Ten Goyas for Marshland

by Alfonso Rivera

08/02/2015 - As expected, Alberto Rodríguez’s thriller was triumphant at the 29th edition of the most important film awards in Spain, at which Spanish Affair was also a surprise winner

Alberto Rodríguez (left) with the rest of the Marshland team, after the handing out of the awards

Marshland [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alberto Rodríguez
film profile] has rounded off the national awards season on a real high note, at a ceremony in which it came out on top (just as it did previously, at the Feroz Awards – read more). On Saturday night, the film helmed by Alberto Rodríguez went home with ten Goyas, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Music and Best Lead Actor (Javier Gutiérrez). Its archrival, El niño [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Daniel Monzón
film profile], was awarded four and the box-office smash Spanish Affair [+see also:
trailer
film profile] three: Best Supporting Actor and Actress (Karra Elejalde and Carmen Machi), and Best Newcomer, which went to the host of the gala, Dani Rovira.

Bárbara Lennie was judged Best Lead Actress for Magical Girl [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Carlos Vermut
film profile], the only trophy that Carlos Vermut’s daring work picked up. Antonio Banderas received the Honorary Goya, presented to him by Pedro Almodóvar, who made the most of his time on the microphone to bravely rail against the Minister of Culture, who was present in the auditorium, saying: “Friends of culture and Spanish cinema... that doesn’t include you, Mr Wert.” The director of I’m So Excited [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] took to the stage once again when Wild Tales [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], which was co-produced by his company, El Deseo, was named Best Latin American Film.

Another gem nominated for the upcoming Oscars in the Best Foreign-language Film category, Ida [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pawel Pawlikowski
interview: Pawel Pawlikowski
film profile], was acknowledged as Best European Film, and Long Distance [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carlos Marques-Marcet
film profile] won the Goya for Best New Director. Meanwhile, Enrique González Macho, the president of the Spanish Academy of Film Arts and Sciences, again demanded the lowering of the exorbitant 21% VAT rate and asserted that culture should become a government-handled affair, as is the case in France; he also thanked the public for visiting movie theatres in 2014 and reminded those present that Spanish films are not only for Spanish people, highlighting Isabel Coixet’s co-production Nobody Wants the Night [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
interview: Isabel Coixet
film profile] as a prime example, a film which has just opened the Berlinale.