María Zamora received the National Cinematography Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival this Saturday. The producer succeeded Carla Simón, last year’s winner, and received recognition from the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun, who highlighted the “very extensive catalogue of selective affinities” that the winner has generated over the last two decades. “She has been able to create a unique bond with the directors with whom she has collaborated,” she applauded before highlighting her fundamental role in “promoting the work and talent of many women” within the audiovisual industry.
“Thank you for making our cinema better,” he concluded before defending the “real commitment” of the administration he leads “in favor of independent cinema,” which he intends to concretize in the law on cinema that they are currently developing.
The jury rewarded the producer precisely for his “support for independent and risky cinema” and for having “strengthened the presence of Spanish independent cinema in the international market, influencing sensitive and diverse perspectives.” In addition to the feature film that won the last Golden Shell of the San Sebastian competition, Or how by Jaione Camborda, Zamora has been part of the production teams of films such as Summer 1993 And Alcarras by Carla Simon, Creature by Elena Martin, Freedom by Clara Roquet and The Red Virgin by Paula Ortiz, who participates in the official section of this edition of Zinemaldia.
“My greatest achievement has been to surround myself with brilliant filmmakers,” Zamora said upon receiving the award, indicating that it was his Erasmus experience studying abroad that led him to realize that he wanted to dedicate himself to cinema. “All artistic expression is political,” he said before asking Ernest Urtasun for “a courageous law on cinema” to “protect” Spanish cinema and “fight for an egalitarian cinematography.” “When it comes to equality, it is not enough to agree, we must act,” he stressed, “promoting variety in all sectors is one of the measures to ensure the safety of half the population.”
The producer praised the initiatives that bring the seventh art into classrooms, as he defends that “cinema and education must go hand in hand.” “Our filmmakers are also a brand of Spain,” he said. The winner also highlighted the work of independent producers, who warned that they were “on the verge of extinction”; and thanked Carla Simón, with whom he has just finished filming his latest project together, for the way in which Summer 1993 This opened up “new horizons” and supposedly “a turning point” in his career.
Engine, intelligence, audacity and resistance
Other personalities such as the director Elías León Siminiani participated in the event. (Emotional Architecture)who recalled that this was the “first step” in the winner’s career. The director highlighted his “intrinsic understanding of the nature of the projects he participates in, the film is always ahead of everything, including expectations.” “He has a project that gives cinema back the leading place it should have in the cultural debate. He aims to make a contribution to society with his career,” he added about Zamora.
“A producer like María is the first engine. It requires vision, intelligence, audacity, a lot of resistance and sensitivity. And an unwavering confidence that all flights are worth it because they change the world,” celebrated director Paula Ortiz. “I wonder what would have happened to many directors if they had had a María by their side,” said the filmmaker, “with every step she takes, she dares to go higher, deeper and further.”
Urtasun: “I would love to see Albert Serra’s film about bulls”
Ernest Urtasun, who attended the screening of the film this Friday Emmanuelle and this Saturday you will see Nevenkad’Icíar Bollaín, told the media that he had not yet seen Lonely afternoonsAlbert Serra’s film on bulls, the withdrawal of which was requested by PACMA. “Beyond my personal position on bullfighting, which I believe is perfectly well known, I would very much like to see it adopt the angle and position that it adopts on the matter,” declared the Minister of Culture.
I would love to see “Afternoon of Solitude”. Any filmmaker can develop a work in the perspective he deems appropriate.
Ernest Urtasun
— Minister of Culture
“Albert Serra is a great filmmaker,” he defended, “art and culture are there to challenge you, and any filmmaker, any member or artist, can develop a work in the perspective that he deems appropriate.” “It is very important to defend freedom of expression and the freedom of creators to create as they see fit,” he added.
Urtasun said he believes that the San Sebastian Festival “is free to program whatever it wants. From there, the films are screened and can be more or less appreciated. “When I see it, I will form an opinion,” he concluded about the film.
