Spain’s 70th Valladolid International Film Festival (Seminci) wrapped on November 1 by sharing its top honor, the Golden Spike for best film, between Kelly Reichardt’s “The Mastermind” and Lav Diaz’s “Magellan.” This marked just the fourth tie in the event’s seven decades, following similar outcomes in 1963, 1971, and 1984.
A distinguished jury composed of Spanish filmmaker Elena López Riera, Italian producer Laurentina Guidotti, French critic Serge Toubiana, Portuguese director João Pedro Rodrigues, and Romanian critic Mihai Chirilov praised two heavyweight auteurs.
**The Mastermind**, Mubi’s first official release as a distributor in Spain, was recognized for “elegantly and ironically” deconstructing genre rules to explore themes of desire, illusion, and failure. An existential caper about a working-class drifter’s plunge into an art-world theft, the film also earned cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt the cinematography prize for his “refinement of atmospheres and lighting in perfect harmony with Reichardt’s narrative.”
Lav Diaz’s **Magellan**, the Philippines’ official Oscar submission, was lauded for “immersing us in the past from the present,” offering a complex and critical re-reading of colonial history.
The festival’s Silver Spike went to Ildikó Enyedi for **Silent Friend**, a lyrical, time-spanning tale linked by a centuries-old ginkgo tree in a German botanical garden. The film’s ecological focus also earned it the Green Spike.
Best Director honors were awarded jointly to Argentina’s Ezequiel Salinas and Ramiro Sonzini for **The Night Is Already Leaving**, described as a tender and lucid reminder of cinema as a space for encounter and political resistance amid turbulence in Argentina’s current film and TV industry.
Acting awards were given to Eva Victor for **Sorry, Baby**—her debut feature as both director and actor—and Harry Melling for **Pillion**. The jury praised both for “brilliantly carrying bittersweet dramas, humanizing the films and unleashing their emotional core.”
A Special Mention recognized non-professional performers Lionel Corral Bernal, Lionel Corral, and Alicia Corral Bernal for Carlos Saiz’s hybrid film **Lionel**, a Spain-France co-production. The film, produced by Icónica with Promenades, depicts a family trio whose “sincerity and emotional force” blur the lines between fiction and reality.
Spain’s Fernando Franco and Begoña Arostegui won the Miguel Delibes Award for Best Screenplay with **Subsuelo**, a dark exploration of the fallout from a tragic car accident, delving into themes of abuse, revenge, and family subterfuge. Meanwhile, Nili Feller received the editing award for **Yes**, described as “both a puzzle and a mental challenge,” executed with pinpoint precision.
The festival reported more than 100,000 admissions, approximately 6% higher than the previous year, as it continues to position itself as a curated auteur event. Increasingly, Seminci has become a key late-year hub where producers, distributors, and sales companies seek to place titles for national release and international circulation.
**Tributes** this year included Honorary Spikes awarded to French actress-filmmaker Mia Hansen-Løve and Spanish actor Luis Callejo. Additionally, the festival recognized top Spanish film schools—Madrid’s ECAM and Catalonia’s ESCAC—for their important role in nurturing young talent.
—
### Awards Overview
**Main Competition**
– **Golden Spike (Ex-Aequo):**
*The Mastermind* (Kelly Reichardt)
*Magellan* (Lav Diaz)
– **Silver Spike:**
*Silent Friend* (Ildikó Enyedi)
– **Ribera del Duero Award for Best Director:**
Ezequiel Salinas & Ramiro Sonzini, *The Night Is Fading Away*
– **Best Actress:**
Eva Victor, *Sorry, Baby*
– **Best Actor:**
Harry Melling, *Pillion*
– **Special Mention for Performers:**
Lionel Corral Bernal, Lionel Corral & Alicia Corral Bernal, *Lionel*
– **Best Cinematography:**
Christopher Blauvelt, *The Mastermind*
– **Miguel Delibes Award for Best Screenplay:**
Fernando Franco & Begoña Arostegui, *Subsuelo*
– **José Salcedo Award for Best Editing:**
Nili Feller, *Yes*
—
**Meeting Point**
– Meeting Point Award: *I Only Rest in the Storm* (Pedro Pinho Fundos)
– Special Award: *Last Night I Conquered the City of Thebes* (Gabriel Azorín)
– ESCAC Award for Best Director: Alexe Poukine, *Kika*
– Special Mention: Pauline Loquès, *Nino*
**Alchemies**
– Grand Prize: Leonor Noivo, *Bulakna*
– Special Mention: Damien Hauser, *Memory of Princess Mumbi*
**Time of History**
– Grand Prize: Federico Veiroj, *Face to Face*
– Special Prize: Vladlena Sandu, *Memory*
– Special Mention: Alexander Rodnyansky & Andriy Alferov, *Notes of a True Criminal*
**Doc. Spain**
– Prize: Candela Sotos, *Yrupẽ*
– Special Mention: Rubén Seca, *Los Cangrejos*
—
### Other Feature Awards
– Pilar Miró Prize for Best Spanish Director: Lucía Aleñar, *Forastera*
– Miniminci Prize: Jon Holmberg, *Super Charlie*
– Seminci Youth Prize: Jan Komasa, *Good Boy*
—
### Short Film Awards
– Golden Spike: Jakob Ladányi Jancsó, *Living Stones*
– Silver Spike: Marta Reis Andrade, *Dog Alone*
– Silver Spike: Guil Sela, *No Skate!*
– Best European Short Film: Hedda Mjøen, *Mercy*
– First Prize for Spanish Short Film: Lucía G. Romero, *Casi septiembre*
– Special Mention for Spanish Short Film: Julia Mellen, *Abortion Party*
– Castilla y León Short Film Award: Alberto Allica, *Darshan*
– Movistar Plus+ Short Film Project Award: María Herrera, *El cuerpo en cuestión*
—
### Non-Official Awards
– Rainbow Spike: *Between Dreams and Hope* (Farnoosh Samadi)
– Green Spike: *Silent Friend* (Ildikó Enyedi)
– Green Spike Special Mention: *Hair, paper, water* (Nicolas Graux & Truong Minh Quy)
– FIPRESCI Prize: *Two Prosecutors* (Sergei Loznitsa)
– Audience Award International: *Hamnet* (Chloé Zhao)
– Audience Award Meeting Point: *A Sad and Beautiful World* (Cyril Aris)
—
The 70th Seminci continues to showcase bold and visionary cinema, celebrating auteurs who challenge and enrich the film landscape while fostering emerging talent on the international stage.
https://variety.com/2025/film/global/valladolid-festival-seminci-70-kelly-reichardt-lav-diaz-1236568768/