Mike Leigh Wins San Sebastián Golden Shell — SkimNews
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- Mike Leigh's "Tender Loving Care" won both the Golden Shell for Best Film and the Jury Prize for Best Screenplay at the 2026 San Sebastián Film Festival; the source describes it as the veteran director's "latest and potential last feature."
- Kate O'Flynn shared the Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance for her role in "Tender Loving Care," tying with Asta Kamma August for "Growth of the Soil," which also took the Jury Prize for Best Cinematography (Oskar Dahlsbakken).
- Leigh was not present in Spain — he was in New York for the film's U.S. premiere — and sent a video message thanking the festival for "the Golden Shell" and sending "love to everybody."
- Ah Biao's "Border" (Hong Kong/USA/South Korea) won the Special Jury Prize, while Amanda Kernell took the Silver Shell for Best Director for "Brace Your Heart" (Sweden/Norway/Denmark/Iceland/Bulgaria).
- Javier Cámara won the Silver Shell for Best Supporting Performance for "5 More Minutes," and the City of Donostia Audience Award went to Spain's "La bola negra."
- Ira Sachs presided over the jury, joined by Bill Skarsgård, Alice Braga, Patricia López Arnaiz, Genki Kawamura, screenwriter Catherine Paillé, and producer Mike Goodridge.
- Outside competition, Werner Herzog and Naomi Watts received honorary Donostia Awards, while Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" took the FIPRESCI Grand Prix for Best Film of the Year.
Why it matters: A dual Golden Shell plus Best Screenplay win caps Mike Leigh's decades-long career on a high note, and with the film flagged as potentially his last, the festival has effectively crowned a final statement from one of British cinema's defining voices. The slate's geographic spread — UK, Hong Kong/USA/South Korea, Sweden/Norway, Spain — reinforces San Sebastián's standing as a global arthouse destination.
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