In what have been challenging times for the film industry internationally, the Spanish version of the Oscars, the Goya Awards, is on course to celebrate its 35th edition this year. Presented by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AACCE), the Awards will honour the best in Spanish films of 2020.
The finalists were announced on Monday in Madrid by actress and singer Ana Belén alongside actor and comedian Dani Rovira – a week later than expected due to complications provoked by Storm Filomena.
For the third consecutive year the Goyas will be held in Andalusia. Last year Pedro Almodóvar’s semi-autobiographical drama Pain and Glory triumphed, winning seven awards, including best picture, director, original screenplay, and best actor for Antonio Banderas.
Banderas, along with journalist María Casado, will present and co-direct this year’s ceremony on the 6 March in the Teatro del Soho Caixa Bank in Málaga. This year, however, the event has had to adapt to the extraordinary circumstances caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Vice-president of the Academy, Rafael Portela, explained that the ceremony will differ from other years; with heightened security, strict measures outlined by the health authorities, along with reduced audience capacity. Award ceremony parties – before or after the event – are also strictly prohibited. Although the event will be austere in comparison to previous editions, the organisers have committed to valuing art, talent, creativity, and the imagination of the world of cinema, especially in these adverse times, when Spanish box office earnings saw a decrease of 446 million euros in comparison to 2019.
The Academy has also made an exception to its rules for the 35th edition of the Goya Awards. Previously, to be eligible for an award it was mandatory to premier in commercial theatres with a box office open to the public. The closure and reduced capacity of movie theatres throughout 2020, as well as the cancellation of premieres, has resulted in a modification of the criteria to account for films that could not have a theatrical release and were released on streaming instead.
A total of 155 films released in Spain between 1 January and 31 December 2020 were eligible for the awards. Of these 155 productions, 82 are fiction, 72 are documentaries and 1 is animation. Also participating this year are 56 European films, 16 Ibero-American films and 35 short films.
The nominations announced on Monday revealed the favourites this year: Adú, by Salvador Calvo (13 nominations); Akelarre (Coven), by Pablo Agüero (9 nominations); Las niñas, by Pilar Palomero (9 nominations), and La boda de Rosa, by Icíar Bollaín (8 nominations).
The Netflix drama Adú, is a frontrunner for the 35th Goya Awards, with nominations in categories including best film and best director. Adú tells the story of two Cameroonian brothers who dream of reaching Europe to escape poverty – a film based on the migratory dilemma and tragedy that has become a reality for the Mediterranean.
Contenders for the best Ibero-American film include Chilean documentary El agente topo (The Mole Agent), El olvido que seremos (Forgotten We’ll Be) from Columbian filmmaker Fernando Trueba, the Guatemalan horror film La llorona, and Fernando Frias’ Mexican drama, Yo no estoy aquí (I’m No Longer Here).
In the category for Best European film are Jan Komasa’s Polish drama Corpus Christi, Florian Zeller’s Brit drama The Father, Viggo Mortensen’s Falling, and An Officer and a Spy from Roman Polanski.
Although the winners will not be announced until the live-streamed ceremony on the 6 March, two awards are known for certain: Best Animated Film (and winner for being the only nominee) La gallina Turuleca (Turu, the Wacky Hen) and secondly, the Goya of Honour, decided by the Board of Directors and which recognises a lifetime of dedication to cinema, which goes to actress Ángela Molina.
ALSO READ (26/1/20): Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘Pain and Glory’ triumphs at Goyas
The nominees in the major categories for this year are the following:
Best Film
Adú
Ane (Ane Is Missing)
La boda de Rosa (Rosa’s Wedding)
Las niñas (The Girls)
Sentimental (The People Upstairs)
Best Director
Salvador Calvo – Adú
Juanma Bajo Ulloa – Baby
Icíar Bollaín – La boda de Rosa (Rosa’s Wedding)
Isabel Coixet – Nieva en Benidorm (It Snows in Benidorm)
Best Actor
Mario Casas – No matarás (Cross the Line)
Javier Cámara – Sentimental (The People Upstairs)
Ernesto Alterio – Un mundo normal (A Normal World)
David Verdaguer – Uno para todos (One for All)
Best Actress
Amaia Aberasturi – Akelarre (Coven)
Patricia López Arnaiz –Ane (Ane Is Missing)
Kiti Mánver – El inconveniente (One Careful Owner)
Candela Peña – La boda de Rosa (Rosa’s Wedding)
Best Supporting Actor
Álvaro Cervantes – Adú
Sergi López – La boda de Rosa (Rosa’s Wedding)
Juan Diego Botto – Los europeos (The Europeans)
Alberto San Juan – Sentimental (The People Upstairs)
Best Supporting Actress
Juana Acosta – El inconveniente (One Careful Owner)
Verónica Echegui – Explota. Explota. (My Heart Goes Boom!)
Nathalie Poza – La boda de Rosa (Rosa’s Wedding)
Natalia de Molina – Las niñas (Schoolgirls)
Best New Actor
Adam Nourou – Adú
Chema del Barco – El plan (The Plan)
Janick – Historias lamentables
Fernando Valdivielso – No matarás (Cross the Line)
Best New Actress
Jone Laspiur – Ane
Paula Usero – La boda de Rosa (Rosa’s Wedding)
Milena Smith – No matarás (Cross the Line)
Griselda Siciliani – Sentimental (The People Upstairs)
Best Original Screenplay
Adú – Alejandro Hernández
Historias lamentables – Claro García and Javier Fesser
La Boda de Rosa (Rosa’s Wedding) – Alicia Luna and Icíar Bollaín
Las niñas (The Girls) – Pilar Palomero
Best Adapted Screenplay
Ane – David Pérez Sañudo and Marina Parés Pulido
Los europeos (The Europeans) – Bernardo Sánchez and Marta Libertad Castillo
Oríngenes secretos (Unknown Origins) – David Galán Galindo and Fernando Navarro
Sentimental (The People Upstairs) – Cesc Gay
Best Spanish Language Foreign Film
El agente topo (The Mole Agent) – Chile
El olvido que seremos (Memories of My Father) – Colombia
La llorona (The Weeping Woman) – Guatemala
Yo no estoy aquí (I’m No Longer Here) – Mexico
Best European Film
Corpus Christi
El oficial y el espía (An Officer and a Spy)
El Padre (The Father)
Falling
Best New Director
David Pérez Sañudo – Ane
Bernabé Rico – El inconveniente (One Careful Owner)
Pilar Palometo – Las niñas (The Girls)
Nuria Giménez Lorang – My Mexican Bretzel
Best Animated Film
La gallina Turuleca (Turu, the Wacky Hen)
