2023-12-10 03:00:36
The Bilbao filmmaker Pablo Berger has won the award for best animated feature film at the European Film Awards, whose gala was held yesterday in Berlin, for his film ‘Robot Dreams’. “I call from here on the industry to treat these types of films on equal terms, which have infinite possibilities,” he said from the stand.
It is the fourth film in the Bilbao native’s filmography, and the first animated film. Based on the popular graphic novel by Sara Varon, ‘Robot Dreams’ premiered last Wednesday, December 6, and stars Dog, a lonely dog who lives in Manhattan. He decides to build himself a robot to cure his loneliness, and their friendship grows until they become inseparable in 1980s New York. One summer night, Dog is forced to abandon the robot on the beach.
«I talk about the fragility of relationships, about how we overcome loss. But also the small pleasures: going skating, buying an ice cream, watching a movie on television… And in ‘old school’ cartoons, at 24 drawings per second,” explained Pablo Berger, who has coordinated hundreds of animators in studios spread across Pamplona, Barcelona, Madrid and Paris. He also remembered them in Berlin, at a time when he praised the “vibrant” Spanish animation industry.
Four Goya nominations and a probable presence at the Oscars, in addition to the European award he just won, prove the commitment to ‘cartoons’ by Berger, who studied film in New York. At the Sitges Festival last October, he won the audience award.
In 1988, Berger directed his first short film, ‘Mamá’, a production by Joaquín Trincado with artistic direction by Álex de la Iglesia and collaborations with Torrebruno and Ramón Barea, among others. He made his feature film debut with the Spanish-Danish co-production ‘Torremolinos 73’ (2003), with Javier Cámara, Fernando Tejero and Candela Peña. ‘Snow White’ (2012) was the great confirmation of him. It represented Spain at the Oscars in the category of best foreign language film and won ten Goya awards.
Isabel Coixet, honorary award
Also competing in this 36th edition was ‘20,000 species of bees’, by Estibaliz Urresola from Alava, which did not win the award for best debut film at a gala in which ‘The Snow Society’, by Juan Antonio Bayona, won. with two awards: for special effects, for Félix Bergés and Laura Pedro; and makeup and hairdressing for Ana López-Puigcerver, Belén López-Puigcerver, David Martí and Montse Ribé.
The big winner of the night was the French production ‘Anatomy of a Fall’, the last Palme d’Or in Cannes, which won six awards, including four of the main ones: best film, best direction for Justine Triet, who also won the recognition for best script, this shared with Arthur Harari; and best actress, for Sandra Hüller. The Danish Mads Mikkelsen won the award for male performance for his role in ‘The Promised Land’.
At the same gala, Isabel Coixet was recognized with the honorific European Achievement in World Cinema, which recognizes the work of a European filmmaker in world cinema. British actress Vanessa Redgrave deserved the award for her entire career, and the board of the European Film Academy wanted to give its special award to Hungarian film director, screenwriter and actor Béla Tarr.
#Pablo #Berger #wins #award #European #animation #Robot #Dreams