Dressed warmly in a jacket despite the sunny weather, and wearing a cap and sunglasses, the Hollywood actor spent more than 20 minutes greeting hundreds of fans who had gathered around the hotel perimeter. Pitt signed autographs, posed for selfies and chatted with onlookers who had been waiting for several hours.

"He looked great. I didn't think he'd come round," said an excited fan named Maritza, who managed to get face-to-face with the actor. "He's a brilliant actor."

The visit marks Pitt's second appearance at the festival, following his previous trip to promote Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.

Festival regulars Gloria and Nati managed to secure his signature once again: "I've got another one from when he came for Inglourious Basterds," they explained.

Another fan recounted running across the city straight from a workout to catch a glimpse of the star: "I was working out. As I'd seen a news item saying he was coming on Wednesday, I hadn't given it a second thought, but when I saw that he was coming at 12.45pm, I rushed out. I don't normally have that sort of stamina, but Brad Pitt motivated me," she said with a smile. "I've followed him from the very beginning because he's such a great actor, I really do believe that. Above all, I like him because almost all his films are quite good, in my opinion," she added, noting that his status as a "sex symbol" was also worth mentioning.

A visitor who travelled from Almeria felt the journey was completely justified despite missing out on an autograph: "I didn't manage to get an autograph, but just seeing him made it worth coming all the way from where I'm from," she said. "He stopped to talk to everyone, he was really close by, smiling all the time, very friendly, he's really good-looking."

Other attendees in the front row had arrived as early as 10am to secure a spot, with three friends noting their devotion to the event: "We're huge fans of the festival. We've even got it tattooed." Another tourist added: "On Friday, I managed to see Orlando Bloom and some Spanish actors, it was brilliant. And then I want to see Los Javis as well."

Pitt will remain in the Basque city for several days to present Heart of the Beast. The adventure thriller, directed by David Ayer, screens on Wednesday and stars Pitt as a former special forces soldier who must survive the Alaskan wilderness alongside his combat dog following a plane crash.

The actor forms part of a major celebrity contingent arriving in San Sebastian on Tuesday. Álvaro Lafuente and Guitarricadelafuente, who star in the film La bola negra, are attending a red carpet event at the Victoria Eugenia theatre at 9pm alongside directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi ('Los Javis') and actress Penélope Cruz.

Actor Antonio de la Torre has also arrived in Donostia to present his lead role in Sacamantecas while appearing in La bola negra. Further international arrivals include Jordan Firstman, Diego Calva and Miguel Ángel Muñoz.

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