3/1/2026 | USA | culture | ✓ Verified - hollywoodreporter.com

Family Drama ‘Sundays’ Beats ‘Sirāt’ at Spain’s Goya Awards

#Goya Awards #Sundays #Sirāt #Spanish cinema #Barcelona #film awards #Palestine #Susan Sarandon

📌 Key Takeaways

Sundays won best picture, director, and screenplay at the Goya Awards
Sirāt won six technical awards including sound and cinematography
Political statements regarding Palestine were prominent during the ceremony
Susan Sarandon received the lifetime achievement honor

📖 Full Retelling

Spanish director Alauda Ruiz de Azúa's Basque family drama 'Sundays' triumphed over Oliver Laxe's Oscar-nominated 'Sirāt' to win the top honors at the 40th Goya Awards in Barcelona on Saturday night, taking best picture, director, and screenplay awards in a ceremony that celebrated excellence in Spanish cinema. The film, which had previously won San Sebastián's Golden Shell in September, also earned best actress for Patricia López Arnaíz and supporting actress for Nagore Aramburu, cementing its status as the consensus choice among Spanish film academy members who vote on the prestigious awards. In a surprising upset, 'Sirāt,' which had won Cannes' Jury Prize last year and represents Spain in the best international feature Oscar category, still managed an impressive six wins including best sound, cinematography, editing and original score, demonstrating its technical excellence despite losing the top prize. The ceremony also featured political statements, with co-host Luis Tosar wearing a Palestine flag pin and condemning what he called the 'Gaza genocide' from the stage, drawing sustained applause and inspiring multiple winners to display 'Free Palestine' or 'Stop Genocide' badges on their attire. American actress Susan Sarandon was honored with the lifetime achievement award, praising Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and local artists for speaking 'with such moral lucidity' in a world marked by 'cruelty' and 'violence,' while Eva Libertad's 'Deaf' won best new director along with acting honors for Miriam Garlo and Álvaro Cervantes, adding to the night's diverse celebrations of cinematic achievement.

🏷️ Themes

Spanish cinema, Film awards, Political expression

📚 Related People & Topics

Goya Awards

Annual film awards in Spain

The Goya Awards (Spanish: Premios Goya) are Spain's main national annual film awards. They are presented by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain. The first ceremony was held in 1987, a year after the founding of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences, at the Teatro Lop...

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The art of motion-picture making within Spain or by Spanish filmmakers abroad is collectively known as Spanish Cinema. Only a small portion of box office sales in Spain are generated by domestic films. The different Spanish governments have therefore implemented measures aimed at supporting local fi...

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Palestine

Country in West Asia

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Barcelona

City in Catalonia, Spain

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Entity Intersection Graph

Connections for Goya Awards:

👤 Oliver Laxe 1 shared

👤 The Sundays 1 shared

👤 Academy Awards 1 shared

🌐 Barcelona 1 shared

🌐 List of common film awards categories 1 shared

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