The film Turtles Can Fly directed by Iranian Bahman Ghobadi, portraying Iraqi villagers facing the approach of war, has won the top prize at Spain's prestigious San Sebastian International Film Festival.

The festival's Golden Shell award to the film that shows villagers in Iraqi Kurdistan desperately seeking to obtain a satellite dish in order to keep updated on developments in the Iraq war. Mr. Ghobadi was born in Iranian Kurdistan.

The award for best director at the eight-day festival went to China's Xu Jinglei for her film Letter from an Unknown Woman.

Connie Nielsen of Denmark won the best actress award for her role in the film Brothers, while her co-star and countryman Ulrich Thomsen was best actor.

A special award went to Goran Paskaljevic of Serbia and Montenegro for his film A Midwinter Night's Dream, portraying the tragic consequences of civil war.