18/12/2023 - Estibaliz Urresola's debut feature film manages to beat powerful rivals, winning the award for Best Fiction Feature Film and the Cinema and Education in Values award

A great surprise last Saturday in Madrid: 20,000 Species of Bees [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Estíbaliz Urresola
film profile], the first feature film directed by Estibaliz Urresola, won the award for Best Fiction Feature Film at the 29th José María Forqué Awards (awarded by EGEDA, the Spanish producers' association), beating serious contenders such as Close Your Eyes [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], by the master Víctor Erice; Society of the Snow [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: JA Bayona
film profile], a super production by Juan Antonio Bayona; and Upon Entry [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alejandro Rojas and Juan Se…
film profile], the acclaimed debut from Juan Sebastián Vásquez and Alejandro Rojas.

In addition to this recognition, the film by the Basque filmmaker (who last year won Best Short Film with Cuerdas at the Forqué Awards) won the award for Cinema and Education in Values. After being presented at the last Berlinale (with an award for its leading actress Sofía Otero), triumphing at the Malaga Festival and being nominated for the European Parliament's LUX Audience Award (read more), this drama about child transsexuality is the favourite for the next Goya, the Spanish Film Academy's trophies to be awarded on 10 February (read more).

The Forqué for Best Female Performance went to Malena Alterio for her work in Something Is About to Happen [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Antonio Méndez Esparza
film profile] and Best Male Performance to David Verdaguer for his reincarnation of the comedian Eugenio in Jokes & Cigarettes. Also nominated in these categories were Blanca Portillo (for Teresa [+see also:
film review
film profile]), Laia Costa (Un amor [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Isabel Coixet
film profile]) and María Vázquez (Matria [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Álvaro Gago
film profile]), while in the men's category, Alberto Ammann (Upon Entry), Hovik Keuchkerian (winner at San Sebastián for Un amor) and Manolo Solo (Close Your Eyes) were also up for the award.

New for this year’s Forqué Awards, the award for Best Animated Feature Film, where the nominees included They Shot the Piano Player [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (by Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal), Sultana's Dream [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Isabel Herguera
interview: Isabel Herguera
film profile] (Isabel Herguera), Mummies (Juan Jesús García Galocha) and Robot Dreams [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Pablo Berger), which finally won, as it did in the same category at the recent European Film Awards (read more).

Also, the new Audience Award crowned Javier Fesser's Championext [+see also:
trailer
film profile] as the most acclaimed feature film by cinema-goers.  Juan Mariné. Un siglo de cine, by María Luisa Pujol, which looks at the life and work of the historic cinematographer (who will be honoured at the 2024 Goya Awards with an Honorary Statuette), won the Forqué for Best Documentary Feature, while the award for Best Short Film went to Aunque es de noche, by Guillermo García López, which enjoyed its premiere at Cannes. In the Best Latin American Film of 2023 category, the moving Chilean documentary The Eternal Memory won the award, which was collected by its director Maite Alberdi.

But, without a doubt, the other winning title at the Forqué 2023 Awards was La Mesías [+see also:
series review
trailer
series profile], by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, which won Best Fiction Series, Best Male Performance in a Series for Roger Casamajor and Best Female Performance in a Series for Lola Dueñas.

EGEDA, an organisation that manages audiovisual producers' rights, created these awards in order to showcase the importance of the Spanish audiovisual industry, promoting the role of producers and rewarding the best Spanish productions each year for their technical and artistic values. During the awards ceremony, Enrique Cerezo, president of EGEDA, awarded the Gold Medal to film producer Eduardo Campoy.

The award-winners:

Best Fiction Feature Film
20,000 Species of Bees [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Estíbaliz Urresola
film profile] – Estibaliz Urresola

Best Female Performance in Film
Malena Alterio – Something Is About to Happen [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Antonio Méndez Esparza
film profile] (Spain/Romania)

Best Male Performance in Film
David Verdaguer – Jokes & Cigarettes

Best Documentary Feature Film
Juan Mariné. Un siglo de cine - María Luisa Pujol

Best Short Film
Aunque es de noche - Guillermo García López (Spain/France)

Best Latin American Film
The Eternal Memory – Maite Alberdi (Chile)

Audience Award
Championext [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Javier Fesser

Best Animated Feature Film
Robot Dreams [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Pablo Berger (Spain/France)

Cinema and Education in Values
20,000 Species of Bees – Estibaliz Urresola

Best Series
La Mesías [+see also:
series review
trailer
series profile] – Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi

Best Female Performance in a Series
Lola Dueñas – La Mesías

Best Male Performance in a Series
Roger Casamajor – La Mesías

EGEDA Gold Medal
Eduardo Campoy

(Translated from Spanish by Vicky York)