Juan Oliver, Luis Tosar in Cell 211 (top); Rachel Weisz in Agora (middle, upper); Lola Dueñas, Pablo Pineda in Me Too (middle, lower); Penélope Cruz in Pedro Almodóvar's Broken Embraces (bottom)
Daniel Monzón's Celda 211 / Cell 211, a drama set during a prison riot, was the big winner at the 2010 Goya Awards ceremony held in Madrid on Sunday. Cell 211 won eight Goyas, including best film, best director, best actor (Luis Tosar), best supporting actress (Marta Etura), and best adapted screenplay (Monzón and Jorge Guerricaechevarría).
The Goyas' runner-up was Alejandro Amenábar's historical drama and box-office smash Agora, starring Rachel Weisz, which received seven trophies, including best original screenplay for eight-time winner Amenábar and Mateo Gil.
The best actress winner was Lola Dueñas for her role as a heavy-drinking, emotionally and sexually frustrated woman who develops a relationship with a man with Down’s Syndrome (Pablo Pineda) in Me, Too. Penélope Cruz, Dueñas' co-star in Pedro Almodóvar's Volver, was also in the running for Broken Embraces, but the film won only one statuette: for Alberto Iglesias' score. Cruz, however, received quite a bit of attention for being seen sitting next to Javier Bardem, reportedly their first "official" appearance together at a film event.
Bardem wasn't in the running for anything, but his brother Carlos Bardem was a best supporting actor nominee for Cell 211. He lost to Raúl Arévalo in Gordos.
Pedro Almodóvar, for his part, received the evening's longest ovation, as the audience at the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos de Ifema got on their feet to welcome the most renowned Spanish-born filmmaker since either Carlos Saura or Luis Buñuel — take your pick — and the Spanish Academy's pariah. Almodóvar had quit the Academy after Bad Education was snubbed in early 2005, but seemed to have made peace with it following the Volver victory two years later.
Almodóvar was the surprise Best Film presenter. (Broken Embraces wasn't in the running in that category). "I'm here because you have a very persistent president," Almodóvar said referring to fellow filmmaker Alex de la Iglesia. "He pestered me until two days ago. And I had a lot of excuses, but he wouldn't take no for an answer." Almodóvar went on to explain he felt it would have been awkward if he were waiting in the wings and his Broken Embraces screenplay was announced the winner. But de la Iglesia put his fears to rest by assuring him he would not win.
Juan José Campanella's Spanish-Argentinean co-production The Secret in Their Eyes won the Goya for best Hispano-American film. The political-crime drama is also in the running for the best foreign language film Oscar. The Best European Film was Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire.
In addition to Bardem, Cruz, and Almodóvar, presenters included Fernando Guillén, Cayetana Guillén Cuervo, Fernando Guillén Cuervo, Ana Belén, Óscar Jaenada, Aitana Sánchez Gijón, Daniel Brühl, Belén Rueda, Eduardo Noriega, Marisa Paredes, Juan Diego Botto, and Paz Vega.
Photos: Broken Embraces (Emilio Pereda & Paola Ardizzoni / El Deseo / Sony Pictures Classics); Agora (Mod Producciones); Me Too (Alicia / Promico Imagen); Cell 211 (IFC Films)