Film director Carla Simón among recipients of Catalonia's prestigious Creu de Sant Jordi award

Filmmaker Carla Simón, actor Loles León, and journalist Rosa Maria Calaf are among the 21 individuals and 10 organizations to be awarded the Creu de Sant Jordi 2025.

The honor, which translates as St. George's Cross, is granted by the Catalan government for outstanding contributions to Catalonia's identity, civic engagement, and culture.

Carla Simón is best known for her film Alcarràs, which won the Golden Bear at the 2022 Berlinale and brought Catalan cinema to an international audience.

Also among the recipients are musician Marc Lloret, co-founder of the band Mishima, who died in February, linguist Isidor Marí, orchestral conductor Josep Pons, former politician Joan Saura, farmer and union leader Joan Caball, Grupo Planeta president José Creuheras, and playwright Lluïsa Cunillé.

Notable organizations receiving the honor include the theater company La Cubana, the Centre de Titelles de Lleida, known for its work in puppetry and performing arts, the restaurant Sabor de Gràcia, and the Barcelona-based Union for the Mediterranean.

This year’s Creu de Sant Jordi recipients also include dancer and choreographer Montse Colomé; visual artist Eugènia Balcells; writer Mercè Ibarz; mountaineer Josep Manuel Anglada; pharmacist and researcher Montserrat Baiget; biologist and ecologist Ramon Folch; geologist Josep Maria Mata-Perelló; publisher and media executive Francisco Javier Moll de Miguel; educator Mireia Montané; business leader Laura Roigé Pons; and optometrist Manuel Roure.

Other groups recognized for their significant contribution to the community are the Gay Liberation Front of Catalonia (FAGC); the Catalan Association of Civil Engineers; the Sant Antoni Tres Tombs Federation; the Miquel Valls Catalan ALS Foundation; the Jaume Huguet Institute; and the Venerable Congregation of Our Lady of Sorrows of Vic.

The Creu de Sant Jordi is one of the highest honors granted by the Catalan government, established in 1981.