Mike Leigh’s latest feature, “Tender Loving Care,” claimed the top prize on the final night of the San Sebastián Film Festival, securing a hat trick of awards from the jury led by American director Ira Sachs. The film earned the Golden Shell for Best Film, the Silver Shell for Best Screenplay, and the Silver Shell for Best Lead Performance for Kate O’Flynn.
While the official competition focused on Leigh’s achievement, audience favorites also took home significant accolades. Spanish directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi won the Audience Award for “La Bola Negra,” a queer epic that had already captured the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. This marked a second audience win for the filmmakers during the festival run.
In the category for Best European Film, the Audience Award went to “NAZA,” a documentary by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. The film offers a hard-hitting examination of Israeli military actions in Gaza.
Other notable winners included Ah Biao’s “Border,” which received the Special Jury Prize, and Amanda Kernell’s “Brace Your Heart,” which was awarded Best Director. Asta Kamma August shared the Best Leading Performance honor with O’Flynn for her role in “Growth of the Soil,” while Javier Cámara won Best Supporting Performance for “5 More Minutes.”
The festival also recognized outstanding cinematic achievements in other categories. Oskar Dahlsbakken received the Jury Prize for Best Cinematography for “Growth of the Soil.” New Directors Award went to Naëmi Ada’s “Body of Glass,” and Alessandra Sanguinetti’s “The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer” won the Latin Horizons Award. The Transforma Award, given to “Tender Loving Care,” highlighted its thematic relevance.
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