Alberto Rodriguez is a ten…
The 43-year-old Spanish filmmaker’s latest film, the thriller La isla mínima, performed up to expectations at the 29th Goya Awards, winning in 10 of the 17 categories in which it competed, including Best Film and Best Director.
The film’s stars, Javier Gutierrez, and Nerea Barros, won the Best Actor and Best New Actress awards, respectively, during Saturday night’s show.
La isla mínima also won in the Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Music Score, among other categories.
“El Niño,” which received 16 nominations, won four Goyas.
La isla mínima was selected to represent Spain at Mexico’s Ariel Awards, according to the Spanish Motion Picture Academy.
Argentina’s Relatos Salvaje took home the Goya for Best Ibero-American Film.
The movie, a Spanish-Argentine production directed by Damian Szifron, beat out “Conducta” (Cuba), “Kaplan” (Uruguay) and “La Distancia Mas Larga” (Venezuela) for the prize.
Spanish actor Antonio Banderas received a Goya of Honor for his achievements in the movie industry.
“The only way to fight mediocrity is to focus on our cultural values,” Banderas said, referring to the achievements of illustrious Spaniards such as Pablo Picasso, Francisco de Goya, Antonio Machado and Federico Garcia Lorca.
“Our artists, our intellectuals are the best way to know what we are, how we got here,” Banderas said, adding that mediocrity had become “the best business of our times.”
Banderas thanked director Pedro Almodovar for helping him professionally.
“I can’t understand my career without the seven films with him, including my American career, I almost have to say that I owe it to him,” Banderas said.