Director Carlos Saura to Receive Goya de Honor 2023

The Aragonese director Carlos Saura, born in Huesca in 1932, is slated to receive the Goya de Honor for 2023 as a key figure shaping the history of modern Spanish cinema, according to Fernando Méndez-Leite, president of the Spanish Film Academy.

Saura spent his childhood amid the upheaval of the Spanish Civil War in republican zones of cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia. His entry into cinema began at the Institute for Cinematographic Studies and Experiences (IIEC). He completed his studies in 1952 and soon found work teaching landscape practices.

Director Carlos Saura to receive Goya de Honor 2023

Saura’s early screenplay and directorial debut came with the film Gulfs, which stirred controversy with Franco’s censor boards when it was chosen for the Cannes Film Festival. In that same festival he crossed paths with the filmmaker Luis Buñuel, with whom he was collaborating on Llanto por un bandido.

Throughout his career he balanced teaching at the School of Official Cinematography with directing more than fifty feature films across a range of genres and styles. His work is often recognized for a distinctive and immediately identifiable sound, one that ventures into unconventional territory at times while at others embraces a more grounded realism.

The following selections highlight some of Saura’s most influential films that left a lasting mark on his cinematic journey.

Oh, Carmela!

Produced by Andrés Vicente Gómez, this film dominated the 5th Goya Awards in 1991, earning thirteen statuettes including Best Film. Based on José Sanchis Sinisterra’s play of the same name, the story follows a couple of traveling performers who make their living on the Republican side during the Civil War. The cast features Andrés Pajares and Carmen Maura as Paulino and Carmela, whose marriage anchors the narrative. [Cited from archival festival records]

Cousin Angélica

This drama stands among Saura’s acclaimed works. In 1974 it received the Special Jury Prize at Cannes. The feature stars José Luis López Vázquez as a man who returns to his hometown for his mother’s funeral, where memories of childhood and adolescence resurface, especially his affection for his cousin Angélica, portrayed by Lina Canalejas. [Cited from festival archives]

Breeding Ravens

Another prize-winning drama, this film earned the Jury Prize at the 1976 Cannes Festival, sharing the spotlight with Eric Rohmer’s La Marquise de O. It also received César Award nominations for Best Foreign Film in 1976 and a Golden Globe nod in 1977. The story centers on a woman named Ana, played by Geraldine Chaplin, who recalls the events following her father’s death twenty years earlier. Her nine-year-old daughter believes she can influence life and death, and the mother senses a supernatural presence tied to her own mother.

Rush, Rush

This 1981 title follows four friends from Madrid’s slums as the city undergoes rapid change. A gang’s pursuit of quick money and drugs tests their loyalties. The film premiered with strong momentum, earning the Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlin International Film Festival. [Festival records]

Anna and the Wolves

Released in 1973, the film won three medals at the Film Writers’ Circle, recognizing Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Cinematography. It examines the fractures within a Franco-era aristocracy as Ana, a young woman, is hired as a governess for a family living in a grand house. The narrative explores tensions with adults in the household who juggle inheritance, control, and secrets. [Cited from critics’ archives]