MADRID -- Alejandro Amenabar's chiller "The Others" swept eight Goyas at Saturday's 16th Spanish Academy Awards, the country's equivalent of the Oscars.
The nods included film, director, original screenplay and cinematography (Javier Aguirresarobe).
"The Others" was produced by Spain's Sogecine and Las Producciones del Escorpion and Cruise/Wagner; its triumph struck a blow for international filmmaking in Spain.
Spanish director Vicente Aranda, whose "Mad Love" competed with "The Others" in most categories, sparked controversy Friday by claiming that "The Others" was "more American than Spanish" and that its star, Nicole Kidman, should not be competing for a best actress Goya. "The American have our cinemas, now they want our Goyas," he said.
While Spanish Academy members predictably gave the actress nod to Pilar Lopez de Ayala ("Mad Love") over Kidman, they spread other kudos further afield, voting Argentinean Leonardo Sbaraglia most promising actor for his perf in Juan Carlos Fresnadillo's "Intact." Spaniard Fresnadillo took debut director for "Intact."
Eduard Fernandez won the actor nod for his tearaway perf in "Fausto 5.0," Paz Vega most promising actress for "Sex and Lucia."
Contact the Variety newsroom at
news@variety.com