Fatih Akin’s ‘Ghost Song’ To Open San Sebastián Film Festival

Ghost Song, the latest feature from German filmmaker Fatih Akin, will open this year’s San Sebastián Film Festival. 

The title was confirmed this morning by the Spanish festival. Ghost Song will screen on September 18 at the Kursaal following the opening ceremony. Akin will compete for the Golden Shell for the first time in his decades-long career. 

Ghost Song stars Mariam Dawoud and Eren M. Güvercin. The young actors play Farasha and Faris, who meet at a graduation party and fall in love at first sight. The synopsis reads: When Farasha suddenly dies that same night, an extraordinary love story unfolds between two worlds as she finds a way to meet Faris in his dreams. Also starring are Carlotta von Falkenhayn and Gabriel-Winner Amorim. 

Ghost Song is among 16 other titles set to screen as part of the festival’s Official Selection. Other titles include Mike Leigh’s latest feature Tender Loving Care and My Sad Dead, a new series from Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín. My Sad Dead will screen at San Sebastián in its feature-length format. Starring are Mercedes Morán, Dolores Fonzi, and Carolina Álvarez. The project is based on four short stories by Mariana Enríquez and tells the story of Ema, a woman with the ability to see and hear the dead. The San Sebastián screening will be a World Premiere. 

Leigh’s Tender Loving Care will arrive at San Sebastián after its TIFF screening. Marion Bailey, Paul Jesson, Kate O’Flynn, and Alice Bailey Johnson star in the film. No synopsis for Tender Loving Care has been provided on either the San Sebastián or TIFF website. San Sebastian simply describes the film as an “insightful exploration of the contemporary world.”

The 2026 San Sebastián Film Festival runs from September 18 to 26.