'The 47', 'Undercover' and 'Saturn Return' lead Goya Awards nominations

'The 47' ('El 47'), directed by Marcel Barrena and based on the true story of a bus hijacking in 1970s Barcelona, has swept the nominations for the Goya Awards with 14 nods.

'Undercover' ('La infiltrada'), directed by Arantxa Echevarría, has 13 nominations for Spain's equivalent of the Oscars, while 'Saturn Return' ('Segundo premio'), by Isaki Lacuesta and Pol Rodríguez, has 11.

Pedro Almodóvar's first English-language film, 'The Room Next Door', has ten nominations, followed by 'The Red Virgin' ('La virgen roja') with nine, with 'A House on Fire' ('Casa en flames') and 'The Blue Star' receiving eight nominations each.

Several Catalan actors have been nominated for individual awards: Emma Vilarasau, Eduard Fernández, Clara Segura, Maria Rodríguez Soto, Nausicaa Bonnín and Enric Auquer.

Best Picture, Best Director

'A House on Fire', 'The 47', 'The Blue Star', 'Undercover' and 'Saturn Return' will compete for one of the two most coveted Goyas, Best Picture.

Only two of the five have managed to qualify for the other, Best Director: Arantxa Echavarría ('Undercover') and Isaki Lacuesta and Pol Rodríguez ('Saturn Return') are joined by Pedro Almodóvar ('The Room Next Door'), Paula Ortiz ('The Red Virgin'), and Aitor Arregi and Jon Garaño ('Marco').

The nominations were announced in the Andulasian city of Granada, which will host the gala on February 8.

Acting awards

Among the nominees for Best Actress is Catalan Emma Vilarasau for her role in 'A House on Fire', alongside Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, both for 'The Room Next Door'; Carolina Yuste for her role as an ETA infiltrator, and Patricia Lopez Arnaiz for 'Glimmers' ('Los destellos'), a performance that earned her the Silver Shell for Best Actress at the San Sebastián Film Festival.

Three Catalans are up for Best Supporting Actress – Maria Rodríguez Soto ('A House on  Fire'), Clara Segura ('The 47'), and Nausicaa Bonnín ('Undercover') – alongside Macarena García ('A House on  Fire') and Aixa Villagrán for 'The Red Virgin'.

Catalan Eduard Fernández is nominated for Best Actor for his chameleon-like performance as Enric Marco ('Marco'), up against Alberto San Juan ('A House on Fire'), Alfredo Castro ('They Will Be Dust'), Urko Olazabal ('I'm Nevenka'), and Vito Sanz ('The Other Way Around').

Catalonia is also represented in the Best Supporting Actor category with Enric Auquer ('A House on Fire'). He will compete against Salva Reina ('The 47'), Óscar de la Fuente ('La Casa'), Luis Tosar ('Undercover'), and Antonio de la Torre ('Glimmers') to take home the gong.

'The 47'

In November, 'The 47' became the most watched film in the Catalan language of the last 40 years in cinemas across Spain.

It tells the story of Manolo Vital, played by the actor Eduard Fernández, a bus driver who hijacked a bus and drove it to Torre Baró, the Barcelona neighborhood where he lived, where there was no public transport. 

Torre Baró is located in the hills of the Collserola park and is one of the most remote areas of the Catalan capital. The city council at the time told the residents of Torre Baró that the streets of the neighborhood were too tight, and it was not possible for buses to get there.   

In response to his, Vital hijacked the number 47 bus to prove it was feasible to offer public transport to the neglected neighborhood. 

Podcast 

In an episode of Filling the Sink podcast we talk about the process of creating the movie 'El 47' with director Marcel Barrena and the actor Eduard Fernández. We also interview the residents in the Torre Baró neighborhood to learn about their current problems and what hardships the area is facing now, forty years after the movie took place.