Krux debut goes from Toronto premiere to San Sebastian competition
Krux, the debut feature from German writer-director Tony Vahl, has gone from a premiere in Toronto to a competition slot in San Sebastian in the same month.
The film premiered in the Discovery programme at the Toronto International Film Festival and then screened in Official Selection in competition at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It is a quick two-step for a first film.
Discovery is Toronto's section for first and second features, a launchpad for new directors. Official Selection in competition is San Sebastian's central contest, where films play for the festival's top awards. To appear in both means Krux was framed first as a debut to watch, then as a contender.
Krux is set in a village in northeast Germany as the Nazis are about to lose World War II. The story stays close to civilian life as the war ends. It runs 1 hour 32 minutes.
The story is inspired by true events, according to the San Sebastian festival. The festival lists the film as a Germany-Poland production, meaning companies from both countries are behind it. Variety describes it as tackling a post-Second World War taboo, a subject left largely untouched in public discussion.
The cast is headed by Jella Haase and Frida-Lovisa Hamann. They are joined by Clemens Schick, Lukas Miko and Martin Wuttke. The ensemble carries a story with a small, village-scale focus. All five are credited as the principal cast.
The 2026 Toronto International Film Festival ran September 10 to 20. Its Discovery programme was opened by Stuffed, a film from actor Jodie Comer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The 2026 San Sebastian International Film Festival runs September 18 to 26, so the two events overlapped this year.
Vahl is a German director making a first feature with Krux. Toronto's festival programme gives the film-maker's full name as Ulrike Tony Vahl. The credit on the film is Tony Vahl.
For viewers new to festivals, this matters for simple reasons. A Toronto premiere puts a debut in front of buyers and programmers. A San Sebastian competition slot puts it in front of a second audience a week later. Both steps are about reaching screens.
