SPAIN: Director of Salesian films and Salesian past pupil win Goya Awards in Spain
(MissionNewswire) An event celebrating the 33rd Goya Awards, Spain’s foremost annual national film awards, was held in Seville on Saturday, Feb. 2. “Campeones” and “El Reino” were the evening’s two triumphant films but director, Raúl de la Fuente, and actor, Jesús Vidal, both with Salesian connections, won awards as well.
Director, Raúl de la Fuente, and producer, Amaia Remírez, won their second Goya Award with “Un día más con vida,” a feature film inspired by a novel written by Polish journalist, Ryszard Kapuściński. Raúl de la Fuente is the director of many films produced all over the world by the Salesian Missions Office in Madrid. In recent years he has traveled around the world with Salesian staff to create documentaries that highlight Salesian missionary work among the most disadvantaged.
One of his most well-known documentaries, “Love,” denounces child prostitution in Sierra Leone and highlights the work done by Salesian missionaries at the Don Bosco Fambul Girls Shelter helping hundreds of girls forced into prostitution. “Love” has been presented at many Salesian centers and international venues, including at an organized event at the United Nations in New York.
In recent years, Raúl de la Fuente has worked on Salesian productions including, “Hijos de Haití” (Children of Haiti), “No estoy en venta” (They are not for sale), “Yo no soy bruja” (I am not a witch), “30,000,” “Diamantes en Lixeira” (Diamonds in Lixeira) and “Alto el Fuego” (Cease Fire). The director is also involved in several upcoming Salesian projects. He reports, “Currently we are working on a new project that is already in progress. It is a short documentary entitled, “El Infierno,” which will be ready in June.”
In addition, he is working on a joint project with the Salesian Central Office, the Salesian Missionary Offices and the Dicastery for the Missions, Youth Ministry and Social Communications for the production of three short films with a theme of vocations in different cultural contexts. This upcoming film series has the title, “Terra di Missione.”
Chilean former Salesian student, Jesús Vidal, also received a Goya Award. When awarded, he said, “Three words came to mind – inclusion, diversity and visibility.” He is the first visually impaired actor to win a Goya Award for his work in a film, winning the Actor Revelation award for the film, “Campeones.”
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ANS – Spain – Salesian presence at 33rd edition of Goya Awards
