Record number of candidates for the Gaudí awards: 85 films, half of them in Catalan

BarcelonaAfter beating box office records and production In 2024, Catalan cinema held its own and consolidated its upward trajectory in 2025. Eighty-five film productions will compete in the upcoming Gaudí Awards, which the Catalan Film Academy will hold on February 8, 2026, at the Gran Teatre del Liceu. This is a record number in the history of the awards, which are reaching their 18th year and can celebrate sustained growth on various fronts. Of the forty-four feature films in competition, nearly 40% were filmed in Catalan (17). Considering that the Gaudí Awards once had a record low of only six candidates The number of Catalan-language films produced in 2020, 2021, and 2022 represents a significant increase of 130% compared to five years prior. If we include the pre-selected documentaries and short films—a format almost entirely dominated by Catalan, which raises the average—the total Catalan-language production reaches 53%, another increase compared to previous years, which stood at 40% and 47%.

Speaking of proper names, among the fourteen fiction films, titles such as Strange river, by Jaume Claret Muxart, praised by critics and premiered at the Venice Film Festival; the one recently presented at Seminci Border, one thriller historical by Judith Colell; the intimate Very far, by Gerard Oms, highlighting Mario Casas' performance; and the popular Wolfgang, by Javier Ruiz Caldera, which has become the best Catalan film premiere of the 21st century.

It must be said that Catalan production in Spanish is also growing steadily. In the non-Catalan language film category, there are 26 competing films, titles that have marked the year as the award-winning production at Cannes, Sirado, by Oliver Laxe, Spain's Oscar candidate; the new film by Carla Simón, Pilgrimage; the film that swept the Malaga Film Festival, Deaf, by Eva Libertad; My friend Eva, by Cesc Gay; The Turtlesby Belén Funes, and this week's premiere It's always winterDavid Trueba's film, starring David Verdaguer. However, there are no... Sundays Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, despite having Catalan production, does not reach the necessary 20%.

In the documentary categories, 16 titles were selected from the 23 submitted. Notable entries include Albert Serra with his film about bullfighting. Afternoons of solitudeand filmmakers such as Laia Manresa, Ventura Durall, Claudio Zulian, and María Valverde. Fifteen short films were selected from 60 submissions, and ten European films were chosen. In addition, four animated films were included. Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake, by Irene Iborra Rizo, the first Catalan animated feature film in stop-motion Made in Barcelona.

A harvest watered with subsidies

One of the important factors in assessing the weight of the Catalan film industry is feature film budgets. It is confirmed that the average budget for fiction films is growing: fourteen titles have budgets equal to or exceeding three million euros. Of these, half were directed by a woman, and three were filmed in the original Catalan, as in the case of Wolfgang, by Ruiz Caldera; Borderby Judith Colell, and The irresponsible onesBy Laura Mañá. The good harvest of Catalan cinema also confirms the effect that watering the industry with aid has, especially in relation to the health of the language. Wolfgang and Border These are two films that have received substantial funding from the Catalan Film Institute (ICEC) to promote commercially viable Catalan-language cinema (€1.2 million and €1.5 million, respectively, in 2022 and 2023), but many others have also received significant support. The Department of Culture has allocated increasing amounts of public money to Catalan cinema each year: from €40 million in 2022 to €60 million for the audiovisual sector in 2024. However, the majority of major productions remain in Spanish. According to the Academy, feature films in their original Catalan version have been produced with an average budget of €1.83 million (€1.69 million last year), a remarkable figure, but one that falls short when compared to Spanish-language productions, which exceed €2.54 million.

Regarding parity, the gender gap has been eliminated in management but remains in production, which is stuck at 40%, and in the debut work (Women receive 32% less budget: men receive €1.9 million while women are left with €1.3 million for their debut film).

"We celebrate the record in Catalan-language production, a fact which, added to the consolidation of the average budget, brings us closer to European standards. We observe positive trends in almost all indicators of our industry, proof that Catalan cinema has recovered its health and strength. Now, the great challenge is to ensure that these stories reach audiences; because only in this way can we continue to grow our film culture," said Judith Colell, president of the Catalan Film Academy, in a press release.

The awards ceremony kicks off this Tuesday night with a party at the Old Estrella Damm Factory. The 640 voting members of the Academy must begin selecting the finalists tomorrow and will continue their process throughout the coming month. The nominations will be announced on December 16.