With attention divided between a year of good films and accusations of sexual violence in the industry, Spanish cinema presents its Goya awards this Saturday in Valladolid.
The spectacular The Snow Society, by Juan Antonio Bayona, and the more intimate 20 thousand Species of Bees, by Estíbaliz Urresola, with 13 and 15 nominations respectively, are the main contenders.
The gala will feature the presence of the great American actress Sigourney Weaver, who will accept an honorary Goya in person.
This is the first in the history of the Goyas, born in 1987, in which there are more women nominated than men, in a ratio of 60 to 40.
The director Pedro Almodóvar, the actress Penélope Cruz, or the actors Gael García Bernal and José Sacristán, will be some of those in charge of presenting the awards.
While the stars of the gala paraded along the red carpet, hundreds of farmers demonstrated in front of the Valladolid Fair, where the awards are presented, taking advantage of the media attention.
Me Too Spanish
And, precisely, this edition will have sexual abuse in cinema as an unwanted protagonist, following recent complaints against two Spanish directors, Carlos Vermut and Armando Ravelo.
“This is a very sensitive sector with what happens in society, we are nourished by what happens in society,” and the issue of sexual abuse “will be present” at the gala, the presenter anticipated on the red carpet. of the ceremony, Ana Belén.
The latest complaints have caused a moment of catharsis that has been compared to Me Too, the movement that emerged in the United States in 2017 to protest against sexual assaults, following the complaints against producer Harvey Weinstein, which ended up landing him in jail. for rape.
Sigourney Weaver spoke about it on Friday, at a press conference, in which she estimated that women who report these situations make “working in this business safer for everyone.”
The complaints led the ministry to announce the creation of a care unit for victims of these crimes and the Ministry of Equality to prepare a report that serves as an x-ray of sexual violence in cinema.