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Jennifer Lawrence honored at San Sebastián: a career milestone
The San Sebastián International Film Festival has announced that Jennifer Lawrence will receive the Donostia Award for career achievement at this year’s edition. The honorary accolade recognizes Lawrence’s body of work across mainstream and independent cinema and brings the Oscar-winning star to Spain in September to accept the prize in person.
Die My Love: a disturbing new chapter for Lawrence and Ramsay
Immediately following the ceremony, the festival will screen Die My Love, the long-anticipated collaboration between actor-producer Jennifer Lawrence and auteur director Lynne Ramsay. Set in rural America and filmed in and around Montana, the film is a haunting portrait of Grace, a writer and young mother disintegrating under the pressures of love and mental collapse. Robert Pattinson co-stars alongside a supporting ensemble that includes LaKeith Stanfield, Nick Nolte, and Sissy Spacek.
Filmmaking pedigree and production notes
Ramsay co-wrote the screenplay with Enda Walsh and Alice Birch, continuing her tightly controlled, poetic approach to psychological drama seen in You Were Never Really Here and We Need to Talk About Kevin. Producers on the project include Justine Ciarrocchi and Lawrence’s Excellent Cadaver banner, with heavyweight backers such as Martin Scorsese and Black Label Media. At Cannes, streaming and arthouse distributor Mubi acquired worldwide rights in a reported $24 million deal, committing to a broad theatrical release across dozens of territories.
How Die My Love fits into current cinema trends
Die My Love arrives at a moment when star-driven arthouse films are enjoying a resurgence: distributors are betting that major actors in daring roles can attract audiences back to cinemas. Ramsay’s formal, sensory style—long takes, intimate sound design, and disorienting editing—positions the film for awards-season talk as well as festival acclaim. Critics at Cannes praised the film as 'mesmerizing' and singled out Lawrence’s performance as one of the year’s most transgressive turns.
Comparisons and context
For Lawrence, Die My Love is a return to the raw physicality and interiority of earlier career milestones such as Winter’s Bone, but with the extreme subjectivity and formal daring of recent Ramsay projects. For Ramsay, it may be her most mainstream-facing film in terms of cast profile and distribution, while retaining the emotional brutality of her best work.
Industry impact and distribution
Mubi’s commitment—1,500 screens for a 45-day domestic run across territories including North America, UK, Germany, Spain, India, Australia, and Latin America—signals confidence in theatrical windows for prestige cinema. The transaction is an example of how boutique platforms and specialty distributors are reshaping release strategies to guarantee both festival visibility and box office legs for auteur-driven films.
Expert perspective
Film critic Anna Kovacs offers a concise take: "Ramsay’s films always challenge viewers, and Die My Love looks poised to do so more broadly because of Lawrence’s star power. The festival spotlight at San Sebastián amplifies that risk and could make this a pivotal moment for both artist and actress."
Trivia and behind-the-scenes
Behind the scenes, the film’s production combined Ramsay’s intimate crew with a star-studded roster of producers, including Scorsese’s advisory influence. Lawrences’ role as a producer through Excellent Cadaver underscores a growing trend of leading actors shaping the projects they headline, especially when those projects bridge arthouse and commercial appeal.
Conclusion: what to watch for in San Sebastián
San Sebastián (September 19–27) offers film lovers an early look at what could be one of the year’s most debated films. Expect intense critical conversation about Lawrence’s performance, Ramsay’s directorial evolution, and whether Die My Love can convert festival buzz into awards momentum and box-office traction. Either way, the Donostia tribute cements Lawrence’s status as an artist who continues to push against commercial comfort zones, and it reaffirms San Sebastián’s role as a platform where auteur cinema meets star power.
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