Werner Herzog receives Donostia Award at San Sebastian opening gala

Orlando Bloom handed Werner Herzog the Donostia Award at the opening gala of the San Sebastian International Film Festival on 18 September.

The presentation took place at the Kursaal Theatre during a ceremony hosted by Fariba Sheikhan and Mariona Terés, The Hollywood Reporter reported. The festival had advertised a 20:30 live broadcast of the gala and its tribute to Herzog.

The Donostia Award is the festival's highest honorary award, first given in 1986. It recognises outstanding contributions to the film world, and Herzog received this year's award in recognition of his career.

Herzog is a German director, writer, producer and actor. His work spans features, documentaries and performances in front of the camera.

His latest film, Bucking Fastards, is screening at San Sebastian as a Donostia Award Screening. The 109-minute USA-Ireland production stars Kate Mara, Rooney Mara, Orlando Bloom and Domhnall Gleeson.

This year's festival is its 74th edition. It runs from Sept. 18 to 26 and opened with Fatih Akin's Ghost Song.

The opening night also carried a political message. The two hosts called for an end to genocide in Gaza and expressed solidarity with Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the directors of NAZA.

NAZA is built around testimony from 24 Israeli military officers about alleged Israeli systems for targeting civilians in Gaza. The film won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

After Venice, Israeli culture minister Miki Zohar threatened to revoke the Israeli citizenship of Abraham and Szor. The hosts named both directors during the San Sebastian ceremony.

Herzog had arrived in San Sebastián on Thursday ahead of the award. British actor Jeremy Irons also arrived ahead of the festival, where he will receive a Donostia Award of his own.

What makes this stand out is the pairing. A career tribute shared the stage with a new film and a festival willing to speak directly about Gaza on opening night.