Benicio Del Toro to receive Donostia Lifetime Achievement Award

Star's Escobar: Paradise Lost will also close Pearls section at San Sebastian Film Festival.

by Amber Wilkinson

Benicio Del Toro as Pablo Escobar in Escobar: Paradise Lost
Benicio Del Toro as Pablo Escobar in Escobar: Paradise Lost

Benicio Del Toro is to receive the Donostia Award for lifetime achievement at this year's San Sebastian Film Festival.

The actor will also star in the closing film of the festival's Pearls Section, Escobar: Paradise Lost, directed by Andrea di Sefano.

Benicio Del Toro will receive Donostia Award
Benicio Del Toro will receive Donostia Award

The film tells the story of a young surfer (Nick Hutcherson) who falls in love on a visit to Colombia... only to discover that his new love's uncle is Pablo Escobar (Del Toro).

Del Toro has confirmed that he will come to San Sebastian to present the film and receive the award. Josh Hutcherson, Andrea Di Stefano and Carlos Bardem will also attend the Festival.

The award is just the latest in a string of accolades for Del Toro, who won an best supporting actor Oscar for Steven Soderbergh's Traffic and was Oscar-nominated for Alejandro González Iñarritu's 21 Grams. He has also won a best acting award at Cannes for his role as Sodebergh's Che Guevara biopics.

Previous winners of the Donostia Award include Hugh Jackman, Glenn Close and Ian McKellen.

The 62nd San Sebastian Film Festival will run from September 19 to 27. We'll be bringing you news and features from the festival and you can read our early coverage here.

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