2023-12-17 01:44:03
‘20,000 Species of Bees’ and ‘The Messiah’ have been the productions awarded for Best Film and Best Series, respectively, and have been the winners of the 29th edition of the Forqué Awardswho have rendered a emotional tribute to Concha Velascorecently died on December 2, on the centenary of the birth of José María Forqué.
The gala, held at the IFEMA Municipal Palace in Madrid, was presented by the actors Pablo Chiapella and Macarena Gómez, who have claimed the comedy of Spanish cinema, remembering figures such as Lina Morgan, Gracita Morales or José Luis López Vázquez.
After a ceremony full of musical shows such as those of Ana Mena, Fran Perea, Taburete and Viccothe last award that was announced was that of Best Fiction Feature Film, which went to ‘20,000 species of bees’, by Estíbaliz Urresola, who reflected on the high level of Spanish cinema.
“I think that last year there was a lot of talk that we were living in a historic moment with an impressive harvest of cinema. I feel that the same thing is happening this year and I feel that it will happen next year. I think that there is a much more plural cinema , much more diverse, where there is room for new perspectives, more directors, more racialized people, more languages, more diversity,” said the filmmaker, who was competing with ‘The Snow Society’, by JA Bayona; ‘Close your eyes’, by Víctor Erice; and ‘Upon Entry’, by Alejandro Rojas and Juan Sebastián Vásquez.
Urresola has commented that cinema should not fall into “narratives of winners and losers” and has praised Spanish cinematography “so rich and important” that it makes history outside of Spain. “There are many absences, very regrettable, but of course, the system itself becomes evident when we have such rich and important cinematography that makes history outside of our territories, so perhaps we also have to use a little of our creative creativity. this sector to invent a way of valuing and celebrating cinema, that makes room and space for everyone,” he stated.
In the film section, he has also been recognized as Best Male Performance David Verdaguer for his role in ‘Saben Aquell’, while Malena Alterio has won the award for Best Female Performance for its protagonist in ‘Let Nobody Sleep’. The actress, upon collecting the award, asked for the war in the Gaza Strip to end. “I can’t leave here without asking, please, for the bombing in Gaza to stop and for the war to end. A little peace, please,” said Alterio, who dedicated the film to the director of the film, Antonio Méndez Esparza. , and his family.
On the other hand, ‘20,000 species of bees’ has also won the Forqué Award for Cinema and Education in Values, which Urresola has collected asking that “difference must be accepted as a value that nourishes and enriches.” “Also from here I want to take advantage of this small microphone to ask from the bottom of my heart that we do something to stop this massacre of life that is happening in Gaza,” she said.
Also in the film category, ‘The Infinite Memory’, by Maite Alberdi, has won the award for Best Latin American Feature Film, while ‘Juan Mariné. A century of cinema’ has won the Best Documentary Feature Film. Likewise, ‘Cuerdas’ has won the award for Best Cinematographic Short Film.
‘The Messiah’ triumphs within the series
In the series section, the winner was ‘La Mesías’, whose seven episodes have been directed by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, known as ‘Los Javis’, who have claimed creative freedom and what it means to make productions. “What all of us here do is art. Right now we seek to make consumable things, but we want to do good things. What art has to do is change lives,” said Javier Calvo.
In the same section, the works of Lola Dueñas, Best Female Performance for his role in ‘The Messiah’, and Roger Casamajor for Best Male Performance in ‘The Messiah’. The two winners have thanked ‘Los Javis’ for their work. “Thank you for taking away my fear and for making me happy. I love you with all my heart,” Dueñas said.
This edition has had two new awards, such as Audience Award, which went to ‘Campeonex’, by Javier Fesser, an award that rewards the feature film most acclaimed by the public, being chosen among the four highest-grossing films of the year at the national level. In addition, animated films have also been recognized for the first time, specifically ‘Robot Dreams’, by Pablo Berger, which won the Best Animated Feature Film.
Tribute to Concha Velasco and Itziar Castro
In the first stages of the Awards, the actress Cristina Castaño recalled the figure of Concha Velasco, recently deceased on December 2 of 2023, and her famous phrase ‘mom, I want to be an artist’, and who served as a reference for her to dedicate herself to acting, as she told her mother when she was little. “I was very clear, I told my mother that she wanted to be like Concha Velasco because she sang, acted and presented. She did it all,” she indicated.
In this sense, he praised that the most important thing that Concha Velasco achieved was to achieve “eternity” with the phrase that “will continue to sound throughout all time.” “She wanted to see full theaters, full movie theaters and families crowded around the television when she was going out. And she achieved it in a big way, but she achieved something much more important for me, which is a kind of eternity because she made her own a phrase that “It will continue to sound throughout all time. Every time a boy or girl tells their mother: ‘Mom, I want to be an artist,'” he stated.
Subsequently, the gala received a performance by the singer Ana Guerra, who sang the song ‘Chica ye ye’ by Concha Velasco.
On the other hand, the presenters of the gala have also had words of affection and memory for the actress Itziar Castro, who died on December 8. “In the movie I made with her, I didn’t see it, but I felt it, just as now, even though she is gone, we are all feeling it here. She has left us a cinematographic and human legacy that the public has never seen before.” will forget. See you forever, partner,” commented Macarena Gómez.
Another of the emotional moments of the ceremony came after the performance of Ana Mena who performed some of Lola Flores’ best-known songs, such as ‘Limosna de Amores’ or ‘A tu vera’, since the centenary will be celebrated in 2023. of his birth. Some songs that have made Elena Furiase, granddaughter of ‘La Faraona’, cry.
Medal of Honor
Finally, the president of Egeda, Enrique Cerezo, pointed out during the ceremony that this year the awards are dedicated to Spanish comedy and praised that “audiovisuals are fundamental and increasingly important in society.” “It is the most powerful language of our days,” he stressed.
Enrique Cerezo has granted to Eduardo Campoy the Medal of Honor of the Forqué 2023 Awards for his career and his participation in 96 feature films, 84 short films and 24 series. Campoy, upon collecting his award, dedicated a few words of gratitude to his family and the producers whom he asked to “fight” to create a fairer framework for everyone. “Today, when we live in such turbulent times of ideas and attitudes, I ask you that we must all fight for our convictions. But please, let us do it together. Because together we will create a more just framework for all. Let us be generous in our differences and let us fight so that the common good is imposes on the individual good, and let us work to live together despite our many differences,” he noted.
#Forqué #Awards #praise #species #bees #Messiah