“There will be absolute freedom to talk about Gaza, Ukraine or ICE. The strange thing is to ignore it”

Luis Tosar and Rigoberta Bandinipresenters of the 40th edition of the Goya Awards, which will be held this Saturday, February 28, in Barcelona, They have assured that it would be “very incongruous” if at the great celebration of Spanish cinema it was “as if the world does not exist”, Therefore, they open the door to talk about other issues such as Gaza, the war in Ukraine or the actions of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) in the United States.

“There always has to be space naturally for whoever goes on stage to take over the place and be able to say what they want.. Absolute freedom of expression to talk about the genocide in Gaza or whoever wants to talk about the war in Ukraine or even Iraq, whatever you want, or about ICE. Many of the things that are presented to the Goyas talk about that and It would be a bit strange if it couldn’t be played later. What is strange is ignoring them.”Luis Tosar said this Tuesday in an interview with Europa Press at the Film Academy (Madrid).

In this way, the actor defends that political or social issues should be discussed at the Goya gala and assures that, when “it flows naturally”, there are usually “especially beautiful, emotional and colorful” galas. Her ceremony partner, Rigoberta Bandini, has assured that she will not It is “incompatible” to celebrate and claim because, in his opinion, cinema is part of social progress, so It would be “incongruous” not to address current events.

“Cinema feeds on what happens, so I think it’s nice that it is a mirror and that that happens along with many other things.. I don’t think it’s incompatible to celebrate, to do something nice and comfortable, with creating uncomfortable moments and doing a little review and social mirror,” he said.

On the other hand, they have regretted that the film sector continues to be linked to the phrase ‘Spanish cinema is highly subsidized’. Tosar asks not to repeat that speech because one could be “repeating it all one’s life.” “The other day I heard one of our people saying that word and I said ‘but why do you say that?’ If we do an analysis of what the industry is like in this country, we would all be in the same position,” he noted.

Furthermore, he expressed his regret for the “lack of knowledge” surrounding cinema and added that “surely” many industries in Spain “receive much more money from the State than cinema.” “What is received is basically ridiculous compared to the number of jobs that are generated and compared to the return it generates.“, he defends.

THE 40TH EDITION, “WITH A LOT OF MUSIC” AND WITH “A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING”

Both presenters have acknowledged that they are living these last few days with “a lot of excitement” and with “nerves”, while promising a gala “with a lot of music and a little bit of everything”, in which humor will “flow”. “We are not comedians, but we want it to be relaxed and not something constricted. We are going to be ourselves, with a little humor and a certain plot. I think we have achieved it“, they have predicted.

In this sense, they admit that they have tried to free themselves from the burden of a gala with 30 award categories. The actor appeals to “live” the event, without being a “slave” to a “stressful” television product. “The galas are what they are, we cannot avoid that. We have been trying to get rid of that responsibility. I think we have managed to reach a balance between rhythm and a certain calm to be able to enjoy it. That is, we are not only slaves to the fact that we have to get there and that everything becomes a stressful television product. You have to live the galas,” Tosar remarked.

Among the proposals discarded by the technical team, as explained by Rigoberta Bandini, was Luis Tosar’s idea of ​​shooting his partner in a scene inspired by Quentin Tarantino’s films. “We wanted to use the film resource as something that could be used at the gala with special effects, but it was something a little wilder and they told us that it was not the tone they were looking for.“, they have revealed.

Regarding the references from other editions, Luis Tosar has praised the figure of Rosa Maria Sardà, although he has stated that he is not “influenced” by previous editions, despite the fact that he has them very much in mind. “We have to be ourselves and enjoy it. I didn’t want to review anything”he commented.

LIMIT ON SPEECHES

In relation to the length of the speeches, the Academy has included a limit of thank-you interventions and a maximum duration for this edition. In those cases in which the winners of a category are several professionals, a person must intervene as spokesperson to make the thank you speech, which may not exceed one minute in length, although exceptional situations will be considered.

In this sense, the presenters have revealed that at the nominees’ meeting – held on February 2 – videos of speeches with “errors” were shown so that they would not be repeated this year. “It is being asked that we have to be as concise as possible. But the awards galas are what they are“Tosar insisted.

The actor understands that emotion is “inherent” to long speeches because the Goya “are the most important award in Spanish cinema.” “Logically, people want to talk and express what they are experiencing. I don’t think fighting against the elements is the most advisable thing to do”he specified.