29/09/2003 - Prizes and rows in the Basque city. A German film panned by the critics, Schussangst, wins. The home favourite, Te doy mis ojos only comes away with prizes for the 2 actors

There was a lively debate at the end of the 51st edition of the San Sebastian Festival. The critics were unanimous in their opinion that the German film awarded with the Golden Conch, by the jury, Schussangst (Gun-shy) by Dito Tsintsadze was absurd. It follows the development of a young conscientious objector, who works with old people.
Two of the Festival's main prizes went to the film that was the 'favourite' to win the big prize, Te doy mis ojos by Icìar Bollaìn, with Luis Tosar winning Best Actor and Laia Marull being awarded as Best Actress. The jury justified its decision saying that it could not give more than two prizes to the same film, as is outlined in the rules of the International federation of Film Festivals Associations (FIAC). Something very similar happened at the last edition of the Basque festival, when the film by Fernando Leòn de Aranoa, Mondays in the Sun, was only awarded as Best Film, leaving the star of the film, Javier Bardem, empty handed.

The Special Prize was given to an independent American film, The Station Agent by Tom McCarthy, and best Director went to the Korean Bong Joon-Ho for Memorie di un Assassino, then the jury awarded a further European film, the Danish picture Inheritance by Per Fly for Best Screenplay and the British film by Peter Webber Girl with a Pearl Earring, for Best Photography.
The youth prize went to another one of the favourites at the festival, Noviembre by Achero Manas, which is also one of the three films up to go forward for the 2004 Oscar nominations.
Somewhat unusually, a prize for Spanish cinema came from France, with the ARTE award, given by the TV channel of the same name for the first time this year, which gave a prize for distribution worth €902,000 to the film by Joaquin Oristrell, Los abajos firmantes.

(Translated from Italian)