A controversial documentary on bullfighting wins at the San Sebastian festival

Director Albert Serra thanked organizers for selecting his film despite criticism from animal rights organizations.

A documentary on bullfighting by Catalan director Albert Serra won the Golden Shell on Saturday, September 28, the main award at the San Sebastian international film festival, in the Spanish Basque Country, marked this year by numerous demonstrations of support for Argentine cinema .

“I would like to thank the festival for selecting the film“, he declared when receiving his prize while animal rights organizations had campaigned for this documentary Soledad Tartes [Après-midi de solitude en français] will not be presented at this 72nd edition of the festival.

The Spanish party Pacma, which fights for animal rights, had requested its withdrawal from the competition, believing that it was offering “a romantic vision“of”a tradition involving violence against animals“.

The film, very applauded during the official screening, follows the Peruvian bullfighter Andrés Roca Rey during several days of celebration, from the moment he puts on his costume of lights until the end of the bullfight, without avoiding the question of the death of the bulls, widely filmed.

During the press conference presenting the film, the 48-year-old Catalan director affirmed that his film “took a stand“as far as it shows”a certain fascination for the subject” bullfighting, but that “does not give up on being an art film (…) which is not at the service of a cause or anything“, but “in the service of cinema“.

The debate on bullfighting has not spared Spain where the left-wing government recently abolished the National Bullfighting Prize. The Silver Shell for best direction rewarded two directors ex aequo, the Portuguese Laura Carreira for On Falling (Falling) dedicated to dehumanized work in a large warehouse of an e-commerce company, and the Spaniard Pedro Martín Calero, for his horror film El llanto (Crying).

It’s a “Argentinian film, because half of the filming took place there and half of the cast is Argentinian“, And “the prize is theirst,” said Pedro Martin Calero, in a statement among the many signs of support for Argentine cinema during the evening.

Argentine cinema is facing austerity measures by President Javier Milei which have led to a virtual paralysis of the Argentine National Cinema Institute (INCAA).

“Behind this self-delusion in which they live, this hatred that they profess, there is no freedom. There is simply a deep loneliness. No matter how hard they try, they’re not going to destroy us, we’re not going to destroy ourselves. Long live Argentine cinema!“, launched the actor Pérez Biscayart, while he received the prize for best Latin American film won by The jockey (The Jockey) by Argentinian director Luis Ortega.

The entire list is available on the festival website.