“Afternoons of Solitude” wins first prize in San Sebastian

The Golden Shell for best film of the 72nd San Sebastian Film Festival went to Albert Serra Afternoons of solitudea documentary about bullfighting, instead of narrative features by Joshua Oppenheimer, Edward Berger and Mike Leigh.

The Spanish director based his film on the life of Peruvian-Spanish bullfighter Andrés Roca Rey, which critics have described as visceral and fascinating. It beat Leigh's Hard truths and that of Berger Conclaveas well as Oppenheimer's dystopian musical The end.

Elsewhere, Pamela Anderson and the cast of Gia Coppola's The ultimate showgirl took home the Special Jury Prize for best ensemble cast. The Hollywood journalistThe movie review said: “Although The ultimate showgirl feels overall lean, more consistently attentive to aesthetics and atmosphere than psychological depth, there's a touching empathy in his portrayal of [Las Vegas dancer] Shelly and women like her, their sense of self crumbles as they are cruelly devalued.

The Silver Shell for best director went to Laura Carreira for About the fallhis film about a Portuguese warehouse worker in Scotland facing loneliness and alienation in an algorithm-driven gig economy, and to Pedro Martin-Calero for The Lamentcenters on a group of young people who inadvertently resurrect an invisible evil.

Patricia López Arnaiz won the Silver Shell for best leading role Glimmer and Pierre Lottin won the equivalent award for Best Supporting Performance When autumn arrives.

Other awards included those for best screenplay to François Ozon, Philippe Piazzo, When autumn arrivesand the New Directors Award for Piet Baumgartner Bagger drama. The Horizontes Latinos Prize was awarded to Luis Ortega Kill the jockey. Best photography was awarded to Piao Songri for Bound in heaven.

The festival took place this year from September 20 to 28 and concluded with Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh's We live in time. Honorary awards went to Cate Blanchett, Javier Bardem and Pedro Almodovar at the city's Kursaal Theatre.

See THRComplete coverage of San Sebastian is here.

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