The 73rd San Sebastián Film Festival concluded with Spanish filmmaker Alauda Ruiz de Azúa claiming the prestigious Golden Shell award for her film 'Los Domingos.' The victory marks the third consecutive year that a Spanish production has won the festival's top prize, following previous wins by 'O Corno' and 'Tardes de soledad.' The festival's official competition saw Spanish cinema emerge as the most outstanding segment, with no foreign titles standing out as particularly remarkable.
'Los Domingos' tells the story of Ainara, a 17-year-old Bilbao teenager portrayed by debut actress Blanca Soroa, who shocks her family by announcing her intention to become a nun and enter a cloistered convent. The film explores the protagonist's complex family dynamics—she's motherless, raised by her grandmother while her father struggles with restaurant debts. The narrative centers on the family's reaction to her unexpected vocational calling, particularly her aunt's strongly anti-clerical response.
Director Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, who describes herself as non-religious, approaches the subject with nuance, aiming to understand how vocations develop within religious educational settings. The film continues her rising trajectory in Spanish cinema, having previously won the Goya Award for Best New Director in 2023 for 'Cinco lobitos.' Her work, including the successful series 'Querer,' has established her as one of the most promising filmmakers of her generation at age 47.
During her acceptance speech, Ruiz de Azúa expressed her belief in cinema as a space for encountering different perspectives and attempting to understand what seems foreign. She emphasized that understanding doesn't necessarily mean validation but represents an essential exercise in a world where people inevitably differ. The festival ceremony, presented bilingually in Euskera and Spanish at the Kursaal Palace, maintained its scheduled programming while featuring various expressions of support for Palestine among participants throughout the event.
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