Actor Annette Bening with the Donostia award at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. (AFP)

San Sebastian, Spain, Sept. 22 (Reuters): In its own discreet way, the San Sebastian Film Festival has built itself into an essential stop on the annual film circuit, rivalling the status of Venice and Cannes.

Now in its 52nd year, and running until September 25, the San Sebastian festival is happy to distinguish itself from the others by providing a platform for Latin American directors and direct access to the public. At the same time this elegant Basque city has nothing to envy when it comes to beauty and culture.

A golden, shell-shaped bay lends its name to the main film prize Concha de Oro, or Golden Shell, and its gastronomic prowess has produced several Michelin-starred chefs.

?The nicest thing about this festival is the public access. This is a real cinema-lovers? city, and it?s great to see major films being premiered and having the general public here, it gives it a real buzz,? said Gemma Beltran, one of the officials working at the festival.

During festival week San Sebastian takes on an international vibe while managing to retain a reserved charm not associated with paparazzi-ridden Venice or Cannes.

The festival became competitive in the 1960s as most of its peers did, though it suffered a decline in the 1980s because of Basque separatist violence.

?Since the ?80s we have consolidated our status little by little, creating expectations not just because of our programming but because of the media interest that it attracts ...it is now considered by the industry to be the fourth biggest film festival in the world,? festival director Mikel Olaciregui said.

?For a city of 175,000 people, it?s quite an achievement.?

Among those competing in the official section of the festival this year are reputed Argentine directors Adolfo Aristarain and Carlos Sorin, the latter a Venice prize-winner.

?Because of our cultural and linguistic proximity and our pulling power with the Latin American press, San Sebastian has become a point of reference for Latin America... a trademark which will allow films there to be distributed,? Olaciregui said.

This year the festival has a retrospective of Anthony Mann as well as its habitual prizes for first-time directors, a section for non-conformist film makers and specific Spanish-speaking sections ? ?a hotbed for talent?, as the festival catalogue puts it.

Also competing for the top prize is last year?s Berlin Golden Bear winner, Britain?s Michael Winterbottom.

The 2004 programme offers a premiere of Woody Allen?s new film Melinda and Melinda, as well as a retrospective.

The festival-shy Allen picked up a special award here on Friday, given to him by Oscar-winning Spanish director Pedro Almodovar, in a coup for San Sebastian?s prestige.

Also receiving special lifetime (Donosti) awards this week are actors Annette Bening and Jeff Bridges. Heading the jury is Peruvian novelist and film buff Mario Vargas Llosa.

Other participants this year were director Manoj Night Shyamalan with his film The Village and director Oliver Stone whose Looking for Fidel premiered at the festival.