10/02/2025 - The top award given by the Spanish Film Academy in its 39th edition was awarded ex aequo to the latest film by Marcel Barrena and that of Arantxa Echevarría

The teams from The 47 and Undercover receiving their Goyas for Best Film (© Academia de Cine)

For the first time in the history of the awards presented by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain, which have been held for 39 years, the most prestigious of its trophies, the Goya for Best Feature Film, was awarded to two recipients: the historical drama set in 1970s Barcelona, The 47 directed by Marcel Barrena and the thriller set in the Basque Country Undercover [+see also:
trailer
film profile], directed by Arantxa Echevarría. Both films are based on real events and have been box office hits in Spain.

The division of the prize was the big surprise at the end of the ceremony held in Granada last Saturday, as long and dreary as has been customary for years. Two performers from The 47 took to the stage to collect their Goyas: Clara Segura, winner of the Best Supporting Actress award, and Salva Reina, Best Supporting Actor. This film also won awards for production supervision and Best Special Effects, making it the evening’s biggest winner with five awards. Meanwhile, the character from Undercover, a young policewoman who posed as a member of the terrorist group ETA, won the statuette for Best Actress awarded to the actress from Extremadura, Carolina Yuste.

In the Best Director category, the award went to Isaki Lacuesta and Pol Rodríguez, who co-directed Saturn Return [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Isaki Lacuesta
film profile], a feature film that also won Goya awards for sound and editing. In the Best New Director category, there was no surprise, as Javier Macipe's The Blue Star [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Javier Macipe
film profile], beat its rivals. The film had been generating excitement since its screening in the New Directors section of San Sebastián in 2023, although it was not released in cinemas until February of the following year. Its lead performer, Pepe Lorente, also won Best New Actor.

Pedro Almodóvar was awarded for the adapted screenplay of The Room Next Door [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], the recent winner of the Golden Lion at the last Venice Film Festival. The film also won awards for Best Cinematography and Original Score, composed by the masterful Alberto Iglesias.

Another of the night's award winners was Antón Álvarez, also known as the musician C. Tangana, who won two Goyas: Best Song and Best Documentary for La guitarra flamenca de Yerai Cortés [+see also:
film review
interview: Antón Álvarez
film profile], which was presented in the New Directors section at the last San Sebastián Film Festival. And Paula Ortiz’s The Red Virgin [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], received awards in the categories of Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction. Marco [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño
film profile], by Aitor Arregi and Jon Garaño,  which was shown at the Orizzonti section of the Venice Film Festival, also picked up two awards: Best Makeup and Hairstyles and Best Leading Actor, for the ubiquitous Eduard Fernández (the Catalan also stars in The 47).

Finally, Salve María [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mar Coll
film profile], the very brave film by Catalan filmmaker Mar Coll, deserved more than just one trophy—the one awarded for Best New Actress to Laura Weissmahr. Excellent films such as Glimmers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pilar Palomero
film profile], by Pilar Palomero; The Other Way Around [+see also:
film review
interview: Jonás Trueba
film profile], by Jonás Trueba; They Will Be Dust [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carlos Marqués-Marcet
film profile], by Carlos Marqués-Marcet, and La casa [+see also:
film review
film profile], by Álex Montoya; were unfairly left empty-handed. Meanwhile, A House on Fire by Dani de la Orden, which had started well-positioned with eight nominations, only won the Goya for Best Original Screenplay, written by Eduard Sola.

The award winners:

Best Film (ex aequo)
The 47 – Marcel Barrena
Undercover [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Arantxa Echevarría

Best Director
Isaki Lacuesta, Pol Rodríguez – Saturn Return [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Isaki Lacuesta
film profile] (Spain/France)

Best New Director
Javier Macipe – The Blue Star [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Javier Macipe
film profile] (Spain/Argentina)

Best Actress
Lola Dueñas – La Mesías

Best Actor
Eduard Fernández - Marco [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño
film profile]

Best Supporting Actress
Clara Segura – The 47

Best Supporting Actor
Salva Reina – The 47

Best New Actress
Laura Weissmahr – Salve María [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mar Coll
film profile]

Best New Actor
Pepe Lorente – The Blue Star

Best Original Screenplay
Eduard Sola – A House on Fire

Best Adapted Screenplay
Pedro Almodóvar – The Room Next Door [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]

Best Documentary Film
La guitarra flamenca de Yerai Cortés [+see also:
film review
interview: Antón Álvarez
film profile] – Antón Álvarez

Best Animated Film
Black Butterflies – David Baute (Spain/Panama)

Best Cinematography
Edu Grau – The Room Next Door

Best Editing
Javi Frutos – Saturn Return

Best Production Supervision
Carlos Apolinario – The 47

Best Art Direction
Javier Albariño – The Red Virgin [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Spain/United States)

Best Costume Design
Arantxa Ezquerro – The Red Virgin

Best Makeup and Hairstyles
Karmele Soler, Sergio Pérez Berbel, Nacho Díaz – Marco

Best Special Effects
Laura Canals, Iván López Hernández – The 47

Best Sound
Diana Sagrista, Eva Valiño, Alejandro Castillo, Antonin Dalmasso – Saturn Return

Best Original Score
Alberto Iglesias – The Room Next Door

Best Original Song
Los Almendros - Antón Álvarez and Yerai Cortés (La guitarra flamenca de Yerai Cortés)

Best Fictional Short Film
La gran obra - Álex Lora

Best Documentary Short Film
Semillas de Kivu - Carlos Valle, Néstor López Carlos Valle

Best Animated Short Film
Cafunè - Carlos Fernández de Vigo, Lorena Ares.

Best European Film
Emilia Pérez [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Jacques Audiard (France)

Best Ibero-American Film
I'm Still Here [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Walter Sales (Brazil/France)

Honorary Goya
Aitana Sánchez-Gijón

International Goya
Richard Gere

(Translated from Spanish)