Dimitris Kouimtsidis
DOLOR y Gloria has dominated this year’s Goya Awards in Malaga with seven awards, including Best Picture.
The film, directed by Pedro Almodovar went into the awards ceremony with 16 nominations, second only to Mientras dure la guerra, which had 17.
Antonio Banderas who is nominated for an Oscar, took home the award for Best Actor.
Almodovar won the award for Best Director and Best Screenplay.
One of the categories that the drama didn’t win however was for Best Actress, where Penelope Cruz lost to Belen Cuesta from La trinchera infinita.
In his first on-stage appearance of the night, Almodóvar addressed Spain’s newly elected president Pedro Sánchez, wishing him well over the next four years, noting that any success for Sánchez would be a success for the Spanish people.
When he returned later to accept his Best Director prize, his message was more specific.
“Spanish cinema is in a good place, but it has many dark areas.
“I would like to tell the President that auteur cinema, independent, outside the margins of the platforms, is in serious danger of extinction,” he said.
Banderas was very emotional in his speech, thanking Almodovar for his friendship and life lessons and finished his speech: “Today is three years since I had a heart attack. Not only am I alive, but I feel very alive.
