‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ Joins San Sebastian Festival Roster as Surprise Film

Todd Phillips’ villainous musical sequel “Joker: Folie à Deux” will play at the San Sebastian Festival as the surprise film of the ongoing 72nd edition.

The movie, starring Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix, world premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it earned an 11-minute standing ovation, and had its North American premiere at Toronto. It will screen tomorrow (Saturday) at San Sebastian, in two showings.

“Folie à Deux” is the follow-up to Phillips’ 2019 film “Joker,” which also premiered at Venice and won the fest’s prestigious Golden Lion, before being added to the San Sebastian Film Festival‘s lineup as a surprise film.  

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“Joker” became the sixth-highest grossing film of the year and won the Academy Awards for best actor for Phoenix’s performance and original score for Hildur Guðnadóttir. It received a total of 11 Oscar nominations, including for best picture, becoming the first DC Comics film to do so.

In “Folie à Deux,” Phoenix returns as Arthur Fleck, “now a patient at Arkham State Hospital, falls in love with music therapist Lee (Gaga). As the duo experiences musical madness through their shared delusions, Arthur’s followers start a movement to liberate him,” according to the official synopsis.

This year’s San Sebastián Festival ranks as one of its biggest editions ever with a number of high profile movies playing at the fest, including Pedro Almodovar’s Venice Golden Lion prizewinner “The Room Next Door.”