The Goya Awards Bring Spain’s Top Cinema to New York
The most outstanding films from the 40th Goya Awards will be showcased in New York, with the attendance of winners from the latest edition, including actors Patricia López Arnaiz, Nagore Aranburu and Álvaro Cervantes, along with producers Oriol Maymó, Pedro Palacios, Cristóbal García and Iván Miñambres.
Los domingos, winner of five Goya Awards, including Best Film, will open this showcase, promoted by the Spanish Film Academy, ICAA, ICEX, NYU Espacio de Culturas, the Consulate General of Spain in New York, and Instituto Cervantes New York.
The showcase, “And the Goya Goes to… New York,” taking place in New York City from April 16 to 19, will kick off with a special tribute to the Spanish Film Academy on its 40th anniversary, as well as the celebration of the “Azcona Year,” marking the centenary of one of Spain’s greatest screenwriters, a six-time Goya Award winner and recipient of the Honorary Goya. A special screening of Belle Époque—Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film and recipient of nine Goya Awards—will be held as part of this tribute. Azcona’s widow, Susan Youdelman, and his granddaughter, Sara Azcona Miller, will take part in the event.
The event will arrive in Manhattan featuring the five films nominated for Best Film, along with the winners of the Goya Awards for Best Documentary and Best Animated Film at the 40th edition. Screenings will be complemented by the participation of filmmakers, actors, and producers from the Spanish audiovisual industry, creating a cultural bridge between Spain and New York while promoting Spanish cinema at a time of remarkable international relevance, following its presence at the latest Academy Awards and with three films in the official selection at the Cannes Film Festival.
“We are very proud of our cinema, which continues to succeed both at home and abroad. Bringing this selection of Goya Award-winning and nominated films to New York is an opportunity to showcase the very best of this edition internationally, on such a significant occasion as the 40th anniversary of the Academy and the Goya Awards,” said Fernando Méndez-Leite, President of the Spanish Film Academy.
Camilo Vázquez, Deputy Director for Promotion and International Relations at ICAA, highlighted that “organizing this showcase in New York represents a key opportunity to strengthen the presence of Spanish cinema in one of the world’s most influential audiovisual markets. This initiative not only brings a representative selection of the excellence and diversity of our film production to international audiences, but also reinforces Spain’s position as a leading creative and cultural force.”
For her part, Laura Turégano, Executive Director of the showcase, noted that contemporary Spanish cinema—“currently experiencing a moment of great creativity, addressing deeply human themes, many of them from a female perspective and free from stereotypes”—rarely reaches this city. “This new annual event brings the strength of our most contemporary cinema closer to New York audiences.”
From Sirât to Decorado
The program includes screenings of Sirât, which won six Goya Awards (Best Original Score, Production Management, Cinematography, Editing, Art Direction, and Sound), presented by one of its producers, Oriol Maymó; Maspalomas, winner of the Goya Award for Best Actor, with the participation of actress Nagore Aranburu; La cena, awarded Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Costume Design, represented by producer Cristóbal García; Sorda, winner of Best New Director, Best New Actress, and Best Supporting Actor, accompanied by its lead actor Álvaro Cervantes; Tardes de soledad, winner of Best Documentary Feature, presented by producer Pedro Palacios; and Decorado, winner of the Goya Award for Best Animated Film, with producer Iván Miñambres in attendance.
Beyond the screenings, the showcase is conceived as a platform for cultural dialogue, industry collaboration, and creative exchange between Spain and the United States. Public panels on international co-production and the current state of Spanish cinema will also be held.
The showcase is organized with the participation of the Spanish Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA); the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) and its Audiovisual from Spain (Where Talent Ignites) program; NYU Espacio de Culturas; the Consulate General of Spain in New York – Spain Arts & Culture; and Instituto Cervantes New York.
