Thriller “La Isla Minima” cleans up at Spain’s Goya Awards

“La Isla Minima,” the thriller directed by Alberto Rodriguez, performed up to expectations at the 29th Goya Awards, winning in 10 of the 17 categories in which it competed, including Best Film and Best Director.

The film’s stars, Javier Gutierrez, and Nerea Barros, won the Best Actor and Best New Actress awards, resepectively, on Saturday night.

“La Isla Minima” also won in the Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Music Score, among other categories.

“El Niño,” which received 16 nominations, won four Goyas.

“La Isla Minima” was selected to represent Spain at Mexico’s Ariel Awards, the Spanish Motion Picture Academy said.

Argentina’s “Relatos Salvajes” took home the Goya for Best IberoAmerican Film.

The movie, a SpanishArgentine production directed by Damian Szifron, beat out “Conducta” (Cuba), “Kaplan” (Uruguay) and “La Distancia Mas Larga” (Venezuela) for the prize.

Spanish actor Antonio Banderas received a Goya of Honor for his achievements in the movie industry.

“The only way to fight mediocrity is to focus on our cultural values,” Banderas said, referring to the achievements of illustrious Spaniards such as Pablo Picasso, Francisco de Goya, Antonio Machado and Federico García Lorca.

“Our artists, our intellectuals are the best way to know what we are, how we got here,” Banderas said, adding that mediocrity had become “the best business of our times.”

Banderas thanked director Pedro Almodovar for helping him profesionally.

“I can’t understand my career without the seven films with him, including my American career, I almost have to say that I owe it to him,” Banderas said. EFE

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