Meanwhile, Hans Petter Moland’s period drama Growth of the Soil picked up acting and cinematography honours.

Nordic cinema enjoyed a strong showing as the 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival drew to a close on September 26, with Swedish filmmaker Amanda Kernell taking the Silver Shell for Best Director for Brace Your Heart (Garrat du váimmu).

The Sweden-Norway-Denmark-Iceland-Bulgaria co-production follows 20-year-old Ejva, who inherits her late father’s reindeer herd in a remote Sámi community and struggles to secure her place as a herder, while an unexpected love affair upends her life. Kernell’s directing prize marked the biggest individual Nordic filmmaking honour of the closing ceremony.

Norwegian director Hans Petter Moland’s Growth of the Soil (Markens grøde) also emerged as one of the evening’s multiple award winners. Adapted from Knut Hamsun’s 1917 novel, the pic follows Isak and Inger as they attempt to build a life and family from a barren stretch of land in the Norwegian mountains, with hardship and a changing world gradually testing their relationship.

Swedish-Danish actress Asta Kamma August received the Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance for her role in Growth of the Soil, sharing the award with British actress Kate O’Flynn for Mike Leigh’s Tender Loving Care.

Growth of the Soil collected a second major prize when Norwegian DoP Oskar Dahlsbakken received the Jury Prize for Best Cinematography.

Both films are top financed by Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

The Basque gathering’s top honour, the Golden Shell, went to the aforementioned Tender Loving Care. The British production also scooped the Jury Prize for Best Screenplay for Leigh.

This year, Nordic success extended to San Sebastián’s industry awards. Finnish Antti Ahokoivu’s Virtual Location Scouting was named Best European Project at the Zinemaldia Startup Challenge, and additionally received the Special Mention to Entrepreneurship, completing a prize haul spanning both the festival’s Official Selection and industry programme.