Brillante Mendoza's latest offering, "Alpha, The Right to Kill," has won the Special Jury Prize in the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain.

The film is set against the backdrop of the Philippine government's war on drugs, and was written by Troy Espiritu, a frequent collaborator of Mendoza who also wrote his Netflix series "Amo" and his 2016 Cannes Film Festival entry "Ma' Rosa."

Variety hailed "Alpha, The Right to Kill," for its "bone-weary resignation to its worldview that underlines its simple moral point all the more effectively."

"('Alpha, The Right to Kill,') covers familiar ground, but does so with a potent, purposeful stride," Variety also said of the latest offering from the acclaimed Filipino director.

"Alpha, The Right to Kill" competed against Felix Van Groeningen’s Brad Pitt-produced "Beautiful Boy," Louis Garrel’s "A Faithful Man" and Peter Strickland’s "In Fabric" for the Special Jury Prize.

Mendoza won the Best Director Award in Cannes in 2009 for "Kinatay," and has gone on to produce an extensive body of work – including "Ma' Rosa," which earned the Best Actress award for Jaclyn Jose at Cannes.

"Between Two Waters" by Isaki Lacuesta won the prestigious Golden Shell award at the San Sebastian Festival.