Bardem dedicates the Donostia Award to his mother and Penélope Cruz and warns about current events: “It’s easier to hate”

The San Sebastian Film Festival opened its 72nd edition this Friday at the Kursaal Auditorium, in a gala in which the Donostia Award was given to the actor Javier Bardem, who had some words of remembrance and affection for his mother Pilar Bardem and his wife Penélope Cruz, and in turn warned that nowadays “it is easier to hate and recognize what distances us.”

“I dedicate this to my mother, who is in this theatre, and I dedicate it to a woman whom I love and with whom I share a life. Thank you for being the human being that you are and for how you take responsibility for the lives of your people,” he said, visibly moved.

The actor received the award from his siblings Mónica and Carlos, and from Juan Carlos Corazza, his teacher, to whom he also dedicated affectionate words. “My brothers have educated me, I am alive because they were giving me their attention and love,” he said, before addressing Corazza, who showed him “the love and difficulty of doing this job in a dignified manner.”

“Interpretation has to do with honesty, it has to come from a place of transparency and nakedness. It is a job that takes us all our lives, that distances us from people. Juan Carlos teaches me a human lesson every day, about the importance of breathing, of feeling the soles of our feet and of looking and listening to others. Today that is more important than ever. It is easier to hate, it is easier to look the other way and recognize what separates us and not what unites us,” she said.

When the actor received the award, the audience gave him a standing ovation for a couple of minutes, which forced the actor to not be able to begin his speech. “I have a great friendship with this beautiful festival that has given me so much and that gives me so much on a personal and professional level and through which all the people I love and admire on a personal level have passed,” he said, before remembering his mother again.

“We remember her every day for her constant presence in our hearts, in our ears, always showing us what she believes to be the correct path towards ethics, towards dignity,” he said.

Javier Bardem’s siblings, Mónica and Carlos, were in charge of presenting the Donostia Award, along with Juan Carlos Corazza, their mentor. Mónica Bardem praised her brother, calling him the “best actor on the planet” and stressed that he is a better son, brother, partner, father and friend than he is an actor.

“If Javier loves you, he lives in you, and being in his heart is something very beautiful. I thank the universe for him living in us, in a world that is so tense and disoriented. People like him make it a kinder place. Javier, we love you,” she said.

For his part, Carlos Bardem has praised his brother’s professionalism and love for acting and has assured that “his ability to create is within the reach of few.” “If you watch five films by Javier, you won’t see him, you’ll see five different characters,” he said.

Finally, Juan Carlos Corazza praised Bardem’s desire to learn and love for acting, despite the passing of the years. “Javier Bardem embodies the vocation and commitment that so many artists live. He has the greatest empathy I have ever seen,” he commented.

ANDREU BUENAFUENTE AND BERTO ROMERO, IN CHARGE OF HUMOUR

The gala started on time with Andreu Buenafuente and Berto Romero as masters of ceremony, who were in charge of welcoming the audience, who filled almost all the seats, and of adding a comic note for just over 60 minutes. They were also joined by actress Bárbara Goenaga, who hosted the gala speaking in Basque.

At the beginning of the gala, the presenters, with their characteristic humour, recalled that the Festival will hold a day in tribute to Argentine cinema because “it is in danger because of Milei”.

“There is a man, Javier Milei, who is determined to silence him. And I don’t want to demoralize him, but good luck silencing an Argentine. Milei is another of those politicians who has seized the word freedom and stripped it of all meaning,” Buenafuente claimed.

During the event, the 2024 Fipresci Grand Prix of the International Federation of Film Critics was awarded to the film ‘Poor Things’ by Giórgos Lánthimos. The award was voted for by almost 800 critics from 73 countries.

The jury will also be led by film director Jaione Camborda, winner of the Golden Shell in the last edition for ‘O Corno’, and will be completed by the Argentine writer and journalist Leila Guerriero, the American actor and director Fran Kranz, the Greek filmmaker Christos Nikou, who competed last year in the Official Section; the Austrian director Ulrich Seild and the French producer Carole Scotta.

“It is particularly moving for me to be here today, in my homeland, accompanied on the jury by great filmmakers and professionals, with enormous sensitivity. At this very important film festival, whose quality and freedom of expression resonate throughout the world. As jury members of this edition, we take on this responsibility from a place of respect, commitment and love for cinema and life,” said Jaione Camborda.