 Allen will get a lifetime achievement award at the festival |
The 52nd San Sebastian Film Festival opened on Friday with the premiere of Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda. The romantic comedy starring British actor Jonny Lee Miller, Radha Mitchell and Will Ferrell got a warm reception.
The Oscar-winning director, 68, in Spain with his wife Soon-Yi Previn, will also be honoured with a lifetime achievement award during the festival.
His film is not competing at the event which sees 19 movies vying for the top award - the Golden Shell.
The lifetime achievement award recognises Allen's career as a director of nearly 40 films, including Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters and Bullets Over Broadway.
Prestigious
A retrospective of his work, including his acting and writing, runs throughout the nine-day festival.
Allen has a huge following in Spain and received a prestigious art award there in 2002.
The festival will also honour Hollywood actors Jeff Bridges and Annette Bening with lifetime achievement awards.
Among the highlights are Oliver Stone's new documentary on Cuban President Fidel Castro, Looking for Fidel, the follow-up to his 2002 documentary Comandante, which will premiere at the festival.
A special section called Horizontes Latinos, created during last year's event, features Latin American films never shown in Spain.
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