Catalan production 'Robot Dreams' wins Best Animated Feature at European Film Awards
Director Pablo Berger encourages the sector to "explore the possibilities of animation"
The Catalan production 'Robot Dreams' has won Best Animated Feature Film at the European Film Awards at a ceremony held on Saturday evening.
Directed by Pablo Berger and produced by Arcadia Motion Pictures, 'Robot Dreams' has prevailed over the other four nominees thanks to the adventures of a lonely dog who decides to buy a robot to keep him company.
Set in New York in the 1980s, the filmmaker transports viewers to a story that talks about loneliness, the fragility of relationships and the process of loss.
Berger celebrated the award by encouraging the rest of the industry to "explore the possibilities of animation."
"We are very happy, I won't be able to take this smile off my face for a long time," he admitted.
In a previous interview with the Catalan News Agency (ACN), Berger attributed the success of the film to the "mix" of elements within it, straddling comedy and drama which, at the same time, becomes the best way to "explain life."
The director admitted that animation is going through a golden period with a great variety at the moment, but that it still has to face certain prejudices. "Animation allows you to tell all kinds of stories, I hope to get people who don't usually go to see animation to do so," he emphasized.
Isabel Coixet given European Achievement Award
Catalonia received more good news on the night with filmmaker Isabel Coixet receiving the European Achievement Award in World Cinema.
Actress Laia Costa introduced the director on stage, who highlighted her "intelligence, kindness and generosity," and said that there is no "happier" version of the director than the one on set.
"When things come from a very real place in the heart, there will always be someone who connects with what you do," Coixet said.
The filmmaker told the academy that she makes films because she learned at a young age that these "had no borders," a scenario that she would like to see in the real world.
For this reason, she also took the opportunity to remind all directors who have been told that they were not "interesting, good, commercial or controversial" enough, that in the end it is enough to do things wholeheartedly and truthfully.