On 26 September 2026, the 74th San Sebastián Film Festival closed with Javier Cámara winning the Concha de Plata al mejor actor de reparto for 5 minutos más. The audience also chose Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi's La bola negra for the Premio del Público Ciudad de San Sebastián a la mejor película.
The results put Spanish cinema prominently in the festival's final awards. Cámara's win came alongside the audience prize for a film starring Belén Cuesta and Berto Romero, directed by Javier Ruiz Caldera. It follows a marriage in crisis that gets caught in a time loop.
The win brings Cámara back to the Kursaal stage.
In 2015, he shared the Concha de Plata al Mejor Actor ex aequo with Ricardo Darin for Truman. His new prize recognises his supporting performance in 5 minutos más. Festival records list it as his second major San Sebastián award.
La bola negra won through the Perlak audience vote. The second film by 'los Javis' scored 9,40, just ahead of Naza by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, which scored 9,29 and won the prize for best European title. The British production denounces what its creators describe as the «systematic» killing of civilians in Gaza. EFE confirmed the Perlak results and scores. The festival also named La bola negra the section's audience favourite.
Mike Leigh's Tender Loving Care took the festival's top prize and two others. Leigh is known for Secretos y mentiras, El secreto de Vera Drake, Another Year and Mi única familia. His new film is an emotional social drama about the importance of care. Fragile health kept Leigh from travelling to San Sebastián. Speaking by videoconference, he said it would "probably" be his last film.
Other jury awards rounded out the list. The Premio Especial del Jurado went to Border, directed by Ah Biao. Amanda Kernell received the Concha de Plata a la mejor dirección for Brace Your Heart. Kate O'Flynn and Asta Kamma August shared the Concha de Plata a la mejor interpretación protagonista for Tender Loving Care and Growth of the Soil, respectively.
Growth of the Soil also won the Premio del Jurado a la mejor fotografía for Oskar Dahisbakken. Mike Leigh received the Premio del Jurado al mejor guion for Tender Loving Care.
The closing gala also marked José Luis Rebordinos's departure after fifteen years as director of Zinemaldia. The festival community gave him a warm ovation, moving many in the room.
His tenure ends with Spanish acting and audience prizes alongside the basic awards for international cinema. Spanish cinema missed the top competition award, but secured a major acting honour and the strongest public vote.
The official festival release and reporting by EFE and Variety paint a similar picture: Spain had limited representation among the competition winners, while its films drew strong audience support.
