Spain, in one of the golden moments of its cinematography, has decided to opt for what seems obvious at first glance, although it is not always the case. The three films that have marked this year will be the ones aspiring to represent the country in the next edition of the Oscars even if it means breaking the trio that went to the official section of Cannes and leaving out one of its great figures. These three films, announced on Thursday at the Film Academy by actress Miriam Garlo, winner of the last Goya for Best New Actress, aim to enter the selection that the Hollywood Academy will make for the Best International Film category.
At this moment, The Black Ball, the Lorca-inspired film by The Javis, seems to have a certain advantage. Not only because its directors have been recognized at Cannes -which is also true- but because the film has positioned itself as Netflix's big bet for the Oscars after acquiring its rights for the United States. In fact, several specialized media predictions place it among the chosen ones for the major categories, including Best Picture, a territory that Spanish cinema has never stepped into before.
But the film by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo is one of the sensations of this film season. In Spain and beyond. The Javis already won the Best Director award at the last Cannes festival, unleashing a phenomenon that they now have to maintain for the Oscars. The film, which will hit Spanish theaters at the end of this month after advancing its release, has been gaining followers wherever it goes, and its directors are now immersed in a race through various festivals until reaching the grand event in Hollywood with the intention of giving their film a chance.
Also strengthened by Cannes was The Loved One after its official section debut. Sorogoyen's film, with two outstanding performances by Javier Bardem and Victoria Luengo as father and daughter, has been highly praised by critics after its Cannes appearance. This has made it one of the names to consider for this awards season in Spain and also a contender for the upcoming Oscars.
Everything pointed to the trio that went to the official Cannes section, which closed with Bitter Christmas by Pedro Almodóvar, being chosen to represent Spain in Hollywood. But no. The most international of Spanish directors, a two-time Oscar winner, will not have the opportunity to compete this year because the academy has left his film out of the preselection. Instead, Sundays will attend, the winner of the last awards season in Spain.
Alauda Ruiz de Azúa's film, winner of the Golden Shell at the last San Sebastián festival and recipient of five Goya awards, thus completes the trio of films with the chance to represent Spain in the 99th edition of the Oscars. And it has been a glorious year for the Basque director.