The 69th San Sebastián International Film Festival took place from 17 to 25 September 2021 in

San Sebastián San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Basque Country (autonomous community), B ...

, Gipuzkoa, Spain. The festival opened with

Zhang Yimou Zhang Yimou (; born 2 April 1950) is a Chinese film director, producer, writer, actor and former cinematographer.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retriev ...

's '' One Second''.

Marion Cotillard Marion Cotillard (; born 30 September 1975) is a French actress, film producer, singer, and environmentalist who is widely known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters in both European and Hollywood productions. She has received ...

and

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...

were awarded the

Donostia Award The Donostia Award ( es, Premio Donostia; eu, Donostia Saria) is an honorary award created in 1986 which is given every year to a number of actors and film directors in the San Sebastián International Film Festival. It derives its name from ''Don ...

for lifetime achievements. The Donostia Award bestowed to Johnny Depp was mired by controversy and public scrutiny. The competitive awards were presented on 25 September 2021. ''Blue Moon'' by Alina Grigore won the

Golden Shell The Golden Shell ( es, Concha de Oro; eu, Urrezko Maskorra) is the highest prize given to a competing film at the San Sebastián Film Festival. It was introduced in 1957. In 1953 and 1954, the highest prize had been called the Gran Premio. In 19 ...

award, whereas

Jessica Chastain Jessica Michelle Chastain (born March 24, 1977) is an American actress and producer. Known for primarily starring in films with feminist themes, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. ''Time'' ...

('' The Eyes of Tammy Faye'') shared the Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance (a new non-gendered category replacing the former gendered acting awards) with Danish teen (''As in Heaven'').

Juries

;Official Selection * Dea Kulumbegashvili *

Susi Sánchez Asunción Sánchez Abellán (born March 21, 1955), known as Susi Sánchez, is a Spanish theater, film, and television actress. Career Susi Sánchez is best known for her roles in the Vicente Aranda film '' Mad Love'', where she gives life to Qu ...

Maite Alberdi Maite Alberdi Soto (born 29 March 1983, Santiago, Chile) is a Chilean film producer, director, documentarian, screenwriter, and film critic. Her film ''The Mole Agent'' (2020) was an Academy Awards nominee for Best Documentary and a contender fo ...

Audrey Diwan Audrey Diwan (born 1980) is a French film director of Lebanese origin. Prior to becoming a film director she worked as a journalist and a screenwriter. She is a member of Collectif 50/50, a French NGO promoting equality between men and women i ...

Ted Hope Ted Hope (born 1962) is an American independent film producer based in New York City. He is best known for co-founding the production/sales company Good Machine, where he produced the first films of such notable filmmakers as Ang Lee, Nicole Ho ...

;Horizontes latinos * María Zamora *

Lila Avilés Lila Avilés (born in 1982) is a Mexican film director, screenwriter, actress and producer. Life and career Born in Mexico City, Avilés studied scenic arts with Ximena Escalante and José Caballero, and film scriptwriting with Beatriz Novaro a ...

* Luciano Monteagudo ;New Directors * Mary Burke *

Irene Escolar Irene Escolar Navarro (born 19 October 1988) is a Spanish cinema, theatre, and television actress. Escolar received a Goya Award for Best New Actress The Goya Award for Best New Actress ( es, Premio Goya a la mejor actriz revelación, links=no ...

* Suzanne Lindon ;Zabaltegi-Tabakalera * * Miriam Heard * Elena López Riera

Sections

Official Selection

;In competition The lineup of films selected for the Official Selection is as follows: :Highlighted title indicates award winner. ;Out of competition The following works (including a short and a miniseries) were selected to screen out of competition:

Latin Horizons

The following films were selected for the Latin Horizons section: :Highlighted title indicates award winner.

New Directors

The following films were selected for the New Directors section: :Highlighted title indicates award winner.

Zabaltegi-Tabakalera

The following films were selected for the Zabaltegi-Tabakalera section: :Highlighted title indicates award winner.

Donostia Award Screenings

The following film was selected for the Donostia Award Screenings section:

Official Selection Awards

: ''Blue Moon'' by Alina Grigore * Special Jury Prize: ''Earwig'' by

Lucile Hadžihalilović Lucile Emina Hadžihalilović (born 7 May 1961) is a French writer and director of Bosnian descent. She is best known for the 1996 short film ''La Bouche de Jean-Pierre'' and the 2004 feature-length film ''Innocence'', for which she became the ...

Silver Shell for Best Director The Silver Shell for Best Director ( es, Concha de Plata al Mejor Director; eu, Zuzendari Onenaren Zilarrezko Maskorra) is one of the main awards presented at the San Sebastián Film Festival to the director of a competing film. Award winners ...

: Tea Lindeburg (''As in Heaven'') * Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance: (''As in Heaven'') &

('' The Eyes of Tammy Faye'') *

Silver Shell for Best Supporting Performance Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical cond ...

: cast of '' Who's Stopping Us'' * Best Screenplay:

Terence Davies Terence Davies (born 10 November 1945) is an English screenwriter, film director, and novelist, seen by many critics as one of the greatest British filmmakers of his times. He is best known as the writer and director of autobiographical films ...

(''

Benediction A benediction (Latin: ''bene'', well + ''dicere'', to speak) is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually at the end of worship service. It can also refer to a specific Christian religious service including the expositio ...

'') * Best Cinematography: Claire Mathon (''Undercover'')

Special Awards

for lifetime achievements:

and

References

{{authority control September 2021 events in Spain San Sebastián International Film Festival 2021 in the Basque Country (autonomous community) San Sebastian