Jennifer Lawrence Says “Maybe We’re All More Connected Than It Seems” as She Becomes San Sebastian’s Youngest Donostia Award Recipient

Jennifer Lawrence had San Sebastian whipped up into frenzy on Friday night as she collected the Spanish film festival’s coveted Donostia Award.

The Oscar-winning actress, honored for her contributions to cinema, became emotional as she took to the stage at the Kursaal Theater, receiving a thunderous standing ovation as she did so. “Thank you to the San Sebastian Film Festival for thinking of me for this incredible honor,” said Lawrence. “I’m so happy to be here — not just for the food, which is reason enough to visit — but because there’s something really special about being at a festival like this where people genuinely love cinema and storytelling and the art and soul of movies. A place where every corner of the globe can teach us about each other, bring us together for shared emotional experience and sometimes remind us, at just the right moment, that maybe we are all more connected than it may seem at times.”

Earlier in the day, she attended a press conference where Lawrence confessed she is “terrified” by the war in Gaza. “I’m terrified and it’s mortifying,” the U.S. star said. “What’s happening is no less than a genocide, and it’s unacceptable. I’m terrified for my children, for all of our children. … Everybody needs to remember that when you ignore what’s happening on one side of the world, it won’t be long until it’s on your side as well.”

Lawrence joins a prestigious list of Donostia Award recipients. In recent years, San Sebastian has invited the likes of Cate Blanchett, Javier Bardem, David Cronenberg, Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Danny DeVito, Ethan Hawke and Hugh Jackman to receive the honor.

Lawrence was in San Sebastian to present her latest film, Lynne Ramsay’s Cannes-premiering Die, My Love opposite Robert Pattinson. She plays Grace, a young mother who finds herself spiraling into the depths of psychosis, her mental state worsened by suspicions over her husband’s infidelity. The Die, My Love screening is just one of a host of glitzy premieres, luring Hollywood heavyweights such as Angelina Jolie (for Alice Winocour’s Couture) and Colin Farrell (for Edward Berger’s Ballad of a Small Player) to Spain’s northern coast this year.

As the fest kicked off, The Hollywood Reporter caught up with outgoing director José Luis Rebordinos, who went into more depth about the decision to honor Lawrence.

“She’s very young, she has an Oscar, she’s worked with a lot of very important directors, and at the same time, she’s the girl of The Hunger Games,” said Rebordinos. “A lot of young people called me to ask very crazy things: ‘When is it possible to watch Jennifer Lawrence? Is it possible to get tickets? Can you arrange a meeting with me and Jennifer Lawrence?”

He continued, citing Lawrence’s popularity among a younger audience: “The most important problem in this moment for cinema is to have people in the cinema,” he continues. “And [therefore we need] young people in this festival. In 20 years, the only possibility for us, the people that love cinema, is the young people that love cinema.”

Lawrence is one of two Donostia Award winners in 2025. At the beginning of the festival, brothers Pedro and Agustín Almodóvar honored Esther García, who became the first producer to claim the prize. García is considered one of the most influential women in Spanish cinema having worked on Almodóvar’s films since 1986.

The San Sebastian International Film Festival 2025 runs Sept. 19-27.