Koro Santesteban, head of the San Sebastian Festival’s Spanish press, will receive the Alfonso Sánchez Communication Award 2026 bestowed by the Spanish Film Academy. With ties to the festival dating back to 1988, Santesteban will collect the honour at an event to take place in Madrid on July 15.
The Alfonso Sánchez Communication Award is the distinction presented by the Board Members of the Film Academy in acknowledgement of the work of the media and its professionals to disseminate and promote Spanish cinema.
In this case, Santesteban will receive the award for her work “managing relations with the media, journalists and accredited guests at the most important festival among those held in Spain”, according to the Academy. Santesteban receives this accolade "on behalf of the extraordinary communications and press team behind the San Sebastián event, managing relations with the media, journalists and accredited attendees at the most important festival held in Spain", says the Academy.
The Festival’s Press department provides the setting for the work carried out by Koro Santesteban in her professional career, referring both to her managerial work and to her coordination of public relations. Following her early days dedicated to dealing with the foreign press, in 1997 she was appointed head of Spanish Press, a position she still holds today.
Deeply moved and thrilled “at this unexpected surprise”, Santesteban says that she feels “greatly loved”, and that she considers “as an embrace” this tribute received at a very special time of her life and which she wants to share with all her colleagues at the Festival.
On July 15 at the Film Academy headquarters in Madrid, Koro Santesteban will receive a recognition going in previous editions to Diego Galán and the TVE programme Versión Española, Antonio Gasset, Oti Rodríguez Marchante, Conxita Casanovas, Cartelera Turia magazine, Yolanda Flores, Nuria Vidal, Carles Francino, Begoña Piña, Anton Merikaetxebarria, Chusa L. Monjas, Elisenda Nadal, Jaume Figueras and María Guerra.