The San Sebastián International Film Festival closed its 73rd edition with the triumph of the Spanish film Los domingos, directed by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, which won the Golden Shell for Best Film and confirmed the filmmaker as one of the most solid voices in contemporary European cinema after the success of Lullaby (Cinco lobitos) and the series Querer. The film, starring newcomer Blanca Soroa alongside Patricia López Arnáiz, Nagore Aranburu and Miguel Garcés, tells the story of Ainara, a 17-year-old idealist who provokes a family rift when she announces her decision to enter a cloistered convent, a magnetic tale that captivated both critics and the jury presided over by Juan Antonio Bayona.

The awards list also highlighted Good Valley Stories, by veteran José Luis Guerín, which received the Jury Prize, and The Voice of Hind, by Kaouther Ben Hania, which broke audience rating records in the history of the festival and won the Audience Award. Belgian filmmaker Joachim Lafosse was honored with the Silver Shell for Best Director and Best Screenplay for Six Days in Spring, while the Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance was awarded ex aequo to Spanish actor José Ramón Soroiz, for his role in Maspalomas, and Zhao Xiaohong for Her Heart Beats In A Cage. The RTVE–Otra Mirada Award went to Las corrientes, by Argentine filmmaker Milagros Mumenthaler, and young actress Camila Plaate was recognized for her striking performance in Belén.

The edition was marked by strong social engagement and by the presence of the Gaza conflict, both in the streets of the Basque city and in the press conferences, with festival director José Luis Rebordinos and Spain’s Minister of Culture Ernest Urtasun joining the demonstrations. U.S. actress Jennifer Lawrence, who received the honorary Donostia Award, described the situation in the Middle East as “an unacceptable genocide.” The closing ceremony ended with the screening of Winter of the Crow, by Polish director Kasia Adamik, but the great protagonist of the night was Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, who became the fifth woman to win the Golden Shell and sealed with Los domingos a new chapter in the history of the San Sebastián Film Festival.

All the awards of the 2025 San Sebastián Film Festival

Concha de Oro – Mejor Película
Los domingos – Alauda Ruiz de Azúa

Premio Especial del Jurado
Historias del buen valle – José Luis Guerin

Concha de Plata a la Mejor Dirección
Joachim Lafosse – Six jours ce printemps-là / Six Days in Spring

Concha de Plata a la Mejor Interpretación (ex aequo)
José Ramón Soroiz – Maspalomas (Jose Mari Goenaga, Aitor Arregi)
Zhao Xiaohong – Jianyu laide mama (Qin Xiaoyu)

Premio del Jurado a Mejor Fotografía
Pau Esteve – Los tigres (Alberto Rodríguez)

Premio del Jurado a Mejor Guion
Joachim Lafosse, Chloé Duponchelle, Paul Ismaël – Six jours ce printemps-là / Six Days in Spring (Joachim Lafosse)

Premio Zabaltegi-Tabakalera
La tour de glace / The Ice Tower (La torre de hielo) – Lucile Hadzihalilovic

Premio Kutxabank – New Directors
Vægtløs / Weightless – Emilie Thalund
Mención especial: Aro berria – Irati Gorostidi

Premio Horizontes Latinos
Un poeta – Simón Mesa Soto
Menciones especiales:
– Hiedra – Ana Cristina Barragán
– Un cabo suelto – Daniel Hendler

Premio del Público Ciudad de Donostia
The Voice of Hind Rajab (La voz de Hind) – Kaouther Ben Hania

Mejor Película Europea
Amélie et la métaphysique des tubes (Little Amélie) – Maïlys Vallade

Premio Irizar al Cine Vasco
Los domingos – Alauda Ruiz de Azúa
Mención especial: El último arrebato – Marta Medina

Premio de la Cooperación Española
Historias del buen valle – José Luis Guerin

Premio Culinary Zinema
Mam – Nan Feix

Premio RTVE Otra Mirada
Las corrientes – Milagros Mumenthaler
Mención especial: Belén – Dolores Fonzi