International stars gather at Sitges Film Festival

Sitges is home to one of the world’s biggest genre film festivals, and as such draws the attraction of some of the world’s biggest stars in fantasy and horror cinema. 

As ever, this year has seen plenty of superstars stroll the red carpet, meet fans, and present their works. 

Australian Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush visited the Catalan seaside town to present The Rule of Jenny Pen, an unsettling thriller about two rivals in a care home. 

The legendary actor, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1997 for his role in Shine, received the Time Machine Award in recognition of his lifetime achievements in the entertainment industry.  

"I can hardly express the feeling of being honored by this fantastic festival," Rush said in a speech in Catalan after receiving the award. "The honor is overwhelming for me, I feel very welcome," he added.

Filmmaker Steven Soderbergh was also in Sitges to open the festival with his latest work, Presence, a horror-suspense film starring Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan. 

"I’ve never made a film like this before, I don’t know what the reaction will be, but it’s not a long film, so there’s that," he remarked. 

The American director, known for films such as Traffic, Erin Brockovich and Ocean's Eleven, expressed his gratitude to the audience in Sitges.   

“Bringing so many people together in one room to watch the same thing is magical," he said.

Another star who graced the Sitges red carpet was Giancarlo Esposito, famous for his portrayal of Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, one of the most iconic villains in recent years.  

Esposito attended the festival to present his latest film, Please Don’t Feed the Children, a horror movie directed by Destry Allyn Spielberg, daughter of Steven Spielberg. 

The actor also received the Time Machine Award from the festival. "I feel like I’m at the beginning, not the end of my career," he said. 

"When I meet a young director who has a vision and an idea, who’s able to express that with real clarity, and understanding that things change, who on the day sometimes says ‘maybe we should do it like this, oh I have a new idea’ and you can flow with that is what creativity is all about," he said.

English actor and comedian Nick Frost was also at Sitges, presenting Get Away, a film in which he serves as both screenwriter and protagonist. 

Frost, known for his work with Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright in Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End, received the Sitges Time Machine Award, and told the media that he feels more comfortable in terror comedy. 

"Maybe I feel more comfortable in this kind of movie, in this genre of horror comedy—you kind of know how it works. But honestly, it’s just acting; the genre doesn’t really matter," he said.

Upon receiving the award, Frost reflected on the importance of maintaining a good atmosphere on set. 

"I like making sure that I can do what I can so everyone has a positive experience on the set that I’m working in. And sometimes that’s easier when it’s on a little low-budget indie horror comedy than it is on a huge $300 million Hollywood picture," he added.  

The Sitges Festival, which concludes on Sunday, is wrapping up its 57th edition after screening 235 feature films and 120 shorts from the horror genre, with thousands of attendees over the 10-day event.