Pilar Palomero, born in Zaragoza in 1980, speaks with gratitude about Malaga Festival honoring her once again with this Málaga Talent-La Opinión de Málaga Award. In the premiere moment, her film The Girls marked a turning point, a project that consumed a large part of her life and established her as a distinctive voice within the Spanish film industry.
There are only a few hours left before the Prensa Ibérica delegation takes the stage at the Cervantes Theater to accept the Málaga Talent-La Opinión de Málaga Award. What is the mood around this moment?
All of this feels wonderful. The day before, a family dinner included a nephew who wondered if the prize would be awarded like the Goyas, and the response was that this was a different kind of recognition, not a competition. The nephew laughed and listened to the elder family members discuss what the award represents.
Looking at the list of winners—Carlos Marques-Marcet, Óliver Laxe, Los Javis, Carla Simón, and now Palomero—it becomes clear that the current Spanish cinema is shaping a new paradigms in storytelling and cinematic language. These names together sketch a broader vision of what contemporary Spanish screens are presenting to audiences.
These are filmmakers admired for their distinct approaches and achievements. The presence of a festival often brings people closer, and shared moments like these understandably bring joy to any creator.
So what kind of impact do awards have in practice?
As Carla Simón noted, awards can help secure resources for the next project. It is a straightforward truth: recognition translates into support, and while it is uplifting to receive accolades, not receiving them does not negate the creative work. The important thing is the ongoing process of making cinema that resonates with people.
The path Palomero has walked in Spanish cinema has become distinctly influential. Her first two features, The Girls and The Motherly, not only performed well at the box office but also earned wide critical acclaim from specialists in the field.
That reception is meaningful. A filmmaker can sense when a story lands with an audience, aligning with the moment when the writer’s intent meets viewers’ experiences. When that happens, the work feels less like a solitary exercise and more like a shared journey. For Palomero, such connection reinforces the decision to pursue sincere, human-centered storytelling that reaches a broader audience.
With The Girls, The Motherly, and now The Flashes, Palomero has kept a rapid pace, delivering three features within a relatively short period.
From an outside vantage point, the sequence might look accelerated. It can be striking to hear commentary about the pace, yet Palomero views it through the lens of long-term effort: more than twenty years immersed in study and professional work within the industry. The sense of privilege does not erase the cumulative dedication that underpins each project.
Spanish cinema has undergone considerable transformation over the past three decades, and Palomero has been part of a generation of women directors driving change. Her sense of belonging to a collective that redefines practice is paired with a personal commitment to follow her creative instincts. Gatekeeping concerns and evolving expectations from journalists, critics, and audiences are part of the landscape, but Palomero believes time will clarify the influence of this shift. Additionally, she recalls how early experiences in school revealed fewer barriers for women in certain creative teams, a sign of progress that she is glad to see continuing to evolve.
On red carpets, a growing number of aspiring directors are greeted by admiration and curiosity. Malaga Festival is a stage where these moments become visible, reinforcing the city’s significance in the regional cinema scene. Small details like these illuminate a different reality—one where recognition and visibility for women in directing roles become more common and celebrated.
There is an ongoing conversation about the representation of women in film schools and in the professional who lead productions. Palomero observes that while more women study cinema, there remains a need for broader, long-term changes in leadership and creative direction. The momentum seen now is a sign that supportive policies and shifting social attitudes are bearing fruit. The excitement comes from witnessing both new talent and established voices collaborating to bring diverse stories to life in theaters.