The Spanish Film Academy has chosen ‘Pain and Glory‘ as a proposal for the best foreign language film at the awards Oscar. So, Pedro Almodovar will try again to win an award that he already won with ‘All About My Mother’. The academy has ruled out ‘While the war lasts’ from Alejandro Amenábar and ‘Buñuel in the Turtle Labyrinth’ by Salvador Simó. This has been announced by the actress Belen Cuestaaccompanied by the notary Eva Sanz del Real.
It is still a preliminary step since the Hollywood Film Academy will now be in charge of selecting the final candidates for the award, an announcement that usually occurs in December, although it may be postponed to January. However, it is not ruled out that ‘Pain and Glory’ could be a candidate in other Oscar categories since it has been screened in movie theaters in the United States and the director is currently in North America promoting the film.
“At the moment I am traveling to the Toronto Festival (…) I want to thank the Spanish academics for their support,” Almodóvar said, in statements transmitted by his production company (The desire). «Toronto It is a perfect place to start our campaign. It will not be easy to be among the five nominees because there is a lot of competition, more every year, but I will do, together with El Deseo and Sony Pictures Classics, everything possible to make it happen,” added the filmmaker. The awards celebration gala will take place on February 9, 2020 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood (EEU).
The director from La Mancha is already an expert in the Oscar race. In 1988, his film ‘Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown’ It was a candidate for best foreign-language film and although it did not win, it paved the way for taking the statuette four years later with ‘All About My Mother’. However, Almodóvar’s achievements in Hollywood do not stop there, since she received the award for best original screenplay for ‘Hable con ella’ (2002) in the same ceremony in which it was candidate for best director. Recently, the producer has also received recognition in the Venice Festival with the Golden Lion of honor for his career.
‘Pain and Glory’ has been a critical and public success (more than a million tickets sold). The particular translation of the world of the director Pedro Almodóvar with Antonio Banderas As a face, it has fitted in at a good level. It tells the story of a fictional film director – with clear nods to Almodóvar’s life – during his childhood and old age. In addition to Banderas, the award for best actor in the Cannes Festivalthey are part of the cast Penelope Cruz, Juliet Serrano, Asier Etxeandía, Leonardo Sbaraglia and Nora Navas.
“We are very excited to represent Spain on this occasion,” declared producer Esther García on behalf of the director from La Mancha, reports EFE.
Video. Almodóvar presents ‘Pain and Glory’.
Viewers have not yet been able to see’While the war lasts‘, a drama set in the Civil War with Karra Elejalde as Miguel de Unamuno. The return of Alejandro Amenábar to Spanish cinema has been one of the news of the year in the world of cinema with a film that will be released on September 27.
Video. Trailer for ”While the war lasts’.
The success of ‘Buñuel in the turtle labyrinth‘has been forged little by little. The animated film reflects the first step taken ten years ago by the book of Fermin Solis of the same name. Salvador Simó picked up the gauntlet and his film has explored the visit of the director Maño to the Hurdes in a harsh and sullen documentary that was prohibited from being shown.
Video. Trailer for ‘Buñuel in the Turtle Labyrinth’.
The last bet of the Film Academy was ‘Champions‘, but the film directed by Javier Fesser He was not part of the final list of candidates for the Hollywood Academy.
During the previous 91 Oscar awards, four Spanish films have won the award in the ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ category. The first was ‘Start over’ (1982), by José Luis Garci; the second was ‘Belle Époque’ (1992), by Fernando Trueba; he followed ‘All About My Mother’ (1999), by Pedro Almodóvar; and the last bet was ‘Mar adentro’ (2004), by Alejandro Amenábar.