13/12/2021 - Fernando León de Aranoa’s comedy has been deemed the Best Fiction Film of 2021 by Spanish producers, while its lead, Javier Bardem, scooped Best Actor

Producers Patricia de Muns and Javier Méndez, with their Forqué for Best Fiction Film of 2021 for The Good Boss

On 11 December, just 11 months after its most recent edition (which was held in January of this year), the ceremony for the 27^th José María Forqué Film Awards (handed out by EGEDA, an organisation that manages Spanish audiovisual producers’ rights) took place, thus enabling it to cement its position as the earliest awards gala in the Spanish audiovisual industry’s calendar. During proceedings on Saturday night, the big winner turned out to be The Good Boss [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], a black comedy by Fernando León de Aranoa that trounced the other hopefuls: the dramas Parallel Mothers [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile] by Pedro Almodóvar, Mediterránero: The Law of the Sea [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Marcel Barrena and Maixabel [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Icíar Bollaín
film profile] by Icíar Bollaín. In addition, its lead actor, Javier Bardem, also beat Eduard Fernández (Mediterráneo: The Law of the Sea), Luis Tosar and the astonishing Urko Olazabal, the latter two of whom were in the running with Maixabel. The Good Boss is also representing Spain in the Oscars race and is the title that has racked up the highest number of nominations for the upcoming Goya Awards (see the news in Spanish).

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Thanks to her work in Maixabel, Blanca Portillo picked up the trophy for Best Actress, defeating Penélope Cruz (Parallel Mothers), Marta Nieto (Out of Sync [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Juanjo Giménez
film profile]) and Petra Martínez (That Was Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Damián París and Rosa Garcí…
interview: David Martín de los Santos
film profile]). Icíar Bollaín’s movie also scooped the Film and Values-based Education Award.

The winner in the documentary-feature category, flying in the face of all the predictions (given that the favourite had been Jonás Trueba with Who’s Stopping Us [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jonás Trueba
film profile]), was 100 días con la Tata [+see also:
trailer
film profile], a film that actor Miguel Ángel Muñoz (the presenter of this very ceremony last January, together with Aitana Sánchez Gijón, and whom we saw acting in the recent title El crack cero [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: José Luis Garci
film profile] by José Luis Garci) dedicated to the nonagenarian who took care of him as a child and with whom he spent the coronavirus pandemic; she has now become an internet sensation. Meanwhile, Prayers for the Stolen [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Tatiana Huezo (Mexico/Germany/Brazil/Switzerland/USA) went home with the Forqué Award for Best Latin American Film.

Actor Javier Cámara picked up the Best Actor in a Series Award for Venga Juan [+see also:
trailer
series profile], while Candela Peña snagged Best Actress in the same category for Hierro [+see also:
series review
interview: Jorge Coira
interview: Olivier Wotling
series profile], which was also deemed Best Fiction Series. Towards the end of the event, the president of EGEDA, Enrique Cerezo, handed the EGEDA Gold Medal to José Antonio Félez, ever throwing his weight behind works by filmmakers of the calibre of Daniel Sánchez Arévalo and Alberto Rodríguez, with his company Atípica Films. He stressed how important independent producers are, given that they are “fundamental for guaranteeing the diversity and variety of audiovisual production, the search for and promotion of new talents, the training and improvement of technical crew, and innovation and technological advances”.

Here is the full list of award winners:

Best Fiction or Animated Film
The Good Boss [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Fernando León de Aranoa

Best Actress
Blanca Portillo – Maixabel

Best Actor
Javier Bardem – The Good Boss

Best Documentary Feature
100 días con la Tata [+see also:
trailer
film profile] – Miguel Ángel Muñoz

Best Short Film
The Invisible Monster – Javier and Guillermo Fesser

Best Latin American Film
Prayers for the Stolen [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Tatiana Huezo (Mexico/Germany/Brazil/Switzerland/USA)

Film and Values-based Education Award
Maixabel – Icíar Bollaín

Best Series
Hierro [+see also:
series review
interview: Jorge Coira
interview: Olivier Wotling
series profile] – Pepe Coira

Best Actress in a Series
Candela Peña – Hierro

Best Actor in a Series
Javier Cámara – Venga Juan [+see also:
trailer
series profile]

EGEDA Gold Medal
José Antonio Félez

(Translated from Spanish)