Mike Leigh’s ‘Tender Loving Care’ Sweeps San Sebastian Awards as ‘La Bola Negra,’ ‘NAZA’ Earn Audience Nods

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Mike Leigh’s dramatic comedy Tender Loving Care took home three top awards at Saturday night’s closing ceremony of the 74th annual edition of the San Sebastian International Film Festival, which ran Sept. 18-26, including the golden shell for best film and silver shells for best screenplay and best leading performance for Kate O’Flynn.

O’Flynn shared the award with Asta Kamma August for her work in Hans Petter Moland’s Growth of the Soil, which also took home best cinematography for DP Oskar Dahlsbakken.

At a press conference earlier in the week, Leigh talked about why Tender Loving Care would probably be his last film. “It’s a practical matter to do with my medical condition — a physical condition.”

Silver Shell for best director went to Sweden’s Amanda Kernell for Brace Your Heart. She dedicated the prize to members of the Sami culture represented in her film about reindeer herders, a “living culture facing immense stress.” She highlighted “the importance that films can give voice to those without a voice and be this machine of empathy.”

The Special Jury Prize went to Ah Biao’s Border. Spain’s Javier Cámara took home the Silver Shell for Best Supporting Performance in Javier Ruiz Caldera’s 5 More Minutes.

Audience Awards for films in the Pearls section went to Spanish sensation La Bola Negra and to Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor for NAZA for best European film.

Javier Calvo, who co-directed La Bola Negra with Javier Ambrossi, told the audience that the film, which opened in theaters in Spain yesterday and is generating heavy Oscars buzz, was made for them. “It thrills me that people are once again saying, ‘Long live Spanish cinema,'” he said.

This year’s jury was presided over by director Ira Sachs, who screened his new film The Man I Loved in the Pearls section, and also included actor-producer Alice Braga, writer-director-producer Genki Kawamura, actress Patricia Lopez Arnaiz, actor-producer Bill Skarsgard, producer Mike Goodridge and scripter Catherine Paille.

Naomi Watts received a lifetime achievement Donostia Award earlier in the week from Spaniard J.A. Bayona, who directed her in The Impossible. She dedicated her award to David Lynch, who passed away in January 2025, saying he changed her life when he cast her in Mulholland Drive.

Filmmaker Werner Herzog took home the other Donostia Award during the festival’s politically charged opening night ceremony from Orlando Bloom, who conquered Instagram on his arrival to San Sebastian when he splashed around in the sea waves, then went out to dinner with Brad Pitt.

Pitt spent several days in San Sebastian before walking the red carpet with his new film Heart of the Beast on Wednesday evening. Fans swarmed the Kursaal Theater, where Pitt reportedly spent the duration of his official film screening outside, signing autographs and posing for photographs for the massive crowd gathered.

Other top talents to appear in the coastal city included Penelope Cruz, Jeremy Irons, Diego Luna, Marion Cotillard, Rami Malek and more. Danny Boyle appeared last weekend with his Venice opener Ink — the “surprise film” of the festival — announced on Sept. 24.

This year’s festival marks the last for current festival director Jose Luis Rebordinos, who will be replaced at next year’s 75th annual edition by the event’s first-ever female director, Maialen Beloki.

The festival poster featured Argentine acting legend Ricardo Darín, a nod to the fest’s connections with Latin American cinema, which had close to 100 titles in the various sections this edition.

Here is the full list of winners for the 74th San Sebastian International Film Festival:

Silver Shell for Best Director

Amanda Kernell, Brace Your Heart (Garrat du Vaimmu)

Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance

Kate O’Flynn, Tender Loving Care, Astra Kamma August, Growth of the Soil (Markens grøde)

Silver Shell for Best Supporting Performance

Javier Camara, 5 More Minutes (5 minutos más)

Jury Prize for Best Cinematography

Oskar Dahlsbakken, Growth of the Soil

Jury Prize for Best Screenplay

Mike Leigh, Tender Loving Care

Special Jury Prize