On 19 September Maribel Verdu received the National Cinematography Award, at a ceremony held during the 57th International Film Festival of San Sebastian. This actress, who has been coming to the Basque Country festival for 23 years, said she had never dreamed she would manage to win an award previously presented to “giants” like Fernando Fernan-Gomez, Paco Rabal or Rafael Azcona.

"I feel overwhelmed by all this, because we actors are fragile creatures and need to be loved, and today I feel very much loved” declared the actress during a short but moving ceremony. Verdu found it hard to believe that one of the writers of the film script for Lucky Star , directed by Ricardo Franco in 1997, “someone who wrote such a wonderful character for me, is the person who, now a Minister, is presenting me with this award,” she said.

The Minister (Secretary) of Spanish Culture, Angeles Gonzalez-Sinde, after presenting the award, which comes with 30,000 euros in prize money, stressed that Maribel Verdu is “a great enchantress” and someone “admired and respected by all the cinema-going public”. The former scriptwriter and film director stated that “as happens with so many women, and also in the film world, her greatest achievement or role – and she has had star roles, intelligent, deep, and compelling - is the least visible, is actually her own life".

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Attending the presentation ceremony, amongst others, were the President of the Basque Parliament, Arantxa Quiroga, the director of the ICAA, Ignasi Guardans, actors such as Jorge Sanz and Goya Toledo, and directors like Fernando Trueba, as well as representatives of Spanish production companies.