Spanish producer Maria Zamora of Elástica Films, who has supported emerging and especially female filmmakers for most of her twenty-year career, received this year’s annual National Cinematography Award at the 72nd San Sebastian Festival on Saturday, September 21.
Filmmakers Elías León Siminiani, Paula Ortiz and Spanish Minister of Culture Ernest Urtasun were present to introduce her.
Siminiani, who worked with Zamora on two documentaries in 10 years, said: I’ve watched her career take off like a hot air balloon. After we stopped working together, she promptly won a Berlinale Golden Bear for ‘Alcarràs’, a San Sebastian Golden Shell for ‘O Corno’, a Goya for ‘Libertad’ and a Cannes Directors’ Fortnight Award for ‘Creatura’, he joked. .
“In these uncertain times, we indeed need a stabilizing force like Maria,” says Ortiz, a multi-Goya nominated filmmaker whose film “La Virgen Roja” (formerly titled “Hildegart”), Elástica’s co-production with Prime Video, is premiering. on September 22 in San Sebastian.
Before presenting her with the prestigious award, which includes a cash prize of €30,000 ($33,500), Urtasun noted that Zamora had “developed an extensive catalog of electives over twenty years. She has been able to build a very unique bond with the directors she has worked with, and that fruitful dialogue has resulted in excellent feature films recognized at major international festivals.”
He praised her for “constantly taking risks and prioritizing the social value of the cinematic act.” For this reason, he emphasized, “we have in our cinema, as in the films with the signature of María Zamora, an excellent guide to better understand the present.”
National Cinematography Award
Courtesy of San Sebastian Festival
In addition, Urtasun pointed to the growing presence of women in the Spanish film industry. He told Zamora: “Through your work, you have ensured that the talent and efforts of many other women have reached where they naturally should be, breaking age-old inequalities, silences, violence and discrimination that still persist, but which we all have a responsibility to overcome. A responsibility that we at the Ministry of Culture are very aware of.”
Speak with Variety After the ceremony, Zamora indicated that she was far from ready to rest on her laurels. She has two films ready to shoot: Marta Matute’s ‘Yo no moriré de amor’, a co-production with Madrid’s Solita Films, which will shoot in Madrid in January, and Laura Garcia Alonso’s ‘Corredora’, which will shoot in Barcelona in April included. with Distinto Films.
Romero was born in Valencia and has lived in Madrid for several years with her production partner/husband Enrique Costa. “I hope to film more in Valencia,” she said, adding that she has worked with a number of Catalan filmmakers in recent years.
“Alcarràs” director Carla Simon just wrapped “Romería,” the third film in her trilogy that began in 2017 with “Summer 1993,” after which she will begin work on the flamenco musical she announced in San Sebastian last year.
“I made a conscious decision about ten years ago to work with female filmmakers, many of whom are emerging,” Zamora said, adding that she has backed at least ten debut films to date.
In the meantime, she is busy inviting everyone for a drink.