The 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival has awarded its Golden Shell to Mike Leigh's «Tender Loving Care» and then immediately ordered the British director to shoot, edit and screen a full sequel on the festival's main steps within 48 hours, with the cast confined to a nearby hotel under festival supervision until the new film is finished.
Festival director José Luis Rebordinos said the jury's decision was «a matter of respecting the audience's appetite» and confirmed that a mobile editing suite had been installed in the Kursaal's loading bay, where Leigh is now required to work in twelve-hour shifts while festival staff deliver meals on trays. The sequel, provisionally titled «Tender Loving Care: The Reckoning», must run at least 90 minutes and use only locations within 400 metres of the red carpet.
By Tuesday morning the festival had erected a 300-seat open-air cinema on the beach, where the premiere is scheduled to take place regardless of weather. Local hotels reported that every room within walking distance had been booked by producers hoping to witness the shoot, and the city council has rerouted three bus lines to accommodate the crowds.
Leigh, who has not slept since the award ceremony, was seen directing a scene in which the film's lead actress buys a lottery ticket while a brass band plays the festival's theme song. «We are simply giving the public what it has clearly demonstrated it wants,» Rebordinos added. «If the sequel also wins, we will ask for a third.»