Andalusia ruled the waves at the Goya Awards 2015.
Established in 1987, the Goya Awards are the Spanish equivalent of the American Academy Awards (the 'Oscar'). They are organized around the end of January and exist of awards given to films produced during the previous year.
This year it was the 29th edition and the main winner was Andalusia. First and foremost because 'Marshland' ('La Isla Minima') won no less than 10 Awards. Director Alberto Rodriguez took home the small bronze bust of Francisco de Goya for Best Film as well as Best Director.
But this thriller set in the marshlands outside Seville also received the awards for Best Actor (Javier Gutiérrez), Best Original Screenplay, Best New Actress, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.
Also the main competitor, 'El Niño', winning 4 Goyas in the technical categories, is set in Andalusia (in Algeciras).
And then of course there was the lifetime achievement award, going to Antonio Banderas. Malaga's most known and most popular son (OK, maybe after Picasso) finally grabbed the highest possible honour in Spanish cinema. Oscar-winning director Pedro Almodovar praised the 54-year old heartthrob, the only Spanish actor to achieve success in Hollywood, for 'litting a fire to Spanish movie screens in the 1980s'.
And thus Andalusia keeps being movie land. From 'Lawrence of Arabia' to 'Doctor Zhivago', James Bond to Indiana Jones, the corners or landscapes of southern Spain have been the backdrop of many a famous scene.
Andalucia has always been the favorite place of the directors to make movies. Antonio Banderas is a professional actor I've seen all his movies and he has never disappointed me.
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