San Sebastián delivered a weekend of major film names and sharp fashion moments. Naomi Watts received the Premio Donostia, while Brad Pitt and Penélope Cruz drew attention on and off the red carpet as the festival presented Spain’s Oscar contender.
Naomi Watts gave the Festival de Cine de San Sebastián one of its clearest images in a Dior look that stood out on the red carpet. Penélope Cruz returned to Chanel in a voluminous dress with feather detail across the chest. Brad Pitt’s arrival and the presentation of ‘La bola negra’ as Spain’s representative at the Premios Oscar added to a weekend where cinema and fashion shared the spotlight.
The main visual thread was simple. Black and white dominated the festival’s most visible outfits. The actresses kept the looks from feeling predictable through shape, texture and unexpected references.
On 19 September 2026, J.A. Bayona presented Naomi Watts with the Premio Donostia in the Kursaal Auditorium.
Watts made the most of the occasion with two standout appearances. Her Dior ensemble was one of the festival’s most memorable red-carpet moments. It also carried extra weight because she received the Premio Donostia that weekend. The official festival account confirms that the award came during a separate gala ceremony on 19 September. It was not simply an accolade attached to a red-carpet appearance. Watts dedicated the honour to David Lynch, giving her public presence a personal and cinematic edge.
Her recognition was already examined in an earlier report on the festival and her role there. This fashion review turns to the details that shaped the event’s public image, both on the red carpet and at the parties around it. The Donostia Award also carried particular weight within the 74th edition. Independent reports identified Watts and Werner Herzog as the festival’s two recipients in 2026.
Penélope Cruz provided another clear highlight with her return to Chanel. The dress had plenty of volume, while the feather detail created a theatrical silhouette. It still fit the black and white direction that defined the weekend. Cruz also appeared with the cast of ‘La bola negra’ after the film was named Spain’s representative at the Premios Oscar. Los Javis were among those present.
On 16 September 2026, the Academia de Cine officially selected ‘La bola negra’ as Spain’s entry for the 2027 Oscars in the International Feature Film category. The announcement involved the film’s creators Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, known as Los Javis, together with representatives of the Academy.
The surrounding events added another layer to the festival’s style story. Blanca Suárez and Macarena Gómez drew attention at the Armani Beauty party. Nieves Álvarez delivered one of the weekend’s strongest looks. Their appearances took the fashion conversation beyond the official carpet and showed how the festival’s image is built in more than one setting.
There was still room for originality within the dominant colour scheme. Vicky Luengo chose a two-piece outfit with an oriental influence by Max Mara. It offered a sharper alternative to the more traditional evening silhouettes seen elsewhere in San Sebastián.
That balance made the weekend’s wardrobe work. The palette stayed consistent, but the outfits did not look alike. Dior gave Watts a polished red-carpet statement. Chanel gave Cruz volume and movement. Max Mara let Luengo take the theme in another direction. The strongest looks did not rely on excess. Each woman gave the same black and white idea a different shape.
San Sebastián leaves behind more than a run of celebrity appearances. Naomi Watts received the major honour. Penélope Cruz made the most recognisable fashion return. Vicky Luengo showed how originality can survive a strong trend. Armani Beauty also brought Blanca Suárez, Macarena Gómez and Nieves Álvarez into the weekend’s visual story. The red carpet now feels tied to the substance of the event, rather than added as decoration. This was a particularly successful fashion chapter for the Festival de Cine de San Sebastián because discipline and individuality appeared together.
The weekend also had a wider industry story. According to the Academia de Cine, the Oscar selection for ‘La bola negra’ was confirmed on 16 September 2026. Reports from Europa Press and Infobae placed Ambrossi and Calvo at the announcement. Watts’s honorary award and the international selection for Spanish cinema gave the festival’s fashion spectacle a substantial news context.
