The documentary about bullfighting "Tardes de Soledad" (Lonely Afternoons) received the grand prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival, AFP reports.
The film by Spanish director Albert Serra received the festival's Golden Shell for best film for its depiction of a day in the life of Peruvian bullfighter Andres Roca Rey.
Serra thanked festival organisers for choosing his film after animal rights groups campaigned against its screening.
The film was warmly received at its festival screening, although animal rights group PACMA condemned it as a romantic vision of bullfighting that normalises animal abuse.
The best director award was given by a tie vote to two directors, Laura Carreira and Pedro Martin Calero.
Careira's debut film, On the Fall, tells the story of a Portuguese worker in a Scottish warehouse who struggles with the pressures of the "gig" economy.
Martin-Calero's The Lamentation (El Llanto), also his first feature, is a horror film about an evil presence that stalks three women. The Spanish director has previously made music videos.
Earlier in the week, the festival gave a lifetime achievement award to Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar. | BGNES
