Saura's family causes an outburst of emotion at the Goya gala in a tribute of Spanish cinema to the deceased director

The Goya gala began with an exciting collective tribute from all Spanish cinema to the director Carlos Saura, who passed away this Friday at the age of 91 and was unable to receive the Honor award from his peers.

But, then, the event became a huge recognition of the Aragonese genius, from its very beginning.

A photograph of Saura along with his inseparable camera was literally the first thing seen.

Shortly after, his widow, actress Eulalia Ramón, and two of his seven children, Antonio and Anna, took the stage to collect the award on behalf of his father.

Everyone standing in the seats, a shower of applause.

There were eyes that shone with emotion and others that directly cried.

Antonio wanted to remember all the women who marked Saura's life.

And then,

In his letter, Saura also regretted not being able to be at the ceremony.

“I have been very lucky, I have made more than 50 films, I have had six sons, a daughter, a dozen grandchildren and a great-granddaughter”, the director of

acknowledged in these brief words that, however, condensed in an exciting way the memory of this defender of creation and freedom: "imagination is faster than the speed of light", his widow has read.

The filmmaker would have been able to verify that his wish has been fulfilled.

“Without a doubt, the last great director in the history of Spanish cinema has left.

It is incredible that they had not already given him an award like that”, said Maribel Verdú, who worked with him at

Although, deep down, the crop of films nominated for the awards of this 2023 already represented the greatest tribute to Saura: his gala is also that of the best year of Spanish cinema.

Quality as a farewell banner for him, as a legacy of the eternal filmmaker to those who come after him.

The master showed the way for decades.

It turns out that his disciples have learned, and very well.

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"I deeply admire the creative freedom that Carlos Saura taught us," added Carla Simón, a symbol of two other pieces of news to celebrate in 2022 for Spanish cinema: on the one hand, three of the five films that were candidates for the most desired Goya had a female director behind the camera.

Unthinkable a few editions ago.

Unpublished, in fact.

And, on the other hand, Simón also represents international success, something that precisely established the author of

and that has triggered the fame of the Catalan creator, winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlinale.

One of the earliest congratulations she received that night, by the way, was a message from Saura.

It was followed, days later, by a letter sent by the veteran creator, who also triumphed in Berlin in 1981 with

.

"What a piece of director!" He thought when he saw that feature Penélope Cruz, aspiring for the best supporting actress award for

.

And Rodrigo Sorogoyen, director of

, shared a joke that he has with his co-writer, Isabel Peña: “When we are not convinced by a script, we ask ourselves: 'Would Saura do it?'

"When I started with the cinema as a child, even before I knew I was Spanish, I was already watching

," acknowledged Carlota Pereda, nominated with

for best new director, another category with a female majority.

"Saura was a novelty in terms of the way of telling, interpreting, how he handled the camera...", recalled Antonio De la Torre, presenter of the gala.

Alberto Rodríguez, candidate for best director and film for

, highlighted that Saura was "one of the intellectuals who signed the prisoners' amnesty manifesto" whose story is precisely told by his film.

And Carmen Machi, who was up for the best supporting actress award for

even got emotional when talking about the director.

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, accompanied by other authorities and members of the Film Academy, on the carpet prior to the ceremony. Jorge Zapata (EFE)

While they remembered the myth, yes, the nominees also wanted to celebrate the memorable 2022 of the seventh art in Spain.

“Independent films are the most threatened by the drop in attendance at theaters.

Already the fact of continuing to do them is a merit.

If, on top of that, they have won class A festivals, they are nominated for the Cesar Awards or [the magazine]

chooses them among the works of the year…”, pointed out the director JA Bayona.

The deployment of top-level politicians at the ceremony, from the president, Pedro Sánchez, to the second vice president and Minister of Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz, passing through the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, was another indication of the relevance achieved for national cinema.

Although, as a good summary of the year, the Goyas also serve to show Spanish cinema the less shiny side of the medal.

On a big night, nobody wants to be a party pooper.

However, the box office numbers dampen the enthusiasm somewhat: the five nominees for best film (

and

) barely managed 2.45% of the tickets sold in Spanish theaters in 2022, crossing data from the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts and the consulting firm ComScore.

Or, put another way, more than 97 viewers out of 100 chose something else.

A photo of Carlos Saura presides over the start of the Goya ceremony, at the Palace of Exhibitions and Congresses in Seville.PACO PUENTES (EL PAÍS)

Above all,

But, also, another Spanish filmmaker: Santiago Segura, with the third installment of

, got more attendees last year than the five candidates for best Goya film combined.

"It takes a job from the base, of education, on the part of everyone, to tell the kids that cinema is something fun, not brainy," reflected Sorogoyen, director of

, the most watched of that quintet, with more half a million attendees.

As much as the sector and specialized critics emphasized the extremely high average quality of the nominated films, the public was only half convinced.

Although Fernando León de Aranoa, nominated for the documentary

saw the glass half full: "At other times, small independent films would not have reached as many people as they do now."

And Vicky Luengo, aspiring for best leading actress for

, also taught another path: "After theaters and awards, films have a much longer life."

Carmen Machi, on the red carpet at the Goyas.

Carlos Alvarez (Getty Images)

It is true that the five candidates for best film represented 10.88% of the tickets sold to see Spanish cinema in 2022. And in 2015, for example, the five films that opted for the most outstanding Goya achieved much less: around 1 % of total annual viewers.

But, at the same time, last year, in a box office still sunk by the pandemic, the quintet of main films of the gala represented 5.4% of the tickets sold in theaters in general.

More than double, then, than the percentage of this year.

Because?

It is clear that film academics and the public do not have to coincide.

Nor is it the mission of the awards to recognize the most viewed films.

Another thing, however, is that almost no one of those who followed the gala from home had seen the works that were taking the most coveted prizes.

Is quality at odds with commercial success?

Can there be auteur cinema with the ambition to sweep the box office?

"As a letter to the Three Wise Men, I ask for the need to do pedagogy, so that Spanish and Andalusian cinema are seen more, because they are not seen as much as triumphalism might lead one to believe," he reflected in the days before the gala Alberto Rodriguez

The director Alberto Rodríguez upon his arrival at the XXXVII edition of the Goya Awards that is held this Saturday at the FIBES Palace of Congresses and Exhibitions in Seville.Jorge Zapata (EFE)

His film,

, was the eighth most watched in Spanish cinema last year.

And, among the 387,774 viewers of it, was Rosario Sánchez, who this Saturday came from Écija to support the film also outside the Palace of Congresses and Exhibitions in Seville.

Because national films, of course, have thousands of devoted followers.

And an enthusiasm, in this case, contagious.

"Long live Spanish cinema!", Sánchez claimed long before the gala: her commitment had led him to stand "early" on the red carpet, "with a rented hotel and everything."

But there is not a large audience like Rosario Sánchez.

So Isaki Lacuesta, responsible for the nominated

, suggested that some might appreciate a little push: “We have subsidized the entire chain.

Maybe the viewer is missing.

We could allocate what is spent on tanks for Defense to lower the price somewhat for those who choose Spanish cinema”.

At the gala there were politicians from both the government and the opposition.

Who knows if anyone took note.