Seville European Film Festival Fetes Agnieszka Holland Thierry Frémaux

Honoring Agnieszka Holland, Thierry Frémaux and Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon, the Seville European Film Festival bows Friday with a main competition featuring Dani de la Orden’s “The Director” and Andrew Haigh’s “A Long Winter” and the ambition to capture the genius, true gamut and new talents of Europe’s productions.

Of Seville’s three 2026 honorees, Holland went first. A towering presence in Polish cinema and a voice of its conscience, Agnieszka Holland (“Angry Harvest,” “Europa Europa”), she wil receive a Golden Giraldillo from the festival. Talking at a Friday press conference, interviewed by Seville European Film Festival Director Manuel Cristobal, she talked about he current state of European cinema. “I think that we should take more risks. We ned courage and freedom to listen to people’s realities, and open up a little more. It’s difficult because the world has changed a lot in he last 10 years with social media, big data and AI. Hard truth has lost its attraction. I’m not very optimistic but we must attempt it.”

Cannes head Thierry Fremaux, who has maintained the event as the most important festival in the world, which is no mean achievement, will also be in Seville to pick up a Giraldillo de Honor, as will Cartoon Saloon, a pioneer of exquisite 2D Irish feature film animation of international market appeal – think 2007’s “The Secret of Kells” – will receive a third. The award corresponds with Cartoon Saloon’s 25th anniversary.

“One of the wonderful things that festivals can do is pay respect to people that have open roads for European cinema and world cinema,” says Seville European Film Festival Director Manuel Cristobal.

Agnieszka Holland is a New Cinema pioneer, and the award to Thierry Frémaux is not just for heading up the Cannes Festival but also his work at Lyon’s heritage cinema Lumière Film Festival and documentaries on the Lumière brothers….