Afternoons Of Solitude

Source: San Sebastian International Film Festival

‘Afternoons Of Solitude’

Spanish director Albert Serra’s bullfighting documentary Afternoons Of Solitude has won the Golden Shell for best film at the closing ceremony of the 72nd edition of the Spanish festival tonight (Saturday September 28). 

The special jury prize was awarded to Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl which stars Pamela Anderson as a Vegas showgirl facing the end of her career.

The Last Showgirl

Source: TIFF

‘The Last Showgirl’

The official competition jury, presided over by Spanish filmmaker Jaione Camborda – who was last year’s Golden Shell winner for The Rye Horn, also awarded top prizes to new filmmakers. The Silver Shell for best director went ex-aequo to first-time feature directors Laura Carreira for On Falling and Pedro Martín Calero for The Wailing.

On Falling, a UK and Portugal production, tells the story of a Portuguese factory worker in Scotland who struggles to make ends meet. The Wailing is a Spain- France- Argentina horror film about gender violence written by Calero and Isabel Peña.

Scroll down for full awards

The Silver Shell for the best leading performance went to Spanish actress Patricia López Arnaiz, for her work in the drama Glimmers, directed by Pilar Palomero, about a divorced woman having to establish contact again with her ex-husband (Antonio de la Torre) due to his illness.

The award for the best supporting performance went to French actor Pierre Lottin for François Ozon’s When Fall Is Coming.  The drama also won the jury prize for best screenplay.

The audience award – which presents €50,000 to the Spanish distribution company- went to Emmanuel Courcol’s The Marching Band, a French drama about two twins reunited by fate and their love of music, to be distributed in Spain by Caramel Films and Karma Films.

The winner of the audience award for best European film was won by Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed Of The Sacred Fig, with a prize of € 20.000 for the Spanish distributor BTeam Pictures.

The Kutxabank-New Directors award for the best first or second feature, comprising €50.000 to share between the director and the Spanish distributor, was won by Swiss filmmaker Piet Baumgartner’s Bagger Drama, with a special mention for Antón Álvarez’s documentary La Guitarra Flamenca De Yerai Cortés.

San Sebastian 2024 winners

Golden Shell for best film
Afternoons Of Solitude (Spain-France-Portugal)
Dir: Albert Serra 

Special jury prize
The Last Showgirl (US)
Dir: Gia Coppola

Silver Shell for best director (ex aequo)
Laura Carreira for On Falling (UK-Portugal)
Pedro Martín-Calero for The Wailing (Spain-Argentina-France)

Silver Shell For best leading performance 
Patricia López Arnaiz for Glimmers (Spain)

Silver Shell For best supporting performance
Pierre Lottin for When Fall Is Coming (France)

Jury prize for best screenplay
François Ozon, Philippe Piazzo for When Fall Is Coming (France)

Jury prize for best cinematography
Songri Piao for Bound In Heaven (China)

Kutxabank-New Directors Award
Piet Baumgartner for Bagger Drama (Switzerland)

Special mention:
La Guitarra Flamenca De Yerai Cortés
Dir: Antón Álvarez (Spain)

Horizontes Award
Kill The Jockey (Argentina-Mexico-Spain-Denmark-US)
Dir: Luis Ortega

Zabaltegi-Tabakalera Award
April (France-Italy-Georgia)
Dir: Dea Kulumbegashvili

Special mention
Collective Monologue (Argentina)
Dir: Jessica Sarah Rinland

Audience award
The Marching Band
Dir: Emmanuel Courcol (France)

Audience award for European film
The Seed Of The Sacred Fig (Germany-France-Iran)
Dir: Mohammad Rasoulof

Nest The Mediapro Studio award
The Reign Of Antoine (Cuba-Dominican Republic)
Dir: José Luis Jiménez Gómez

Culinary Zinema best film award
Mugaritz. Sin Pan Ni Postre (Spain)
Dir: Paco Plaza

Irizar Basque film award
Chaplin, Spirit Of The Tramp (Spain-UK-Netherlands)
Dir: Carmen Chaplin

Special mention
Replica (Spain)
Dir: Pello Gutiérrez Peñalba

Dama Youth award
Turn Me On (US)
Dir: Michael Tyburski

Fipresci award
Bound In Heaven (China)
Dir: Xin Huo