Mexico City, Feb 19 (EFE).- “Roma,” directed by Mexican Alfonso Cuaron and honored at the Golden Lions, Golden Globes, Goya and BAFTA film festivals, has been pre-selected for the Platino Prizes for Ibero-American Cinema in the Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Editing, Production Design, Sound and Cinematography categories.
Famed Mexican actress Adriana Barraza said during the ceremony Monday at which the nominations were announced that she was “extremely proud” of the success of “Roma,” nominated for 10 Oscars, while actor Marco de la O hailed this as a “key moment” for Latin American moviemaking.
“Seeing that a Mexican production spoken in Spanish with a 100-percent Mexican cast can be so appreciated around the world makes me extremely proud,” the 62-year-old Barraza told EFE after announcing the candidates for the Platino Prizes.
Nominated for Best Actress were Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira, both for their acting in “Roma.”
Barraza said she saw “Roma” with her daughter in Argentina, where she noticed “how happy people feel” about going to see the movie, though she enjoyed it “three times as much” because she’s Mexican.
“I join in the applause, really. Ten Oscar nominations is incredible for a Mexican movie with subtitles,” the actress, who announced the nominated films in an event at Mexico City’s Cineteca Nacional, said.
Marco de la O, who for his part was nominated for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film for his role in “El Chapo, said that “what Cuaron did was quite an odyssey.”
“I’m happy for him and for all Latin Americans and Ibero-Americans because this opens doors not only for Mexicans but for all who speak Spanish, and Portuguese as well,” the 40-year-old actor told EFE.
Marco de la O said that thanks to the new online platforms for film and television, actors can show their work in other countries, which explains the tremendous success that Mexican and Ibero-American productions are having around the world.
“Hollywood turned to Mexico some time ago – we’re the spearhead. This is a critical moment, it’s time to stand up and say we’re Latinos,” the actor, who plays the head of the Sinaloa cartel, said.
In that sense, Barraza said that prizes like the Platinos, which focus on the film and television industry of the Iberian Peninsula and Latin America, help promote productions in Spanish and Portuguese.
“I believe that united, we Ibero-Americans are a really important force,” Barraza said.
Last year, Barraza said, she experienced “one of the most emotional moments” of her life when she won the Honorary Platino Prize for her career, “not only as an actress but as a director and trainer of actors and actresses.”
Marco de la O never thought he could be nominated for a Platino, which will be awarded next May 12.
“I’m an actor because I love what I do, and if on top of that they give me a prize, it’s a blessing,” he said.
In March, the Platino Prizes will publish the final list of the four productions nominated in each category.
The prizes will be handed out at a gala ceremony on May 12 in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, a popular Caribbean resort area.
The Platino Prizes are promoted by the Spain-based Audiovisual Producers’ Rights Management Entity (EGEDA) and the Ibero-American Federation of Film and Audiovisual Producers (FIPCA), with support from the Latin American Artists’ Federation (Latin Artis) and the AISGE (Performers’ Management Company) Foundation.
Since its inaugural edition in 2014, the goal of the Platino Prizes has been to promote and disseminate Ibero-American cinema and help ensure that the films’ success at the most prestigious festivals is translated into outstanding results in commercial theaters.
“Many Ibero-American films win prizes at the world’s top film festivals – they have great actors, great screenwriters and magnificent directors,” Enrique Cerezo, EGEDA’s president and sponsor of the Platino Prizes, told EFE.
The Platino Prizes were created in response to the need observed by moviemakers meeting at international festivals to create a film festival exclusively focused on Ibero-American countries.
The Platino Prizes have been gaining recognition in the world of arts prizes and the 2018 ceremony was distributed to more than 150 countries, generating a record number of comments on Twitter on a global basis.