'A Monster Calls' with Liam Neeson and Sigourney Weaver amasses eight Gaudí Awards
'A Monster Calls' with Liam Neeson and Sigourney Weaver amasses eight Gaudí Awards
A FILM starring Sigourney Weaver and Liam Neeson has netted eight of the 11 Gaudí Awards it was nominated for.
A Monster Calls, based on the Patrick Ness novel and directed by Juan José Bayona (pìctured left receiving his award), swept the board the Catalunya and catalán language film awards – now in its ninth year – which took place last night (Sunday) in Barcelona.
In addition to Best Director and Best Non-Catalán Language Film, A Monster Calls won Best Production, Best Set, Best Photographic Direction, Best Special Effects, Best Artistic Direction and Best Soundtrack.
The film with the most nominations – 14 in total – La Propera Pell ('Your own skin') by Isaki Lacuesta and Isa Campos, did not enjoy the same success as Bayona's mega-production, but walked away with the top award of the night: Best Film in Catalán.
It also took Best Actress for Emma Suárez's role, and Best Script, written by Lacuesta, Campos and Fran Araújo.
The drama 100 Metres, based upon the real-life experience of Ramón Arroyo – a patient diagnosed with multiple sclerosis – and his managing to overcome his difficulties was also nominated for 11 Gaudí Awards, but took home two in the end: Best Supporting Actress, for Alexandra Jiménez, and Best Supporting Actor, for Karra Elejalde.
La mort de Louis XIV ('The death of Louis 14th') by Albert Serra won Best Costumes and Best Makeup and Hairstyling – two of the seven Gaudís it was nominated for.
With a cinema-inspired set decoration, the awards ceremony, compèred by Lluis Danés, was said to be more light-hearted than the previous Gaudí prizegiving, which was presented by 'Almodóvar Girl' Rossy de Palma – largely thanks to the topical gags of stand-up comedian Bruno Oro.
The most moving moment was described as the speech given by Josep Maria Pou on receiving his honorary Gaudí, in which he called for 'work, fair conditions for practising the performing arts profession, and not to get complacent'.
This year's Best Documentary Award went to the film Alcaldessa ('Mayoress'), about the recent life of Barcelona's leader Ada Colau of the left-wing Podemos faction En Comú Podem.
Colau started out as founder and leader of the campaign group, Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca ('Mortgage Victims' Association', or PAH), which has been fighting since 2012 to stop banks repossessing homes, as well as providing advice for those affected and negotiating with their lenders.
The makers of Alcaldessa dedicated their Gaudí Award to Colau herself, and to the PAH.
Chairwoman of the Catalán Film Academy, Isona Passola, gave a speech calling for the regional government to invest more money in the arts and entertainment industry in the language, including literature, film and theatre.
She says spending in this area by the Catalunya government plummeted to 1% of the budget last year, compared with 8% in 2008.
Two nominated films which went home empty-handed, but whose cast and crew were nevertheless delighted just to have been on the list in the first place, included El Rei Borni ('King Borni') by Marc Crehuet and The Chosen, which had racked up eight and three nominations respectively.
