US director Paul Thomas Anderson has been awarded the Fipresci Grand Prix for his film There Will Be Blood.

The award for best film of the year, which is given by the international federation of film critics, will be collected by Anderson in person at the San Sebastian Film Festival's opening gala in the Kursaal Auditorium on Sept 18.

'The choice was extremely clear for the 242 members of the International Federation of Film Critics who voted, considering Paul Thomas Anderson's film to be the best of the year,' the group said in a statement.

There Will Be Blood also won two Oscars and the Silver Bear for Best Director at Berlin earlier this year. Anderson previously won the Fipresci Grand Prix in 2000 for his film Magnolia.