The 2024 winner of San Sebastián’s Golden Shell is an earthy tribute to motherhood and female power against overwhelming odds.

At the tail end of the Franco regime, on a Galician island seemingly far removed from the concerns of the mainland, María goes about her business collecting shellfish and acting as midwife to the local women. She mostly keeps to herself, unbothered by the wary regard the villagers have for her. But when a high school track star seeks María’s help to get rid of an unwanted pregnancy, the resulting fallout turns her life upside down and she finds herself on the run. As she flees towards Portugal, María must come to terms with her own unexpected pregnancy – beginning a remarkable journey of reinvention.

Along with San Sebastián’s top gong, Jaoine Camborda’s second feature nabbed the Best New Actress Goya Award for lead Janet Novás, a breakout star in her debut role. A trained dancer, Novás fully embodies her character with a grounded and engrossing performance that is equally matched by the supporting cast. Buoyed by the stunningly visceral cinematography of Rui Poças – known for Lucrecia Martel’s Zama (MIFF 2018) and João Pedro Rodrigues’s The Ornithologist (MIFF 2017), among others – The Rye Horn unfolds as a timely, thrilling tale of female solidarity and survival.

“Anchored by an explosive first performance from Janet Novás … The Rye Horn demonstrates Camborda’s growing talent, and her potential to be one of the directors to watch in the coming years.” – International Cinephile Society