'Life and Death' tops San Sebastian fest

September 26, 2009 Lu Chuan's controversial Chinese film "City of Life and Death," depicting the atrocities committed during the 1938 Japanese siege of China's former capital, Nanjing, won the Golden Shell Saturday at the 57th San Sebastian International Film Festival. The Silver Shell acting awards went to Spanish actors Lola Duenas and Pablo Pineda for their central performances in Alvaro Pastor and Antonio Naharro's "Me Too," focusing on a man with Down syndrome and his efforts to woo a woman without. Philippe Van Leeuw's look at the Rwandan massacre "The Day God Walked Away" won the coveted Kutxa-New Directors Award worth 90,000 euros to be equally divided between the director and the Spanish distributor.

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