Basque Drama 'Sundays' Wins Top Prize at San Sebastian Film Festival

The 2025 San Sebastian Film Festival wrapped up on September 25th, with the Basque drama 'Sundays' (Los domingos) claiming the festival's top prize, the Golden Shell award. The film, directed by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, follows the story of Ainara, a 17-year-old whose family hopes she will soon choose a university degree, but who instead feels increasingly drawn to the life of a cloistered nun.

Competing for the Golden Shell was Edward Berger's 'Ballad of a Small Player', a film that explores the director's personal experiences with gambling addiction in the wake of his recent success with the critically acclaimed 'Conclave'. Also in the running were Alice Winocour's 'Couture', James Vanderbilt's 'Nuremberg', the queer drama 'Maspalomas' from Jose Mari Goenaga and Aitor Arregi, and Agnieszka Holland's Franz Kafka biopic 'Franz'.

Elsewhere at the festival, Belgian filmmaker Joachim Lafosse was awarded the Silver Shell for best director and the jury prize for best screenplay for his film 'Six Days in Spring'. Lafosse had spoken earlier about the project becoming a deeply personal one for him.