The feature film Tardes de soledad (Spain-France-Portugal), directed by Albert Serra, has bagged the Golden Shell at the San Sebastian Festival's 72nd edition, whose official jury gave the Silver Shell for Best Director ex aequo to debutants Laura Carreira and Pedro Martín Calero for their respective work in On Falling (UK-Portugal) and El llanto / The Wailing (Spain-Argentina-France).

The Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance went to Patricia López Arnaiz for her role in Los destellos / Glimmers (Spain), the third feature from Pilar Palomero, while the Best Supporting Performance Award  went to Pierre Lottin as part of the cast of Quand vient l'automne / When Fall Is Coming (France), by François Ozon. The latter joins Philippe Piazzo in winning the Jury Prize for Best Screenplay ―Ozon won the same prize as well as the Golden Shell for Dans la maison / In the House―, while the Best Cinematography accolade went to Piao Songri for Bound in Heaven (China), the debut movie from Huo Xin.

Added to these, the Special Jury Prize went to The Last Showgirl (USA), directed by Gia Coppola, in recognition of the work of the cast of actors and actresses, among whom are Pamela Anderson, Kiernan Shipka, Brenda Song, Billie Lourd, Dave Bautista and Jamie Lee Curtis. "For the high quality of its acting, packed with truth and nuances, which with great subtlety and restraint, brings us closer to the feelings of a group of people who must confront a disappearing profession, a world that is coming to an end", says the jury's verdict.

The official jury delivering the awards was presided over by the filmmaker Jaione Camborda, winner of the Golden Shell last year for O corno / The Rye Horn. The director from San Sebastian was accompanied in her deliberations by the Argentine writer and journalist Leila Guerriero, the North American actor and director Fran Kranz, the Greek moviemaker, screenwriter and producer Christos Nikou, the Austrian filmmaker Ulrich Seidl and the French producer Carole Scotta.

The winners were announced at a gala held this evening in the Kursaal Auditorium followed by the European premiere of We Live in Time, closing film of the edition. The event was attended by the director John Crowley and the actor Andrew Garfield, co-star of the film alongside Florence Pugh. 

OTHER OFFICIAL AWARDS

Bagger Drama (Switzerland), the second film from Piet Baumgartner, won the Kutxabank-New Directors Award and and there also was a special mention to La guitarra flamenca de Yerai Cortés (Spain), the directorial debut from musician Antón Álvarez, better known by his stage name of C. Tangana.

The Horizontes Award went to El jockey / Kill the Jockey (Argentina-Mexico-Spain-Denmark-USA), the film by Luis Ortega which was in competition at the last Venice Mostra, while the Zabaltegi-Tabakalera Award went to another film programmed at the same Festival, Aprili / April (France-Italy-Georgia), the second feature film by Dea Kulumbegashvili, whose debut Dasatskisi / Beginning (2020) won four awards in the Official Selection at San Sebastian: the Golden Shell for Best Film, the Silver Shells for Best Director and Best Actress, and the Jury Prize for Best Screenplay. In addition, the film Monólogo colectivo / Collective Monologue (Argentina) by Jessica Sarah Rinland, presented at the Locarno Festival, received a special mention at the Zabaltegi-Tabakalera Award.

The short film El reinado de Antoine / The Reign of Antoine (Cuba-Dominican Republic) by José Luis Jimenez Gómez (International Film and Television School of Cuba) garnered the Nest The Mediapro Studio Award. The Culinary Zinema Award went to Mugaritz. Sin pan ni postre (Spain), by Paco Plaza, and the Eusko Label Awards to Borja de Agüero, who received the first prize for the short film Las guardianas (Spain), while Jon Martija Leunda bagged the second prize for Km 0 (Spain). For its part, the jury of the Loterías Award going to short films on social issues gave its first prize to Mikel González Beorlegui for Antón (Spain) and its second to Carlos Fernández de Vigo and Lorena Ares for Cafunè (Spain).

In addition, the winner of the Irizar Basque Film Award was Chaplin | Espíritu Gitano / Chaplin | Spirit of The Tramp (Spain-UK-Netherlands-France), the directorial debut from actor and producer Carmen Chaplin included in the Zinemira section, while Erreplika / Replica (Spain), by Pello Gutiérrez Peñalba, landed a special mention. Moreover, the FIPRESCI Award went to Bound in Heaven (China), the film by Huo Xin included in the Official Selection.

Added to these, the City of Donostia / San Sebastian Audience Award decided by the audience of the Perlak section went to En fanfare / The Marching Band(France), the movie by Emmanuel Courcol previously programmed at Cannes Première, while the Audience Award for Best European Film was carried off by Daney anjir maabed / The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany-France-Iran), the feature from Mohammad Rasoulof, recipient of the Special Jury and FIPRESCI accolades at the Cannes Festival. Finally, Turn Me On (USA), the second movie from Michael Tyburski participating in New Directors, claimed the DAMA Youth Award.