Creatura and Saben That began as great favorites at the Gaudí Awards and the great festival of Catalan cinema has endorsed both productions as the best of the year. Elena Martín's risky and brave second feature film about the female body and sexual desire as a stigma, has won six statuettes out of the fifteen for which it was nominated: best film, direction, supporting actor for Alex Brendemühl - his second consecutive award after Stories for not to tell -, supporting actress for Clara Segura, revelation performance for Clàudia Malagelada and editing. Very nervous, Martín said she was "happy and sad because it is a trip that is already over." She commented that six years ago she had the first conversation with Clara Roquet to write the film. "For years, sexual violence has been fought with silence. We have been taught that if there is danger, sexuality must be eliminated, but it is important to protect childhood and we must protect it by accompanying and validating it, we must not castrate it."
On the other hand, the biopic about the comedian Eugenio directed by David Trueba, with thirteen nominations, collected seven, among them best actor for David Verdaguer, a carbon copy of the protagonist, and actress for Extremaduran Carolina Yuste, who speaks perfect Catalan. in the shoes of his wife Conchita, the woman who brought him on stage and was his main support. Trueba's film, which covers the history of the Catalan comedian from 1967 to 1980, from the couple's beginnings as a musical duo until her death due to cancer, also added the awards for production direction, artistic direction, costumes , sound and makeup and hair.
And it is worth highlighting the three important distinctions of its nine nominations for 20,000 species of bees, which won best film in a non-Catalan language, photography and novel direction for Estibaliz Urresola. The Basque director's debut feature, a delicate look at trans childhood, has been on an unstoppable path since it stood out at the last Berlinale – with a prize for the young Sofía Otero – and won the Biznaga de Oro at the Malaga Festival. Her speech was most vindictive. Using her cell phone, she spoke in Catalan to praise the film industry here. "I took my first steps in Barcelona" and immediately demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, supported the women who denounce sexual violence and the directors "who make our vulva vote", in clear allusion to Elena's film Martin.
For next Saturday's Goya, it starts with fifteen nominations, ahead of The Snow Society, by J.A. Bayona, which fulfilled the predictions and was awarded the Gaudí for the best European film for its incredible and emotional tribute to the survivors and those killed in the aerial tragedy in the Andes of 1972, the only category in which it could compete due to not having Catalan production. In this regard, Bayona has said: "We have made a Spanish film in Uruguayan. Our language is cinema" and has thanked Netflix for making "such a difficult film" possible and the public for "embracing it", stating that placing it in the center of conversations is the best gift a filmmaker can have.
The Barcelona director was not the only nominee for this year's Oscars who won a prize at the gala. Pablo Berger from Bilbao did the same with Robot Dreams, his acclaimed debut in animation, which won in that category. "Those of us from Bilbao are born wherever we want, and today I am Catalan. Look at Catalan cinema!" He exclaimed happily. Furthermore, the tender story of friendship between a robot and an anthropomorphic dog set in New York City in the eighties and based on the novel of the same name by Sara Varon, left the Gaudí for best music in the hands of an elated Alfonso de Vilallonga. original.
The teacher who promised the sea, the film by Patricia Font that explores the figure of the republican professor Antoni Benaiges – played by Enric Auquer – and which has achieved great box office success, had six mentions, but had to settle for only the special audience award. Just like what happened with Un amor, by Isabel Coixet. The film based on the successful novel by Sara Mesa that demystifies romantic love, relationships and life in the countryside, only materialized of the eight to which it aspired, the award for best adapted script for the text that the director co-wrote alongside by Laura Ferrero.
And the original script award went to Venezuelans Juan Sebastián Vásquez and Alejandro Rojas for Upon entry, where a couple - he Venezuelan, she from Barcelona - decides to move to the United States and are subjected to a harsh interrogation by customs officials who will rethink your decision and also your relationship. The film teller, directed by the Danish Lone Scherfig, was backed by six mentions and also received a single distinction, that of best visual effects for Bernat Aragonés. An award that left out the work of Montse Ribé and David Martí for Secaderos.
The foul-mouthed and critical humor of the gala's hosts, 'Oye Sherman' and Ana Polo, was brought onto a CCIB stage transformed for the occasion into a huge movie screen in front of 1,400 guests seated around tables. Because it was time to take advantage of the "excellent harvest of nominated films", although they also criticized the low box office of a Catalan-language cinema "that is subsidized." But "you can't complain because if you don't like Catalan cinema, it's not him, it's you."
While it's you, the documentary with which Claudia Pinto captures the last conscious journey of the actress Carme Elías, diagnosed with Alzheimer's and Honorary Gaudí Award in 2021, won as a documentary film. The performer excitedly went on stage and talked about “my friend Al.” “I'm happy to be able to explain how difficult this disease is,” she said to applause. There was also excitement with the Gaudí Honor Award to the director and screenwriter Rosa Vergés, who vindicated the work of women forgotten by history like Alice Guy, and invited the audience to dream. “Dream and fight against abuse, for equality, tolerance and excellence.”
The president of the Catalan Film Academy, Judith Colell, predicted a party and fun ceremony, as well as a protest. And she was. "It has been a year of great joy" and she congratulated Berger, Bayona, Montse Ribé and David Martí for their Oscar nominations. "You don't know how proud we are. It is thanks to good policies on the part of the institutions and it is important that it has continuity. Cinema must be a matter of State." But Colell also asked for zero tolerance with the catastrophic news of sexual abuse and complained about the job insecurity in the sector: "77% of our actors and actresses earn less than 12,000 euros per year and it is something that cannot continue like this," he stated bluntly.
He celebrated that the presence of women is a norm, not an exception and cited Rosa Vergés as a pioneer. "Let's not fall into oblivion. We exist, we are working and we will fight until the end!" she cried after asking the women of the sector to get up from their seats. And she addressed the Minister of Education, Pilar Alegría, present at the event, to highlight the importance of education in the youngest. "We have to get our act together," he stressed.
