For the first time, a Catalan production opened Sitges: the honor went to Darkness, Jaume Balagueró’s first English-language feature. The Time Machine Awards were given to two festival favorites: Guillermo del Toro and David Cronenberg, who also presented Spider. The La General award went to legendary producer Dino De Laurentiis. The 2002 closing gala was one of the most glamorous in the Festival’s history: Red Dragon, featuring Hannibal Lecter’s latest adventure, brought much of the film’s team to Sitges, including actors Anthony Hopkins and Ralph Fiennes. The retrospective on European westerns concluded with the world premiere of Álex de la Iglesia’s 800 Bullets.
