'Sundays', Golden Shell of the 73rd San Sebastián Festival

Third consecutive victory for Spanish cinema in the 73rd San Sebastian Festival: After Jaione Camborda won the Golden Shell with 'O corno' (2023) and Albert Serra did the same in 2024 with 'Tardes de Soledad', Alauda Ruiz de Azúa signs a new milestone in his career with 'Los Domingos', his third feature film.

Sundays tells the story of Ainara (Blanca Soroa), an idealistic and brilliant young woman who has to decide what university degree she will study. However, she states that she feels increasingly closer to God and is considering embracing the life of a cloistered nun. The film recounts the family's reaction to the news, creating a chasm between them. The feature film, a production of Buenapinta Media, Colosé Productions, Encanta Films, Sayaka Productions, Think Studio y Telefónica Audiovisual Digital, has also raised the Irizar Award for Basque Cinema and the Film Festival Award.

The San Sebastián jury has awarded the Silver Shell ex aequo for the best leading performance to the actor Jose Ramon Soroiz, for his role in Maspalomas (Spain), and the actress Zhao Xiaohong, by Jianyu ugly mama / Her Heart Beats in Its Cage (China). Besides, Camila Plates has obtained the Silver Shell for best supporting performance for his performance in Belén (Argentina).

Joachim Lafosse, who obtained the Silver Shell for the best address con The White Knights / The White Knights (The white knights, 2015), has won the same award again for Six days that spring / Six Days in Spring (Belgium-France-Luxembourg) and also the Jury Prize for best script, an award he shares with Chloe Duponchelle y Paul Ishmael. The distinction to best photography has been for Pau was by his work in The Tigers (Spain).

Furthermore, the Special Jury Prize has fallen into Stories of the good valley / Good Valley Stories (Spain-France), by José Luis Guerin, who already obtained this same recognition for Under construction / Work in Progress (2001). On this occasion, the jury has awarded the prize "to a film that directs its camera towards the periphery, towards faces and landscapes rarely filmed, to trace a gaze that flows generously and humanly over time, evoking, in that journey, the very essence of cinema."

The filmmaker J.A. Bayonne He has chaired the Official Jury in charge of configuring the winners' list together with the Portuguese filmmaker Laura Carreira and the American director Gia Coppola; actress Zhou Dongyu; the Argentine singer and performer Lali Espósito; the British actor Mark Strong, and the French producer Anne-Dominique Toussaint.

More official awards from the 73rd edition of the San Sebastián Festival

Vaegtloes / Weightless (Denmark), Emilie Thalund's first film, has achieved the Kutxabank-New Directors Award, whose jury has included a special mention for the debut of Irati Gorostidi Agirretxe, new era (Spain), which in its project phase participated in the Ikusmira Berriak residency program, organized by the San Sebastián Festival, Tabakalera and Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola (EQZE). He Premio Horizontes Make & Mark has been for A poet / A Poet (Colombia-Germany-Sweden), a film by Simón Mesa Soto that premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes, where it won the Jury Prize. The jury has also awarded two special mentions: one for another project developed in Ikusmira Berriak, Ivy / The Ivy (Ecuador-Mexico-France-Spain), by Ana Cristina Barragán, an EQZE alumni who with this title won the award for best script in the Orizzonti section of the Venice Film Festival, and another for A loose end / A Loose End (Uruguay-Argentina-Spain), a film by Daniel Hendler premiered in the Venezia Spotlight section that participated in the 2023 Europe-Latin America Co-production Forum and last year won the WIP Latam Industry Award.

On the other hand, the Premio Zabaltegi-Tabakalera has fallen into The ice tower / The Ice Tower (The Ice Tower) (France-Germany), the new work by Lucile Hadzihalilovic that won a Silver Bear for artistic contribution in the official competition of the Berlinale. The jury has also decided to award two special mentions to Twice João Liberada / Two Times João Liberada (Portugal), by Paula Tomás Marques, and Blue Heron (Canada-Hungary), by Sophy Romvari; The first film is the work of another EQZE alumni and was premiered in the Perspectives section of the Berlinale, while the other won the Swatch Award for best debut film in the Concorso Cineasti del Presente section of the Locarno Festival and the Best Canadian Discovery Award at the Toronto Festival.

The short film How to Listen to Fountains (Slovakia), by Eva Sajanová (Academy of Music and Performing Arts – FTF VSMU, Slovakia), has obtained the Nest The Mediapro Studio Award, while the special mention went to The Old Bull Knows, Or Once Knew (India), de Milan Kumar (Film & Television Institute of India, Pune, India). Además, el Movistar Plus+ Award for Best Short Film and the Premio Tabakalera have ended up, respectively, in The Loneliness of Lizards (Spain-Portugal), by Inês Nunes (Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola – EQZE, Spain), and That's how life is and not otherwise / Life is Like That and Not Otherwise (Germany), de Lenia Friedrich (Academy of Media Arts Cologne – KHM, Germany).

He Zinema Culinary Award has been awarded to Mam (France), by Nan Feix, and the Eusko Label Award went to the short films breath (Spain) and Salt Valley (Spain), with which Josu Ozaita Azpiroz and Saioa Miguel have achieved the first and second awards, respectively. Regarding the contest of short films with social themes, the first work distinguished with the Lottery Prize has been Maruja (Spain), by Álvaro G. Company, and the second, Jellyfish (Spain), by Iñaki Sánchez Arrieta.

Sundays / Sundays (Spain-France), the film directed by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, has not only won the Golden Shell, but also the FIPRESCI Award granted by international criticism and Irizar Award for Basque Cinema, whose jury has awarded a special mention to The last outburst / The Last Rapture (Spain), directorial debut by Marta Medina and Enrique López Lavigne included in the Zabaltegi-Tabakalera section.

He City of Donostia / San Sebastián Public Award that the public of the section chooses the pearls has been for The Voice of Hind Rajab (Hind's voice) (Tunisia-France), the film by Kaouther Ben Hania that received the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize in Venice, and the Audience Award for Best European Film the animated film has taken it Amélie and the metaphysics of tubes / Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (Little Amélie) (France), with which Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han participated in the special screenings at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the Annecy Festival.

Finally, The mysterious gaze of flamenco / The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (Chile-France-Germany-Spain-Belgium), debut of Diego Céspedes included in the section Latin Horizons, has achieved the DAMA of Youth Award. The film, which in its draft phase won the post-production award at Ikusmira Berriak, received the Un Certain Regard Prize at the Cannes Festival this year.

Complete list of winners of the San Sebastián Festival 2025

Golden Shell for Best Film – Sundays (Alauda Ruiz de Azúa)

Special Jury Award – Stories of the good valley (Jose Luis Guerin)

Silver shell for the best address (ex aequo) – Joachim Lafosse (Six days this spring / Six days in spring)

Silver shell for best lead performance (ex aequo) – José Ramón Soroz (Maspalomas) and Zhao Xiaohong (Jianyu Laide Mama / Her heart beats in its cage)

Silver Shell for Best Supporting Performance – Camila Plates (Belén)

Jury Award for Best Screenplay – Joachim Lafosse, Chloé Duponchelle and Paul Ismaël (Six days this spring / Six days in spring)

Jury Award for Best Photography – Paul Stephen (The tigers)

Kutxabank Award – New directors – Vaegtloes / Weightless (Emilie Thalund). Special mention to New Era (Irati Gorostidi Agirretxe)

Horizons Award – A poet (Simon Mesa Soto). Special mention to Ivy (Ana Cristina Barragán) and A loose end (Daniel Hendler)

Premio Zabaltegi-Tabakalera – The ice tower (Lucile Hadzihalilovic). Arrow a Twice João Liberada (Paula Tomás Marqués). Special mention to Blue Heron (Sophy Romvari)

Nest Award – Nest The Mediapro Studio Award 2025 a How to listen to fountains (Eva Sajanová). Special mention to The Old Bull knows, or once knew (Milan Kumar). Movistar Plus+ Award for best short film The lonelinezz of lizards (Inês Nunes). Tabakalera Award to Life is like that and not otherwise.

Zinema Culinary Award – Mam (Dwarf Beam)

Eusko Label Award – Hatsa / Soul (Josu Ozaita Azpiroz). Second prize Gatz harana / Salt valley (Session Miguel)

Lottery Prize – Maruja (Alvaro G. Company). Second prize Jellyfish (Iñaki Sánchez Arrieta)

Irizar Award for Basque cinema – Sundays (Alauda Ruiz de Azúa). Special mention to The last outburst (Marta Medina, Enrique López Lavigne)

City of Donostia / San Sebastián Public Award – The voice of Hind Rajab) (Kouther Ben Hania)

City of Donosita / San Sebastián Audience Award for Best European Film – Amélie and the metaphysics of tubes / Little Amélie or the character of Rain (Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han)

DAMA Youth Award – The mysterious look of flamenco (Diego Cespedes)

WIP LATAM Industry Award – Flies (Fernando Eimbcke)

EGEDA Platinum Industry Award for the best WIP LATAM – When it came time to set the table, there were no longer five of us. (Esteban Hoyos García, Juan Miguel Gelacio Ramírez)

WIP Europe Industry Award – Seiben Tage Februar / February, Seven Days (Tatiana Moutchnik)

Award for Best Project of the XIV Europe-Latin America Coproduction Forum – Don't let me die alone (Francisco Rodriguez Teare)

Dale Award! (Latin America-Europe Development) – What follows is my death (Laura Baumeister)

Artekino International Prize – The skin of the lion (Alvaro Brechner)

Sidereal Award – La koreana, a ferromagnetic poem of light and memory (Joana Moya Blanco)

Casa Wabi-Escine Award – Don't let me die alone (Francisco Rodriguez Teare)

QCinema Award – What follows is my death (Laura Baumeister)

Zinemaldia Startup Challenge Award Best European Project – Novel fire masks engineered with 3d technology

Zinemaldia Startup Challenge Award for Best Spanish Project – Quickets

Zinemaldia Startup Challenge Award – Special mention for entrepreneurship – Quickets

Award from the 20th Documentary Co-Production Forum Lau Haizetara Music Library – Mariana X BHP (Renan Flumian)

Prize of the XX Lau Haizetara Documentary Co-Production Forum Euroregional Documentary – Alxalilies (Maia Iribarne Olhagarai)

Award from the 20th Lau Haizetara EPE-IBAIA-ELKARGI Documentary Co-Production Forum –The incredible story of a movie we haven't seen (Claudia Chávez Levano – Christine Mladic Christine Mladic Janney)

RTVE Award – Another look – The currents (Mumenthaler Miracles). Special mention to Belén (Dolores Fonzi)

Spanish cooperation award – Stories of the good valley (Jose Luis Guerin)

Premio Agenda 2030 Euskadi Basque Country – The voice of Hind Rajab (Kouther Ben Hania)

Dunia Ayaso Award – The Turtles (Belen Funes). Special mention: my friend eva (Cesc Gay)

Donostia Awards – Esther García y Jennifer Lawrence

Cinema Award – Asier Altuna, Telmo Esnal

Fipresci Award – Sundays (Alauda Ruiz de Azúa)

Premio Feroz Film Festival 2025 – Sundays (Alauda Ruiz de Azúa)

Gidoi + SGAE Award for the best screenwriter in Euskal Herria 2025 – Borja Cobeaga (The Aitas)

Sebastiane Prize 2025 – Maspalomas (Jose Mari Goenaga, Aitor Arregi)

Premio Lurra - Greenpeace - Stories of the good valley (Jose Luis Guerin)

Premio Signis – Sundays (Alauda Ruiz de Azúa)

Ateneo Guipuzcoano Award – Nuremberg (James Vanderbilt)