One of these three productions will ultimately be chosen to compete for Spain in the Best International Feature Film category. The decision will have to wait a few more days: on Wednesday, September 16, the Academy will announce which of the three films has secured the definitive backing of its members and will become Spain's representative in the race for the Oscars.
The three films reach this final stage with very different approaches and are made by some of the most renowned names in contemporary Spanish cinema. Among them is Zaragoza-born screenwriter Isabel Peña, who has once again joined creative forces with Rodrigo Sorogoyen on "El ser querido." Peña and Sorogoyen have maintained one of the most prominent collaborations in recent Spanish cinema for years, with titles such as "The Realm" and "The Beasts," both of which received the Goya for Best Original Screenplay.
RODRIGO SOROGOYEN'S "EL SER QUERIDO"
"El ser querido" centers on a father (Javier Bardem) and his daughter (Victoria Luengo), who meet again after years marked by distance and abandonment. Their reunion serves as the starting point for exploring family wounds, silences and relationships that remain unresolved despite the passage of time.
The film thus brings Sorogoyen and Peña back together, a creative partnership that has worked jointly for years and has been involved in much of the process of creating Sorogoyen's stories. The screenplay for "El ser querido" was also a process of trial and error, as well as of building a story in which silence plays a fundamental role. "El ser querido" marks another collaboration between the two, once again bringing their perspective on human relationships and family bonds.
LOS JAVIS' "LA BOLA NEGRA"
Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, known as Los Javis, are behind "La bola negra," another of the three films seeking to represent Spain. The duo, now one of the most recognizable creative names in Spanish audiovisual culture, joins the Oscar race with a film project that expands their work as directors and screenwriters.
After projects connected to film, television and theater, Calvo and Ambrossi are once again in the spotlight of the film industry with a movie that now hopes to become Spain's representative at Hollywood's most important awards.
ALAUDA RUIZ DE AZÚA'S "LOS DOMINGOS"
The third contender is "Los domingos," by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa. The director had already attracted significant attention with "Lullaby," the film that won her the Goya for Best New Director and established her among the leading voices of a new generation of Spanish filmmakers.
With "Los domingos," Ruiz de Azúa once again focuses on human and family relationships in a story that now has the opportunity to enter the international Oscar race.
A DECISION THAT WILL COME IN TWO WEEKS
The final choice will therefore be made between three very different films, each representative of some of the main trends in Spanish cinema today. "El ser querido," "La bola negra" and "Los domingos" now face the final days before learning which of them will continue its journey to Hollywood. On September 16, it will be announced which film the Spanish Academy members have chosen to represent Spain at the next edition of the Oscars.
