Barcelona to recognize director J. A. Bayona with Cultural Merit award

Barcelona city council will propose to the other political forces forming the plenary to award the Cultural Merit Medal to Catalan director J. A. Bayona, as authorities announced on Thursday.

The city wants to recognize the director's talent who helps "strengthen the links between Barcelona and the international cinema elit," a statement reads, regarding the job Bayona does that pushes spectators to go to cinemas while keeping alive the love from the public for the big screen, the text continues.

The Cultural Merit Medal is the highest award that the city council can give in the cultural scope. It wants to recognize a director with "his own style" when he enters imaginary worlds and explains histories and characters' tales during extreme situations, such as in the movie The Impossible.

The proposal will now be submitted to other political forces who will need to back it, in order to be accepted, in a city plenary.

Learn more about J.A. Bayona by listening to our Filling the Sink podcast episode.