Cate Blanchet will receive the first international Goya for Spanish cinema

USPA NEWS - Australian actress, producer and artistic director Cate Blanchett will receive this Saturday the first International Goya Award, an award created by the Spanish Film Academy to "recognize personalities who contribute to cinema as an art that unites cultures and viewers from all over the world." Instituted for world cinema figures, in its first edition it has gone to the Australian interpreter for being "an actress who has played unforgettable characters that are already part of our memory and our present." The gala will be held this Saturday, February 12, 2022 at Les Arts de Valencia, where the actor and director José Sacristán will receive the Goya de Honor.

Blanchett is a professional recognized throughout the world: actress, producer, artistic director and humanist. She is a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN refugee agency, as well as a member of the Australian Conservation Foundation. She is also a committed figure with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy and has received the Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum in Davos for her work for UNHCR. In 2012, Blanchett was invested as a Knight of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture. She has presided over the Cannes Festival (2018) and Venice (2020). She has received Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of New South Wales, the University of Sydney and Macquarie University, as well as being a Companion of the Order of Australia for her continued commitment to nature and social equality.

Currently, the actress is embarking on the pre-production of the series 'Disclaimer', directed by Alfonso Cuarón for Apple Plus, in which she will star and of which she will be the executive producer. She has just finished filming 'TAR', by Todd Field –which she also produces and stars in– and Guillermo del Toro's version of 'Pinocchio', for Netflix. On Spanish billboards, she currently has 'The Alley of Lost Souls', also by Del Toro (Searchlights Pictures), in addition to the film 'Don't look up', by Adam McKay, which can be seen on Netflix.

Among her projects, she will be the protagonist of 'Manual for cleaning women', by Pedro Almodóvar, an adaptation of Lucia Berlin's book produced by the actress's company, El Deseo and Dirty Films, a company of which she is the founder and director alongside Andrew Upton (with whom he chaired and artistically directed the Sydney Theater Company from 2008 to 2014). She with two Oscars – for Best Leading Actress for 'Blue Jasmine', by Woody Allen, and for Best Supporting Actress for 'The Aviator', by Martin Scorsese–; three Golden Globes; three BAFTAs; and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, the actress is one of the most sought-after talents in the industry and respected and loved by movie lovers around the world.

The nominees

With 20 nominations, 'The Good Boss' is the film with the most options, followed by 'Maixabel', with 14 options for the award. For its part, 'Parallel Mothers' has 8 nominations, and 'Mediterráneo' with 7. 'Freedom', by Clara Roquet; and 'The border laws' have 6 options each. The Goya for Best Director will be disputed between Fernando León de Aranoa, for 'The Good Boss'; Manuel Martín Cuenca, for 'The daughter'; Pedro Almodóvar, for 'Parallel Mothers'; and Iciar Bollain, for 'Maixabel'.

They aspire to the Goya for Best Leading Actress Emma Suárez, for 'Josefina'; Petra Martínez, for 'Life was that'; Penélope Cruz, for 'Parallel Mothers'; and Blanca Portillo, for 'Maixabel'; while Javier Bardem for 'The Good Boss'; Javier Gutiérrez for 'The daughter'; Luis Tosar, for 'Maixabel' and Eduard Fernández, for 'Mediterráneo' will compete for the Goya for Best Leading Actor. Carol Rodríguez Colás, for 'Chavalas'; Javier Marco Rico, for 'Josefina', David Martín de los Santos, for 'Life was that' and Clara Roquet, for 'Freedom', appear in the category of Best New Director.

A total of 160 Spanish films premiered between January 1 and December 31, 2021 are eligible for the 36th edition of the Goya Awards. Of these 160 productions –5 more than in the previous edition–, 82 are fiction, 74 are documentaries –the Documentary specialty has shortlisted 16 productions for the Goya in this category– and 4 are animation –last year it was one–. Also competing this year are 10 European films, 13 Ibero-American films and 110 short films -67 fiction, 20 documentaries and 23 animation. Of these 110 titles, the Short Film Commission has selected 15 in the fiction category, 10 animation and another 10 in the documentary section–. Of the 160 candidate stories for the 2022 Goya Awards, 66 are first films –9 more than last year–. As for the scripts, 130 are original and 24 are adapted.