Naomi Watts receives Donostia Award and says roles for women over 50 have shifted

Naomi Watts collected the Donostia Award at the San Sebastián Film Festival on Saturday, September 19, and said opportunities for women over 50 have changed beyond anything she was promised early in her career, according to Variety.

The Donostia is the festival's career honour for a body of screen work. The festival announced on August 31 that Watts would receive it at a gala on September 19, during the 74th edition, which runs from September 18 to 26, 2026, according to the San Sebastián Festival.

Watts said she came to leading roles late by Hollywood standards. She was 31 when she starred in Mulholland Drive. Early in her career, she said, she was told work finishes at 40. She is now in her late 50s.

She pointed to the Emmy Awards, the United States television prizes held the previous week, as evidence of the shift. She noted the number of women over 50 in strong acting categories.

Those nominees included Rhea Seehorn for Pluribus, Jean Smart for Hacks and Allison Janney for The Diplomat. Watts spoke in San Sebastián shortly after that ceremony.

Watts is a British actor with two Oscar nominations and a 2024 Emmy nomination for playing Babe Paley in Feud: Capote vs. the Swans, according to Variety.

Her latest film, The Housewife, was shown as the Donostia Award Screening. It is the feature directing debut for Ben Shirinian and stars Watts with Tye Sheridan, Luke Evans, Michael Imperioli and Lena Olin.

The story is set in 1964. It is based on a true story about a young journalist tracking a suspected Nazi officer living in secret in New York.

What makes this stand out is the plain arithmetic Watts described. Told at the start that 40 was the end, she is working in her late 50s with a career prize and a new release in the same week. For fans, this means the San Sebastián visit was both a look back and a working trip.