The Spanish Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the winners of the 2006 Goya Awards. Not surprisingly, the best picture winner was front-runner La Vida secreta de las palabras / The Secret Life of Words, the story of a young woman who takes care of a man blinded by a work-related accident. The English-language psychological drama stars Tim Robbins, Sarah Polley, Javier Cámara, and Julie Christie, and was directed by Isabel Coixet, winner of the best director and best original screenplay Goyas.
The best actor winner was Óscar Jaenada for Camarón, a biopic of the renowned flamenco singer, while the best actress was Candela Peña for Princesas, a dark tale about two prostitutes.
Among the other winners were Woody Allen's British-made crime drama Match Point as best European film, Tristán Bauer's Argentinean-made political drama Iluminados por el fuego / Enlightened by Fire as best Spanish-language foreign film, and Carlos Benpar's Cineastas contra magnates / Filmmakers Vs. Tycoons, about how motion pictures are mangled when screened on television, as best documentary feature.
According to the official site of the Spanish Academy, the institution has 847 members. Mirroring the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, actors — 232 in all — comprise the largest branch of the Spanish Academy.