Spanish actor Javier Bardem won Oscar Award for best supporting the actor for for him performance Like psychopathic killer Anton Chigurh in Western Drama “No Country for elders” in In 2007, Oscar Penelope Cruz followed in 2009. and their compatriots, director Carla Simon is honored with golden bear more Recently. this is shows that the Spaniards cinema I started now hit The big time.
When Bardem and Cruz, who get married for over A decade, they were both exploited for The Academy Awards, the 53-year-old actor could hardly contain his enthusiasm
“The fact That Penelope’s nomination was for a role in Spanish…sounds really unusual, even historical in terms of Spanish brand in February.
Unlike others countries with long and distinguished history of cinemaSpain struggled to consolidate its position on The international The theater.
So far, Luis Buñuel has been the only Spaniard director to win The coveted Palme D’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival for His provocative 1961 feature “Viridiana”.
But all this is changing, with Spanish cinema increasingly recognized for Her contribution to the silver screen, the most recent of which is Carla Simon’s victory over that year’s Berlinale where she is took the above prize for “Alcaras” (2022) is a Catalan drama about peach growers.
And according to Variety, Cruz is rumored to be too in running for President of The jury in Cannes, this is an honor already Bestowed upon the legendary Pedro Almodóvar, by far Spain bestWell-known director.
Cruz herself is the only Spanish actress ever win Oscar, taking home the bell in 2009 for best supporting an actress in Woody Allen Comedy “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”.
And if she wins best The actress at the Academy Awards later this month for Almodovar “parallel mothers” would be a coup for Entire movie “Made .” in Spain,” whose voice is also Recommended for best original score.
Years of work by film schools
The score Written by Basque composer Alberto Iglesias, who he worked with Almodóvar for two decades on 13 of his films. This is the fourth time a soundtrack from Iglesias has been nominated for Oscar.
For him, there is a “strong momentum” within Spanish cinema.
“There is energy.. you must do with Film schools that were working for a long time to create new He told AFP (Agence France-Presse).
“It was really hard for Spanish cinema to cross the threshold and enter into this big international Festivals,” explains Pilar Martinez Vasseur, director of Spanish Film Festival in French city of Nantes.
She said that acclaimed Spanish films abroad are often not identified as such, referring to the 2001 psychological thriller The Others starring Nicole Kidman and directed by Spaniard Alejandro Aminabar.
“In Spain, we still have the idea that the Spanish language cinema He is badit’s a nest of Communists, that directors are spoiled, do nothing and receive subsidies. for Larger support From government.
Film industry in Spain receives much less government aid than in France, experts say.
Spanish cinema He had to “learn how to break into a globalized ecosystem,” said Beatrice Navas who Heading the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA) supported by the Ministry of Culture.
“It didn’t happen overnight because you are need some sort of ‘Green House’ environment Where filmmakers can work with “Freedom,” she told AFP.
And the “incubation time” should be sufficient for These products to achieve recognition and prestige They deserve it.”
‘Spanish cinema’s best Nowadays’
As well as Cruz, Bardem and Iglesias in Spain also fourth horse in oscars race in The shape of Alberto Milgo’s “Windshield Wiper” was nominated for best animated short film.
“This is the best Nowadays for Spanish cinema Jose Luis Ribordinos said, director of The prestigious San Sebastian Film Festival.
We earn a lot of cinema and audiovisual production in Spain as well for Streaming platforms that bring a lot of work So the Spanish film technicians are getting better and better.”
Its western friendly spanish landscape drawn Hollywood directors since the 1960s have become an increasingly popular destination for filming series – Netflix and that set up it’s a first European studios in Madrid in 2019, record huge success with “Money theft” and “elite”.
the last yearThe government say it wanted Spain will become Europe’s “audiovisual hub”, pledging to pump 1.6 billion euros ($1.76 billion) to expand the film and television production sector by 30% by 2025.
“international critics increasingly focused on Our cinematic production thanks to the characters like Almodovar, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz said.
They find ways to draw more Attention to Spanish cinema. “
