"Blancanieves" and "The Impossible" Top Goya Awards in Madrid

Actress Maribel Verdú with Goya

According to "Fox News Latino," Javier Bardem was smiling happily Sunday night in Madrid at the Goya Awards, Spain's national film awards, considered to be the Spanish equivalent of the Oscars.

Bardem not only took home a statuette for a documentary he narrated, “Sons of the Clouds: The Lost Colony,” which looks at how colonization of the Western Sahara has left nearly nearly 200,000 people living in refugee camps, He spoke out about human rights in the Sahara. His wife Penélope Cruz, who accompanied him and was nominated for best actress, is expecting their second child.

His mother Pilar also attended. She is an award winning actress in her own right. Two days later, Bardem and many other actors, etc., were accused by a government spokesman of not paying taxes.

"Blancanieves" received the Goya for best motion picture and nine other awards. Writer-director Pablo Berger’s black-and-white fairy tale is a silent retelling of the "Snow White" story, but it is set in Seville in the 1920s, and the protagonist is an Andalusian female bullfighter.

Actress Maribel Verdú (“Blancanieves”) bested Naomi Watts ("The Impossible"), Verdú taking home a best actress Goya for her portrayal of the cruel stepmother. Paco Delgado, who is nominated for an Academy Award in the costume category for “Les Miserables,” received a Goya award for his costumes for “Blancanieves,” especially for Verdú’s character.

“Blancanieves” also captured a Goya for best original score and best original song, but there was no Goya for writer-director Pablo Berger. "Blancanieves" is not nominated for the Best Foreign Language film Oscar, either.

"The Impossible" is an official Spain production directed by Juan Antonio Bayona who captured the Goya for best director instead of Berger. Bayona also twisted his leg during the ceremony, and it required medical attention. "The Impossible" won five Goya statuettes mostly for technical endeavors. Bayona directed "The Orphanage" in 2007.

Also, we would be remiss if we did not send congratulations to  "Beautiful" José Sacristán on his first Goya win! 

The Big Winner

List of most winners:

Best Motion Picture -"Blancanieves";
Director - Juan Antonio Bayona for "The Impossible";

Actor - Jose Sacristán for "The Dead Man and Being Happy"; 

Actress - Maribel Verdú for "Blancanieves";

Original Screenplay - Pablo Berger for "Blancanieves";

Adapted Screenplay - Javier Barreira, Gorka Magallon, Ignacio del Moral, Jordi Gasull and Neil Landau for "Tad, The Lost Explorer";

Supporting Actor - Julian Villagran for "Grupo 7";

Supporting Actress - Candela Pena for "Una Pistola en Cada Mano" (A Pistol in Each Hand);
Animated Feature Film - "The Adventures of Tadeo Jones";

Documentary Film - "Sons of the Clouds, The Last Colony" ("Hijos de las Nubes, La Ultima Colonia");

Honorary Goya - Concha Velasco;

Production Design - Sandra Hermida Muniz for "The Impossible";

Artistic Director - Alain Bainee For "Blancanieves";

Photography - Kiko de la Rica for "Blancanieves";

Special Effects - Pau Costa and Felix Berges for "The Impossible";

Costumes - Paco Delgado for "Blancanieves";

Editing - Bernat Vilaplano and Elena Ruiz for "The Impossible";

Sound - Peter Glossop, Marc Orts, Oriol Tarrago for "The Impossible";

Original Score - Alfonso Villalonga for "Blancanieves";

Original Song - "No Te Puedo Encontrar" from "Blancanieves";

European Film - "Untouchable" (France);

Makeup and Hair - Sylvie Imbert and Fermin Galan for "Blancanieves";

New Actor - Joaquin Nunez for "Grupo 7";
New Actress - Macarena Garcia for "Blancanieves";
New Director - Enrique Gato for "Tad, The Lost Explorer".

Thank you to El País English and Fox News Latino.