“We have spent 10 years listening to people telling us that this film was not possible, that a film in Spanish could not be made with this level of ambition and thanks to that it appeared Netflixthanks to Netflix because they were wrong,” said Bayona.
During his speech, the filmmaker indicated that the film, “despite the fact that an agreement was not reached with the two large cinema chains in Spain”, It has 150 million viewers worldwide and 450,000 viewers in theaters.
“I say they were wrong because the film, despite the fact that there was no audience, reached 150 million viewers around the world. A film made in Spain and in Spanish, and despite the fact that an agreement was not reached with the two large companies, the largest cinema chains in Spain, the two largest. We rolled up our sleeves, we hit the road to fight it and the film already has 450,000 viewers in movie theaters,” he revealed.
Likewise, Bayona thanked the public and maintained that it is the “great pending issue for the sector.” “We need a strong, constant audience that comes to see our films, because we are not in a good moment for Spanish cinema when it comes to producing it. Films are being produced with fewer resources than 10 years ago, when I started. With fewer resources we cannot deploy all the talent we have. For that we need a strong audience. An industry that allows us to have the resources to deploy all the talent we have,” he said.
Furthermore, Bayona thanked the academics for the award and has indicated that his next objective will be the Oscar to “collect it on behalf of all”. “I want to thank the academics who have sent us to the Oscars. We raced up and down and we managed to get out, so I am very proud of the confidence that we are there. I hope I can collect it on behalf of everyone,” he stated.
He also had words of gratitude to the families of the real protagonists of the film because they have trusted him to bring the lives of their loved ones to the movies. “I think that in 2021, in December, I stood there, at 4,500 meters above sea level, in front of the tomb of the deceased, up in the mountains, and I asked them for permission to tell this story and I told them that I was going to do it the best I knew how. I hope that this award is a sign that it has lived up to history,” he commented.
“My home is Spanish cinema”
Likewise, after receiving the Goya for Best Film for ‘The Snow Society’, has underlined his “pride” in Spanish cinema.
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“My home is Spanish cinema. I am very proud to be part of this family,” he said after reporting that He has the “feeling” that in Spain he is seen “as from another league”while when he goes abroad “as Spanish or with films in Spanish”, he goes “a little through the back door.”
Thus, has assured that the “success” of ‘The Snow Society’ also belongs to the Spanish industry. “I believe in Spanish cinema,” she stated, to advocate for the sector to work together.
“I think about these people in the mountains left for dead and who were able to come out working together and that is the idea that I have always had of Spanish cinema, that Together, all of us, we can achieve whatever we want.”