “Caramel”; and Bangkok Airport hotel sex drama “Ploy,” from Pen-ek Ratanaruang.

San Sebastian runs Sept. 20-29.