The San Sebastián International Film Festival concluded its latest edition on September 27, 2026, with the Argentine documentary La ilusión de un verano sin fin winning the Horizontes Latinos award while the director used the closing gala to voice support for Palestine and criticize government funding cuts for cinema.
Horizontes Latinos Winner Highlights Argentine Cinema Struggles
Director Alessandra Sanguinetti won the Horizontes Latinos award and the Youth Prize for La ilusión de un verano sin fin, a documentary set in the Argentine pampa. Sanguinetti described her film as a love letter to the Argentine countryside and its endangered beauty. During her acceptance speech, she called for Israel to withdraw from Palestine and urged the United States to stop interfering in Argentina.
In the post-gala press conference, producer Julia Solomonoff thanked the festival for giving visibility to Argentine cinema during a difficult period marked by a lack of public funding. Solomonoff stated that making films in Argentina currently serves as an act of resistance and love. The Horizontes Latinos jury also awarded a special mention to the Mexican film Moscas, directed by Fernando Eimbcke, praising its staging and the lead child actor’s performance.
International Honors and Awards in San Sebastián
The festival distributed several other category awards across its lineup, recognizing migration themes, human rights issues, and European productions. The Colombian film Cinco años, cuatro meses, directed by Juan Miguel Gelacio and Esteban Hoyos García, received the Spanish Cooperation Award and was dedicated to women searching for disappeared relatives in Colombia. Diego Luna’s film Ceniza en la boca won the Agenda 2030 Euskadi Basque Country Award for its exploration of migration and social issues through a cross-cutting lens.
British documentary Naza, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, received the Audience Award for Best European Film. The directors, who could not attend the ceremony due to ongoing threats following the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival, thanked the audience via a message denouncing the systematic killing of civilians in Gaza. Spanish film industry representatives previously showed solidarity with Abraham and Szor through a red-carpet concentration.
The New Directors prize went to the German-French coproduction Body of Glass by Naëmi Ada, who used the platform to criticize the German state’s stance on the conflict in Gaza. In the Official Section, British director Mike Leigh won top honors for Tender Loving Care, while Swedish director Amanda Kernell won Best Director for Brace Your Heart. Javier Cámara secured the award for best supporting actor for the Spanish film 5 minutos más, and the Spanish public favorite award went to La bola negra by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi.
Festival Recognition Summary
- Horizontes Latinos Award: La ilusión de un verano sin fin by Alessandra Sanguinetti
- Horizontes Latinos Special Mention: Moscas by Fernando Eimbcke
- Spanish Cooperation Award: Cinco años, cuatro meses by Juan Miguel Gelacio and Esteban Hoyos García
- Agenda 2030 Euskadi Basque Country Award: Ceniza en la boca by Diego Luna
- Audience Award for Best European Film: Naza by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor
- New Directors Award: Body of Glass by Naëmi Ada
- Best Director (Official Section): Amanda Kernell for Brace Your Heart
- Best Supporting Actor: Javier Cámara for 5 minutos más
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