Mike Leigh’s ‘Tender Loving Care’ Wins Big at San Sebastián, as ‘La Bola Negra’ and ‘NAZA’ Take Audience Awards

Mike Leigh’s new film “Tender Loving Care” dominated the awards on the final night of the San Sebastián Film Festival, taking a trifecta of awards — the Golden Shell for Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Lead Performance for Kate O’Flynn — from a jury headed by U.S. filmmaker Ira Sachs.

To the surprise of no one, home favorites Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi won the Audience Award for their Spanish queer epic “La Bola Negra,” a week after taking the People’s Choice Award at Toronto; a second Audience Award, for Best European Film, went to docmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor for “NAZA,” their searing exposé of Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

To be updated with full story. Full list of award winners below:

OFFICIAL SELECTION AWARDS

Golden Shell for Best Film: “Tender Loving Care,” Mike Leigh

Special Jury Prize: “Border,” Ah Biao

Silver Shell for Best Director: “Brace Your Heart,” Amanda Kernell

Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance: “Tender Loving Care,” Kate O’Flynn; “Growth of the Soil,” Asta Kamma August

Silver Shell for Best Supporting Performance: “5 More Minutes,” Javier Cámara

Jury Prize for Best Cinematography: “Growth of the Soil,” Oskar Dahlsbakken

Jury Prize for Best Screenplay: “Tender Loving Care,” Mike Leigh

OTHER OFFICIAL AWARDS

New Directors Award: “Body of Glass,” Naëmi Ada
Special Mention: “The World Before,” Yoon Dan-bi

Latin Horizons Award: “The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer,” Alessandra Sanguinetti
Special Mention: “Flies,” Fernando Eimbcke

Zabaltegi-Tabakalera Award: “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” Jane Schoenbrun
Special Mention: “Sometimes Sadness, Sometimes Rebellion,” María Aparicio

Best Original Music Award: “Milo,” Amine Bouhafa

Audience Award for Best Film: “La Bola Negra,” Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi

Audience Award for Best European Film: “NAZA,” Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor

Irizar Basque Film Award: “Txakun txakür,” Elsa Oliarj-Inès

Culinary Zinema Award: “Burgundy,” Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw

RTVE Another Look Award: “All of a Sudden,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Spanish Cooperation Award: “Five Years, Four Months,” Juan Miguel Gelacio and Esteban Hoyos García

Transforma Award: “Tender Loving Care,” Mike Leigh

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED AWARDS

Nest Award: “Erased From the Map,” Maarij Reka
Special Mention: “Nobody Barks,” Julia Coldwell Serra

Euskadi Basque Country 2030 Agenda Award: “Ashes,” Diego Luna

Zinemaldia Startup Challenge Best Spanish Project: Pixentinel, Luis Zabala

Zinemaldia Startup Challenge Best European Project: Virtual Location Scouting, Antti Ahokoivu

Zinemaldia Startup Challenge Special Mention for Entrepreneurship: Virtual Location Scouting, Antti Ahokoivu

WIP Latam Industry Award: “Lovers Go Home!,” Juan Sebastián Mesa

Egeda Platino Industria Award For The Best WIP Latam: “Galerna,” Tatiana Huezo

WIP Europa Industry Award: “In a Manner of Speaking,” Val Jashari

WIP Europa Award: “In a Manner of Speaking,” Val Jashari

XIII Europe-Latin America Co-production Forum Best Project Award: “The Amateurs,” Felipe Solari Yrigoyen

DALE! Award: “The Illusions,” Ingrid Pokropek

Artekino International Award: “Mourning Sound,” Selma Cervantes

Casa Wabi-ESCINE Award: “The Spirit Healer Is Away for the Weekend,” Inês Nunes

Tanta Award: “Akira,” Ekain Albite

Sideral Award: “Akira,” Ekain Albite

Music Library & SFX Award: “Shady Birds,” Zaira Zanguitu

Dogwoof Award: “Different Colors of Sabir,” Safaa Khatib

Epe-Ibaia-Elkargi Award: “The Hammock,” Alfonso García

Eusko Label Micro Short Film Award: “Esperantza,” Josu Ozaita
Runner-up: “Hands,” Mikel Urretabizkaia

Loterias Award: “Prejuicios,” Javi Prada
Runner-up: “Headscarf,” Lucía Saavedra