'El 47' and 'La Infiltrada' share Best Film Award at Spain's Goya cinema awards

Catalan movies clearly marked the 39th edition of Spain's Goya cinema awards, held on Saturday night in the southern city of Granada, Andalusia.

At around 1:30 am on Sunday, actors and director Lola Dueñas, Tamar Novas, Javier Bardem, Alejandro Amenábar, and Belén Rueda—who starred in Mar Adentro, the most awarded film in Goya history, now celebrating its 20th anniversary—took the stage to announce the night's biggest prize.

However, in an unprecedented decision by the Spanish Cinema Academy, the Best Film award was given to two winners: the Catalan movie, 'El 47,' directed by Marcel Barrena and 'La Infiltrada,' by Arantxa Echevarria.

Barrena celebrated the prize as the movie "talks about good people that do acts of kindness, and all those good things that happen during the movie are thanks to Barcelona's Torre Baró residents, who now have built a cinema [to follow the ceremony.]"

During the ceremony, El 47 won five awards, including Best Supporting Actress for Clara Segura.

Segura portrays Carme Vila, who for the actress, played a "silent revolution teaching to read and write and teaching Catalan to those children and women who did not have access to schooling," she said after receiving the award. "Being schooled is very having an opportunity to be more free and to be able to think and challenge everything, which now is more important than ever with fear policies that push us to disregard those who are different. We cannot forget that we were all foreigners in the past," she added.

Press play below to listen to our Filling the Sink podcast episode on Barcelona's hidden story of resilience and community.

The Catalan film 'Segundo Premio,' directed by Isaki Lacuesta and Pol Rodríguez, also had a successful night, taking home awards for Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Sound.

The movie narrates all those connections that unite music during a moment of joint creativity. "Cinema is like music; there is always goodwill, and I want to thank Isaki Lacuesta for calling me to co-direct this movie; working by his side has been a pleasure," Rodríguez said.

Additionally, Eduard Sola won Best Screenplay for 'House on Fire,' a film that had already been recognized at the Catalan Gaudí cinema awards in mid-January.

"I and my generation are sons of a large group of superpowerful mothers, women who were forced to work outside of their homes, but without stopping homework," Sola said before adding that "we must tell our mothers that we are aware of all what they did for us."

Eduard Fernández won Best Actor for his role as Eduard Marco in 'Marco.' The film tells the true story of a man who falsely claimed to have survived a Nazi concentration camp when in reality, he had collaborated with the regime—living a life built on deception.

"It has been the most complex character I have ever worked on—contradictory, hateful, sometimes lovable, and full of humanity, which is difficult to understand," Fernández said while accepting his award.

'Marco' also won the Best Makeup and Hairstyling award.

Press play below to listen to our Filling the Sink podcast episode on Marco's life of lies.

Other Catalan movies were also awarded, including Laura Weissmahr for her role in 'Salve Maria,' a film directed by Mar Coll. Weissmahr won the Best Female Revelation in a "brave movie that invites you to reflect and kicks you on your stomach."

Pepe Lorente won the Best Male Revelation prize for his role in the Catalan co-production 'La estrella azul,' by Javier Macipe, who was also awarded Best Novel Director.

Catalan photography director Edu Grau won Best Photography for 'La Habitación de al lado,' directed by Pedro Almodóvar.

Meanwhile, Catalan Àlex Lora won the Best Fiction Short Film Goya Award for 'La gran obra.'