He rose to fame after directing the critically acclaimed Spanish-language horror film The Orphanage, which earned him a Goya Award for Best New Director… And, now Juan Antonio Bayana has another award to put on his mantle…

The 37-year-old Spanish filmmaker picked up the international director of the year award at CineEurope, Europe’s top cinema convention during the show’s annual awards luncheon in Bayana’s hometown of Barcelona.

Following The Orphanage—his big debut film, a visceral ghost story set in a former children’s refuse—Bayana has returned with The Impossible, which stars Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and Geraldine Chaplin. It’s a tale of a family battling to survive the aftermath of a devastating South East Asian tsunami.

Summit Entertainment is planning to release the movie in the United States later this year while Spaniards will see it on the big screen in October.