Jaione Camborda’s ‘The Rye Horn’ Wins Golden Shell at 71st San Sebastian Film Festival

Jaione Camborda, hailing from San Sebastian, Spain, clinched the prestigious Golden Shell for Best Film at the 71st San Sebastian Film Festival for his compelling work, “The Rye Horn.” This 1970s drama unfolds the story of a midwife compelled to escape from Galicia, Spain to Portugal after a tragedy, when a teenage mother pleads with her to perform an abortion.

The Audience Award for Best Film was presented to JA Bayona’s Netflix survival thriller, “Society of the Snow,” while San Sebastian’s viewers voted Matteo Garrone’s migration drama, “Io Capitano,” as the best European film of the festival. Both “Society of the Snow” and “Io Capitano” are now contenders for the 2024 Academy Award in the Best International Feature Film category.

The Best Performance award was bestowed upon Marcelo Subiotto for his role as a philosophy professor at the University of Buenos Aires embroiled in a rivalry for a professorship in the comedy-drama “Puan.” Additionally, Tatsuya Fuji was recognized for his portrayal of a father reconciling with his estranged son in “Grande Absence.” María Alché and Benjamín Naishtat were honored with the Best Screenplay award for their work on “Puan.”

The Silver Shell for Best Supporting Role was awarded to Hovik Keuchkerian for his performance in Isabel Coixet’s “Un amor.”

Tzu-Hui Peng and Ping-Wen Wang clinched the Silver Shell for Best Director for their Taiwanese drama, “A Journey in Spring,” which tells the poignant tale of a widower who keeps his deceased wife in a freezer in a bid to preserve their eternal love.

Here is the full list of winners at the San Sebastian 2023 Film Festival:

• Golden Shell for Best Film: “The Rye Horn,” directed by Jaione Camborda (Spain)
• Special Jury Prize: “Kalak,” directed by Isabella Eklöf (Sweden)
• Silver Shell for Best Director: Tzu-Hui Peng and Ping-Wen Wang for “A Journey in Spring” (Taiwan)
• Silver Shell for Best Performance: Marcelo Subiotto for “Puan” (Argentina) and Tatsuya Fuji for “Grande Absence” (Japan)
• Silver Shell for Best Supporting Role: Hovik Keuchkerian for “Un Amor” (Lebanon)
• Jury Prize for Best Screenplay: María Alché and Benjamín Naishtat for “Puan” (Argentina)
• Jury Prize for Best Photography: Nadim Carlsen for “Kalak” (Denmark)
• New Directors Award: Diwah Shah for “Bahadur The Brave” (India)
• Horizontes Prize: Martín Benchimol for “Le Château” (Argentina)
• Zabaltegi-Tabakalera Prize: Eduardo Williams for “The Human Surge 3” (Argentina)
• Special mention for Zabaltegi-Tabakalera Prize: Ulises de la Orden for “The Trial” (Argentina)
• Public Prize City of Donostia / San Sebastian: “Society of the Snow,” directed by JA Bayona (Spain)
• City of Donostia / San Sebastian Audience Award for Best European Film: “Io Capitano,” directed by Matteo Garrone (Italy)

These awards celebrate the outstanding contributions of filmmakers and actors from around the world at the esteemed San Sebastian Film Festival.