Bad Hair glows at San Sebastian

Venezuelan film takes home Golden Shell.

by Amber Wilkinson

Bad Hair (Pelo Malo) wins Golden Shell at San Sebastian
Bad Hair (Pelo Malo) wins Golden Shell at San Sebastian
Mariana Rondón's Bad Hair (Pelo Malo) has won the Golden Shell at the 61st San Sebastian Film Festival.

The film, which recounts the story of a mum who suspects her young son might be gay is a Venezuela/Peru/Germany co-production. The film was one of the frontrunners to receive the prize after it screened early in the festival, although Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed (Vivir Es Fácil Con Los Ojos Cerrados) was also receiving lots of critical love.

The best director Silver Shell went to Fernando Eimbcke for Mexican film Club Sandwich, which also focuses on a mother and son dynamic - this time sent into disarray after the boy embarks on a holiday romance.

The Special Jury Prize went to the directorial debut of Fernando Franco (whose previous editing credits include Blancanieves) for Wounded (La Herida). The film, which tells the story of a woman with borderline personality disorder is an unsettling affair that also saw debutante Marián Alvárez named as best actress.

The best actor gong went to Jim Broadbent for his role as one half of a disillusioned married couple trying to recapture the magic in Roger Michell’s Le Week-End.

Pau Esteve Birba won the prize for best cinematography for his work on the beautiful looking but sometimes emotionally confused Caníbal by Manuel Martín Cuenca, but his beautiful capturing of snowy landscapes and painterly interiors must surely have been given a run for there money by David Villar's charming retro camera stylings in Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed.

Christophe Blain, Antonin Baudry and Betrand Tavernier took home the award for best script for their political satire Quai d'Orsay, which also won the FIPRESCI prize.

The awards in full:

Golden Shell Bad Hair, Mariana Rondon (Venezuela, Peru, Germany)

Special Jury Prize Wounded, Fernando Franco (Spain)

Silver Shell for best director Fernando Eimbcke, Club Sandwich (Mexico)

Silver Shell for best actress Marian Alvarez, Wounded (Spain)

Silver Shell for best actor Jim Broadbent, Le Week-End (UK)

Cinematography Pau Esteve Birba, Cannibal (Spain, Romania, Russia, France)

Screenplay Antonin Baudry, Christophe Blain, Bertrand Tavernier, Quai D’orsay (France)

Kutxa-New Directors’ Award Of Horses And Men, Benedikt Erlingsson (Iceland, Germany)

Horizontes Award A Wolf At The Door, Fernando Coimbra (Brazil)

Wuaki.Tv Audience Award Like Father, Like Son, Hirokazu Kore-Eda (Japan)

Wuaki.Tv Audience Award, European Film About Time, Richard Curtis (UK)

Desigual Youth Award Wolf, Jim Taihuttu (Netherlands)

Films In Progress Industry Award La Salada, Juan Martin Hsu (Argentina) Other Awards

FIPRESCI Prize Quai d’Orsay, Bertrand Tavernier (France)

TVE Other Look Award Young And Beautiful, Francois Ozon (France)

Signis Award The Railway Man, Jonathan Teplitzky (UK, Australia)

Special Mentions Bad Hair, Mariana Rondon (Venezuela, Peru, Germany) October November, Gotz Spielmann (Austria)

Solidarity Award My Soul Healed By You, Francois Dupeyron (France)

Irizar Award Asier And I, Aitor Merino, Amaia Merino (Spain, Ecuador)

Sebastiene 2012 Award Dallas Buyers Club, Jean-Marc Vallee (US)

Special Mention Bad Hair, Mariana Rondón (Venezuela, Peru, Germany)

The jury was led by Todd Haynes and featured actor Diego Luna, actresses Valeria Bruni-tedeschi and Paulina García, producer Mariela Bessuievsky and director Cesc Gay.

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