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 [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Jaione Camborda
scheda film], the second feature by Jaione Camborda (Arima [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Jaione Camborda
scheda film]). 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 [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Benjamín Naishtat e María …
scheda film], 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 [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Isabel Coixet
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intervista: Asta Kamma August
intervista: Isabella Eklöf
scheda film], 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 [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Jaione Camborda
scheda film] – 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 [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Asta Kamma August
intervista: Isabella Eklöf
scheda film] – Isabella Eklöf (Denmark/Sweden/Norway/Finland/Greenland/Netherlands)

Silver Shell for Best Lead Performance (ex aequo)
Tatsuya Fuji – Great Absence (Japan)
Marcelo Subiotto - Puan [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Benjamín Naishtat e María …
scheda film] (Argentina/Brazil/France/Germany/USA)

Silver Shell for Best Supporting Performance
Hovik Keuchkerian - Un amor [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Isabel Coixet
scheda film] (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 [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] – Eduardo Williams (Portugal/Netherlands/Argentina/Taiwan/Brazil/Peru/Sri Lanka/Hong Kong)

Special Mention
The Trial [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] – Ulises de la Orden (Argentina/Norway/France/Italy)

Horizontes Latinos

Horizontes Latinos Award
The Castle [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Martín Benchimol
scheda film] – 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 [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] - Tran Anh Hung (France)

Other awards

Irizar Basque Film Award
Sultana’s Dream [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Isabel Herguera
scheda film] – 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 [+leggi anche:
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intervista: J.A. Bayona
scheda film] – Juan Antonio Bayona (USA/Spain)

Audience Award for Best European Film
Me Captain [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] – Matteo Garrone (Italy/Belgium)

TCM Youth Award
The Blue Star [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Javier Macipe
scheda film] – Javier Macipe (Argentina/Spain)

FIPRESCI Award
Fingernails – Christos Nikou (USA)