02/10/2023 - Basque helmer Jaione Camborda has become the first female Spanish director to obtain the top prize in the gathering’s 71-year history

Director Jaione Camborda with her Golden Shell for The Rye Horn together with jury president Claire Denis (© Dario Caruso)

On Saturday night, Claire Denis, the chair of the jury at the 71st edition of the San Sebastián Film Festival, handed the Golden Shell for Best Film in the Official Section to the Spanish-Portuguese-Belgian production The Rye Horn [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaione Camborda
film profile], the second feature by Jaione Camborda (Arima [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaione Camborda
film profile]). The filmmaker, who was born 40 years ago in the very city where the festival is held, stated that she wanted to share the win with her cast and crew, as she was unable to be better accompanied to the gathering. “It’s not easy funding an arthouse project, and that’s why I’m also grateful to the institutions for their support. I feel flattered to be rewarded by this jury, which is made up of some of my idols. And at this festival, we’ve seen films of many different genres and with many sensibilities – a real Tower of Babel from which we can look upon the world with different points of view: diversity gives us more freedom. Finally, I wish to share this prize with all of the female filmmakers who are still to come and who will serve as inspirations to the ones after them.”

For the fourth year running, the Golden Shell has been won by a woman. In addition, Camborda is the first Spanish woman to take it home. However, as the victor said: “We want it to become normal for female directors to win awards, and then we won’t need to talk about it any more.” Furthermore, The Rye Horn is the first feature hailing from the Ikusmira Berriak programme, co-organised by the San Sebastián Film Festival, Tabakalera and the Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola (EQZE), to scoop the top prize in the Official Section.

In addition, the official jury handed the Silver Shell for Best Director to Tzu-Hui Peng and Ping-Wen Wang for their work on the Taiwanese production A Journey in Spring, while the Award for Best Screenplay went to María Alché and Benjamín Naishtat for Puan [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benjamín Naishtat and María…
film profile], which they both directed. The co-production between Argentina, Brazil and various European countries also picked up the Silver Shell for Best Lead Performance, which was split between its lead, Marcelo Subiotto, and Japan’s Tatsuya Fuji, who breathes life into the main character in Great Absence by Kei Chikaura.

After the ceremony, Naishtat said to the press: “At this festival, there is so much respect for Latin American film.” For example, 25 Argentinian productions were screened in the various sections, and the award-winning auteurs behind them constantly called out the censorship-heavy fascism looming over their home country.

Meanwhile, the Silver Shell for Best Supporting Performance ended up going to Lebanese thesp Hovik Keuchkerian for Un amor [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Isabel Coixet
film profile] by Isabel Coixet. Kalak [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Asta Kamma August
interview: Isabella Eklöf
film profile], directed by Isabella Eklöf, pocketed two trophies: for Best Cinematography (courtesy of Nadim Carlsen) and the Special Jury Prize, "because it lets us into a world that we had no knowledge of; it has a way of showing the country, its conflicts and its hidden beauty through genuine cinematographic art", according to the jury statement.

The ceremony on Saturday 30 September brought down the curtain on a festival where all too often, one could hear the remark that the weather in the city was better than the films. In its Official Section, several names that many initially expected to win a prize, such as European helmers Robin Campillo, Joachim Lafosse, Cristi Puiu and Xavier Legrand, went home empty-handed. However, there are always other sidebars that can be scoured by those in search of originality, surprises and audacity, where all kinds of stimulating experiments await.

Here is the full list of winners:

Competition

Golden Shell for Best Film
The Rye Horn [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaione Camborda
film profile] – Jaione Camborda (Spain/Portugal/Belgium)

Silver Shell for Best Director
Tzu-Hui Peng, Ping-Wen Wang – A Journey in Spring (Taiwan)

Special Jury Prize
Kalak [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Asta Kamma August
interview: Isabella Eklöf
film profile] – Isabella Eklöf (Denmark/Sweden/Norway/Finland/Greenland/Netherlands)

Silver Shell for Best Lead Performance (ex aequo)
Tatsuya Fuji – Great Absence (Japan)
Marcelo Subiotto - Puan [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benjamín Naishtat and María…
film profile] (Argentina/Brazil/France/Germany/USA)

Silver Shell for Best Supporting Performance
Hovik Keuchkerian - Un amor [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Isabel Coixet
film profile] (Spain)

Best Screenplay
María Alché, Benjamín Naishtat - Puan

Best Cinematography
Nadim Carlsen - Kalak

New Directors

Kutxabank-New Directors Award
Bahadur the Brave - Diwa Shah (India)

Zabaltegi-Tabakalera

Zabaltegi-Tabakalera Award
The Human Surge 3 [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Eduardo Williams (Portugal/Netherlands/Argentina/Taiwan/Brazil/Peru/Sri Lanka/Hong Kong)

Special Mention
The Trial [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Ulises de la Orden (Argentina/Norway/France/Italy)

Horizontes Latinos

Horizontes Latinos Award
The Castle [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Martín Benchimol
film profile] – Martín Benchimol (Argentina/France/Spain)

Nest

The Mediapro Studio Nest Award
Amma ki katha - Nehal Vyas (India) (short film)

Special Mention
Entre les autres - Marie Falys (Belgium) (short film)

Culinary Zinema

Best Film
The Taste of Things [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Tran Anh Hung (France)

Other awards

Irizar Basque Film Award
Sultana’s Dream [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Isabel Herguera
film profile] – Isabel Herguera (Spain/Germany)

Eusko Label Award

First Prize
Latxa - Mikel Urretabizkaia (Spain) (micro short)

Second Prize
Soroborda - Paolo Tizón (Spain) (micro short)

Audience Award
Society of the Snow [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: JA Bayona
film profile] – Juan Antonio Bayona (USA/Spain)

Audience Award for Best European Film
Me Captain [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Matteo Garrone (Italy/Belgium)

TCM Youth Award
The Blue Star [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Javier Macipe
film profile] – Javier Macipe (Argentina/Spain)

FIPRESCI Award
Fingernails – Christos Nikou (USA)

(Translated from Spanish)