Documentary film about bullfighting wins top prize in San Sebastian

Documentary film about bullfighting wins top prize in San Sebastian

SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain, September 29, 2024 (BSS/AFP) – A documentary about bullfights, “Tardes de Soledad,” won top honors at the San Sebastian Film Festival on Saturday.

Spanish director Albert Serra’s film won the Golden Shell as the festival’s best film for its portrayal of a day in the life of Peruvian bullfighter Andres Roca Rey.

Serra thanked festival organizers for selecting his film after animal rights groups protested its screening.

The film received a positive reception at its festival screening, although animal rights group PACMA denounced it as a romanticized vision of bullfighting that normalized violence against animals.

The award for best director was awarded between the two filmmakers Laura Carreira and Pedro Martin Calero.

Careirra’s feature debut, On Falling, tells the story of a Portuguese worker in a Scottish warehouse struggling with the pressures of the gig economy. Perreira is a Portuguese filmmaker based in the Scottish capital Edinburgh.

Martin-Calero’s film “The Wailing” (“El Llanto”), also his first feature film, is a horror film about an evil presence that stalks three women. The Spanish director previously made music videos.

Earlier this week, the festival presented a lifetime achievement award to Spanish director Pedro Almodovar.