Richard Gere honoured at Spanish film festival

Auster, who is chairing the jury at the 55th edition of the festival in the northern Spanish resort, presented "The Inner Life of Martin Frost".

It is his third film as a director after "Blue in the Face", co-directed with Wayne Wange in 1995, and "Lulu on the Bridge," shown in competition at Cannes in 1998.

The Martin Frost of the title, played by David Thewlis, is a well-known author who has just published a book and decided to retreat to the countryside.

One morning he wakes up to find a woman lying beside him, Claire Martin (Irene Jacob). On the border between reality and imagination, she becomes the muse who inspires him to write his best novel.

Meanwhile, veteran US actor Gere, star of 'American Gigolo' and 'Pretty Woman', received a 'Donosti' - which means San Sebastian in the Basque language - lifetime achievement award.

The award has been handed out annually since 1986, and previous recipients include Woody Allen, Robert de Niro, Jessica Lange, Isabelle Huppert and Matt Dillon.

Gere's latest film, "The Hunting Party", about the search for Bosnian Serb war crimes fugitive Radovan Karadzic, will be screened at the festival out of competition.

Norwegian actress Liv Ullman is also being awarded an honorary Donosti, but will accept hers on Friday.

Sixteen movies are competing for the festival's Golden Shell award for best film, which is to announced on September 29.

A week away, David Cronenberg's 'Eastern Promises' about the Russian mafia and the touching 'Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame' on the plight of Afghan children were the critics' favourites for the top prize. © 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation