'Wild Tales' Dominates Platino Awards

6:28 PM PDT 7/18/2015 by Pamela Rolfe

'Wild Tales,' Damian Szifron (Competition)

Cannes regular Pedro Almodovar won't be in this year's competition, but this comedy from Argentine director Damian Szifron could be the next best thing. Almodovar is one of the producers of the feature, a series of comic sketches that should provide some welcome laughs amid Cannes' typically grim selection of political and social dramas. Wild Tales marks Szifron's first appearance in Cannes. (Sales: Film Factory)

Antonio Banderas wins a lifetime achievement award at the ceremony in Spain.

Damian Szifron's Wild Tales was the big winner at the Platino Awards, taking eight of the 13 prizes, including director and best film, at the recently established Ibero-American awards that look to become the Latin version of the Oscars.

Antonio Banderas won a lifetime achievement award at the second edition of the awards ceremony, which this year was held in his hometown of Marbella, Spain.

“We should embrace our culture and our land and be proud to be Hispanic,” Banderas said in Spanish after receiving the award from the hands of legendary actress Rita Moreno. “We should also trust that time has a way of straightening out bitter difficulties.”

Wild Tales, produced by Pedro Almodovar, also won best sound, screenplay, editing, actress, original score and production design. El Deseo's Agustin Almodovar picked up the top honor.

Argentina's Szifron has run the festival and prize gamut, including his Oscar nomination, and said Saturday night he is ready to focus on his next project, The Six-Billion Dollar Man.

The nominations for the nine artistic categories and four technical ones were announced in Los Angeles in May.

The Platino Awards bring together film academies from 23 Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, plus Spain, Brazil and Portugal. The gala is broadcast in 50 countries by Spanish pubcaster TVE to a potential audience of 400 million, including in the U.S..

Saturday night’s event opened Marbella’s monthlong Starlite festival, which features 22 cozy concerts offered by Lenny Kravitz, Enrique Iglesias and dozens more in the natural, open-air amphitheater known as the Quarry.

A complete list of winners follows.

Film

Wild Tales

Director

Damian Szifron, Wild Tales

Screenplay

Damian Szifron, Wild Tales

Sounds

Jose Luis Diaz, Wild Tales

Photography

Alex Catalan, Marshland

Editing

Damian Szifron and Pablo Barbieri, Wild Tales

Actress

Erica Rivas, Wild Tales

Actor

Oscar Jaenada, Cantinflas

Production Design

Clara Notari, Wild Tales

Directorial Debut

La Distancia Mas Larga

Original Score

Gustavo Santaolalla, Wild Tales

Documentary

O Sal da Terra

Animated Feature

O Menino e O Mundo

Lifetime Achievement

Antonio Banderas