Cell 211 [Celda 211 ] Wins Big at the Forque Awards

Actor Luis Tosar, actress Lola Dueñas, and the film Cell 211 [Celda 211 ] were the big winners at the 15th annual Jose Maria Forque Awards, given last night at a gala ceremony held at Madrid’s Palacio de Congresos. Mar Flores and Alex O´Dogherty were masters of ceremonies for the event. At approximately 10:00 PM, actress Belen Rueda opened the envelope to announce the winner of the Jose Maria Forque Cinematographic Award for Best Feature Film of 2009, going to the film Cell 211 [Celda 211 ]. Also competing in this category were The Dancer and the Thief [El Baile de la Victoria ] by Fernando Trueba, The Secret in Their Eyes [El Secreto de Sus Ojos ] by Juan Jose Campanella, Agora by Alejandro Amenabar, and Me, Too [Yo Tambien ] by Alvaro Pastor and Antonio Naharro.

The Forque is the first award to be received by Daniel Monzon’s excellent film, produced by Vaca Films Studio, Morena Films, Telecinco Cinema, and La Fabrique de Films-Testimonio Grafico. Celda 211 has been nominated for 16 Goya Awards and is a favourite among the Internet users of filmotech.com’s Facebook page. Daniel Monzon said he was grateful for "the possibility" to work on "a wonderful project".

The first prize of the evening, given by EGEDA to the best documentary or animation film, went to Planet 51. Ignacio Perez Dolset (its producer) and Jorge Blanco (director) asked those in the audience to make an effort “to make our films here instead of bringing in movies from abroad but made by Spanish professionals." The gala’s honorary award, the EGEDA Gold Medal for a producer’s lifetime career, was presented by EGEDA Chairman Enrique Cerezo to producer Julio Fernandez, maker of more than 100 feature films, including REC, Tapas, El Maquinista [The Machinist ], El lobo [Wolf ], and La Caja Kovak [The Kovak Box ]. The veteran producer, emotional upon being given the award, sought to vindicate the role of producers as “enterprising individuals with a great capacity for the hard work of making films possible."

Organised by the Spanish Audiovisual Producers’ Rights Management Association (EGEDA), the Jose Maria Forque Awards Gala opens the Spanish awards season and, at its 15th edition, for the first time, awards were presented for best actor and best actress of the year. Selected by a jury made up of journalists, producers, and actors, and with prize money from the AISGE foundation of 3,000 Euros in each category, Galician actor Luis Tosar got the statuette for Best Actor for his role as a convict in Celda 211 , a part which has also garnered him a nomination for Best Male Performance in a Leading Role. “This is the first award I’ve received for a work that is giving me great joy and I want to share it with all of my colleagues in this wonderful industry,” stated the actor from the podium for the award for which fellow actors Ricardo Darin (El Secreto de Sus Ojos ) and the young Marc Soto (Petit Indi [Little Indi ]) were also nominated. Lola Dueñas was chosen for Best Actress for her work in Yo Tambien , a film which puts her in the running for a Goya for Best Female Performance in a Leading Role. The Barcelona actress wished to share her award with "the other two nominated actresses," Leticia Herrero (Gordos ) and Nausicaa Bonin (Tres dies amb la familia [Three Days with the Family ]).

The ceremony wrapped up with the words of Enrique Cerezo, who took advantage of the opportunity to call for measures against piracy, which he called “a heavy burden which is mortgaging the development of the cultural industry,” and Spanish Minister of Culture, Angeles Gonzalez-Sinde, who wanted to express her “thanks” for “a good day for Spanish cinema.”