Last Saturday night, February 10, Spanish cinema dressed up to celebrate the 38th edition of the Goya Awards. On this occasion, the emblematic awards were held at the Valladolid Fair, and there were many memorable moments that the gala left behind. While some were hilarious, others got the crowd excited. It was the case of J.A. Bayona, who could not contain her tears during the ceremony, especially before Matías Recalt’s speech after winning the award for ‘Best New Actor’ for The Snow Society.
The truth is that the production is based on real events, specifically the tragedy of the Andes, which occurred in 1972, when Flight 571 of the Uruguayan Air Force crashed in the mountain range. The production tells the story of the 16 survivors, who suffered extreme hardships during the months they lived isolated in the mountain range, such as frostbite, thirst and hunger. Bayona’s film is nominated for the 2024 Oscars, and at the Goya it won as the most awarded, winning up to twelve awards.
As we said, Recalt was one of the winners of the night. The Argentine actor was awarded for playing Roberto Canessa, one of the Uruguayan survivors. By winning this award, the young man surpassed the other candidates, Brianeitor, for Campeonex; Julio Hu Chen, for Chinas; and to La Dani and Omar Banana, for I’m loving you madly. Furthermore, his speech managed to move all the spectators and those present in the place.
When he went on stage, the young man, 22 years old, wanted to remember all the people, who have been “many”, who have made this film possible. He also remembered Pablo Vierci, author of the book on which the story is based. He also mentioned his “mountain friends,” as he calls his co-stars. Also to Canessa, for giving him the opportunity to put himself in her shoes in this very complicated story. On the other hand, he also remembered the “survivors, those who returned, those who did not return and their families.”
And how could it be otherwise, also from Bayona, for giving it a chance. At that moment, the film director was already very emotional, but he finally couldn’t hold back his tears after hearing the young man talk about his family. After dedicating the award to his mother, his brother, his uncles, his grandmother and his girlfriend, Matías looked at the sky and dedicated it especially to his father. “I dedicate it especially to my father, who I lost before making this film. I dedicate this to you, dad,” he said. Seeing how his voice was breaking, J. A. Bayona, who was in the audience, burst into tears.
Finally, to close this intervention, the best revelation actor of this edition wanted to remember his land, Argentina, which is experiencing a moment of political instability. “I send a very big hug to my country, Argentina, which is going through a very delicate moment. And I ask that, please, the culture not be stained,” he stated, through tears.
