Canadian director David Cronenberg, known for his masterpieces in the horror genre, will receive the Donastia Award at the 2022 San Sebastian Film Festival on September 21. Considered a pioneer of the body horror and auteur sci-fi genres, Cronenberg has directed numerous movies, including Shivers (1975), Rabid (1977) The Brood (1979), Scanners (1981), Videodrome (1983), Dead Ringers (1988), Naked Lunch (1991), and eXistenZ (1999), that blend the physical, psychological, and technological in order to provide a commentary on the fast-paced, technology-driven, contemporary society.

His most recent movie, Crimes of the Future, is a dystopian drama which quickly became a fan favorite and was regarded by critics as a return to Cronenberg’s signature “sexy, sticky body-horror past.”

Cronenberg will be part of San Sebastian for the second time, the first being when his gangster drama Eastern Promises opened the festival in 2007.

The 70th San Sebastian Festival will occur from September 16 to September 24.