“El buen patron”, a grating tragicomedy regarding capitalism by Fernando Leon de Aranoa, won the Goya prize for best Spanish film on Saturday.
Great favorite of the Goyas, considered the Oscars of Spanish cinema, “El buen patron” (“The good boss”) won a total of six awards including those for best director, best actor (Javier Bardem) and best screenplay.
The film tells the story of Basculas Blanco, a provincial company managed by Julio Blanco, an intrusive, toxic little boss who will do anything to achieve his goals, played by Javier Bardem. It is the second time that Leon de Aranoa, a 53-year-old former screenwriter who later became a director, has won the Goya for best film, following “Los lunes al sol” (“Mondays in the sun”) in 2002.
“Los lunes al sol” had already earned Javier Bardem the best actor award. At 52, Bardem is the most awarded Spanish actor in history and one of only two to have received an Oscar. “El buen patron” had been nominated twenty times for the Goyas, a record.
During the award ceremony in Valencia (east), Blanca Portillo for her part was awarded with the Goya for best actress for her role as the widow of a victim of the Basque separatist organization ETA in “Maixabel”, by Iciar Bollain. The 58-year-old Spanish actress received the Best Actress award at Cannes last year for her role in Pedro Almodovar’s Volver.
