Serra takes Golden Shell in San Sebastian

Albert Serra with his Golden Shell for Afternoons Of Solitude Photo: Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival/Alex Abril

Albert Serra's bullfighting documentary Afternoons Of Solitude won the Golden Shell as San Sebastian Film Festival's 72nd edition drew to a close last night.

The film considers the life of matador Andrés Roca Rey and Serra received the award from last year’s Golden Shell winner, Spanish filmmaker Jaione Camborda. The jury also included directors Ulrich Seidl, Christos Nikou and Fran Kranz, producer Carole Scotta and journalist Leila Guerriero.

The Silver Shell directing honours were shared ex-aequo by Edinburgh-based Portuguese filmmaker Laura Carreira for On Falling, a carefully crafted character study of a Portuguese migrant working as a warehouse picker and Spaniard Pedro Martín Calero, also making his debut, with ambitious female-centric horror film The Wailing.

Laura Carreira receives her Silver Shell from Carole Scotta for On Falling Photo: Courtesy of San Sebastian Film Festival/Alex Abril

Francois Ozon and Philippe Piazzo won the Jury Prize for screenplay for When Fall Is Coming, which also saw Pierre Lottin pick up a Silver Shell for supporting actor. The acting prizes at San Sebastian are gender neutral, with the onen for starring role going to Patricia López Arnaiz for her subtle turn in terminal illness drama Glimmers. There was also a Special Jury Mention award for the cast of Pamela Anderson starrer The Last Showgirl, which also features Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, Kiernan Shipka, Billie Lourd and Brenda Song.

The full list of awards is below:

• 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) and 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