Colombian film, Spanish TV series are big winners at Platino Awards
By Alicia Garcia
Madrid, Oct 3 (EFE).- The Colombian film “El olvido que seremos” and the Spanish television series “Patria” were the big winners at this year’s 8th Platino Awards, held Sunday in Madrid, winning five and four awards, respectively.
The gala three-hour in-person award ceremony contrasted with the virtual ceremony held last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, and this year the evening focused on music, joy and humor.
“El olvido que seremos” (Forgotten We’ll Be), directed by Spain’s Fernando Trueba, raked in five of the coveted awards at the gala ceremony, taking home the prizes for Best Ibero-American Fiction Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay (to David Trueba), Best Actor (Spaniard Javier Camara) and Best Art Direction (Diego Lopez).
The sentimental historical and autobiographical drama is an adaptation of the same-named novel by Hector Abad Faciolince and had been selected to compete at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, which never came about, although it did take home the Goya for Best Ibero-American Film.
“El olvido que seremos” came into Sunday night’s Platino ceremony with 11 nominations, the same number as “La llorona,” by Guatemalan director Jayro Bustamante, which ultimately won the Platino for Best Staging (Gustavo Matheu and Bustamante), Best Photography Direction (Nicolas Wong) and Best Sound Direction (Eduardo Caceres).
“La boda de Rosa,” directed by Iciar Bollain about a woman who decides to make a radical change in her life, took home two of the three Platinos for this it had been nominated: Best Actress (Candela Peña) and Best Supporting Actress (Nathalie Poza).
“El agente topo,” by Chile’s Maite Alberdo, culminated a year of success with the Platino Awards for Best Documentary and Best Film and Education Values. The film had been nominated for an Oscar and is an emotional discourse recalling the harshness of loneliness in old age.
Alberdo’s countryman Alfredo Castro won the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “El principe,” his second Platino after the one he received in 2017 for his starring role in “Los perros.”
Pilar Palomero won the award for Best First Work for the already much-awarded “Las niñas,” while the Best Music award went to Aranzazu Calleja and Maita Arrotajauregui for “Akelarre,” and the prize for Best Animation went to Argentina’s Eduardo Gondell and Madrid native Victor Monigote for “La gallina turuleca.”
In the television category, “Patria” (Homeland), an adaptation of the novel by Fernando Aramburu about how the Basque ETA movement’s terrorism affected two families, triumphed, taking home four of the five awards for which it was nominated: Best Miniseries or Television Series, Best Actress (Elena Irureta), Best Supporting Actress (Loreto Mauleon) and Best Miniseries or Television Series Creator (Aitor Gabilondo).
Andres Parra and Christian Tappan won the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards for their work in “El robo del siglo,” a series telling the story of a 1994 Spanish bank heist in which the criminals stole the equivalent of $33 million.
Some 800 people – wearing facemasks until they gave their joyful acceptance speeches – attended the gala, half the venue’s capacity, with several of those speaking onstage sending messages of support to the residents of La Palma, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, which recently suffered a tremendous volcanic eruption.
Giving musical performances during the evening were Becky G, Natalia Oreiro, Sara Baras, Pedro Capp and Carlos Baute.
EFE
