AT LEAST as prestigious and famous as the Oscars within Spain, and almost as much so outside the country, the Goya Awards are on a par with the BAFTAs, a scaled-down Golden Globe, and equally as coveted as the trophies and statuettes presented at the world's major film festivals – Cannes, Venice, San Sebastián, and similar household names in the cinema industry.
This year's Goya winners make their speeches
Nationally, winning a Goya is almost more of an honour than the other, much more world-renowned distinctions, because it shows you've helped put Spanish film on the international map and guaranteed yourself a cult following at home.
Francisco de Goya (1746-1828) is immortalised in the statuettes the stars take home. The ceremony was held in Sevilla (shown in the backdrop)
Named after the legendary late-18th and early-19th century painter, and originally – like the Oscars – photography awards, the Goyas have the whole of Spain glued to their TVs for the evening and sees a flurry of checking cinema showings.
Those nominees and winners no longer on the schedule are often still being shown on Netflix, HBO and, of course, available to buy or rent on DVD, where you can add subtitles if you're not confident about watching them in the original language.
Presented live on Saturday night, we've brought you a round-up of the best in silver-screen entertainment in Spain right now, in case you missed it.
Carlos Saura, the loss of a legend
The ceremony in Sevilla this weekend was tinged with sadness, due to the absence of its star guest – legendary film director Carlos Saura knew he was going to get the annual Lifetime Achievement Goya, but passed away at home in Madrid only the day before receiving it.
Carlos Saura's Lifetime Achievement Goya came, sadly, a day too late for him to collect it in person. His actress wife Eulalia Ramón (centre, in red) receives the statuette in the legend's name, flanked by his son Antonio Saura (left) and daughter Anna Saura (right). The award was presented by veteran Pedro Almodóvar actress Carmen Maura (far left)
Aged 91 and five weeks, Saura was once married to Dr Zhivago star and Golden Globe nominee Geraldine Chaplin – the actress daughter of Charlie Chaplin, who fell in love with the cinema great's country as well as his person, and still lives and works in Spain, as does her Madrid-born Game of Thrones star daughter Oona.
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