THE FOUR-TIME GOYA WINNER AND 2025 NATIONAL CINEMA AWARD RECIPIENT WILL RECEIVE THE HONOR ON JUNE 7TH
HIS FILMOGRAPHY BOASTS NEARLY ONE HUNDRED TITLES, INCLUDING ACCLAIMED WORKS SUCH AS EL 47, WHILE AT WAR, THE MAN WITH A THOUSAND FACES, AND PERFECT STRANGERS
“HIS TALENT HAS TRANSCENDED BORDERS, HE HAS WORKED WITH SOME OF THE BEST DIRECTORS WORKING TODAY AND HAS LIMITLESS VERSATILITY, BEYOND ALL DOUBT,” SAYS FESTIVAL DIRECTOR ESTELA RASAL
The Luis Buñuel Award of the 54th Huesca International Film Festival goes to Catalan actor Eduard Fernández — one of the great icons of Spanish cinema, with four Goya Awards to his name, placing him among the most celebrated performers ever recognized by Spain’s Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. His work spans film, theatre, and television, earning both critical and popular success across all three. On the big screen, standout titles include some of the most acclaimed films of the past decade: El 47, While at War, Perfect Strangers, and The Man with a Thousand Faces. His talent has shone equally in drama and comedy, with an undeniable chameleonic range. “His talent has crossed borders, he has worked with some of the best directors working today,” highlights Estela Rasal, the festival’s director — a fact made plain when one surveys the list of filmmakers who have directed him, including Pedro Almodóvar, Asghar Farhadi, Álex de la Iglesia, Alejandro Amenábar, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, and Steven Soderbergh.
On Sunday, June 7th, Eduard Fernández will be the undisputed star of the Huesca event, with two highlights. At 1:00 PM (Salón Azul of the Casino), festival audiences will have the opportunity to see and hear the actor in person during a public conversation moderated by writer and filmmaker Luis Alegre. In the evening (9:30 PM), the Teatro Olimpia will host the tribute gala, culminating in a screening of the short film El otro, which Eduard himself directed and starred in in 2024. Also screening will be the documentary Memoria de Los Olvidados, in which filmmaker Javier Espada explores the making of the iconic 1950 film directed by the genius from Calanda, as well as Goya’s influence on its conception. Narrated by Arturo Rípstein, the film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival last year.
With this award, Fernández joins a roster of honorees that includes, among others, Terry Gilliam, Bertrand Tavernier, Marisa Paredes, Stephen Frears, Carlos Saura, Ángela Molina, Jean-Claude Carrière, Costa-Gavras, Álex de la Iglesia, the Taviani Brothers, Isabel Coixet, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Victoria Abril, Víctor Erice, and last year’s recipient Charo López.
A VERSATILE ACTOR WITH FOUR GOYA AWARDS
Eduard Fernández (Barcelona, 1964) began his performing career after studying mime at the Institut de Teatre de Barcelona. His early work took him to a cabaret in the city and to the theatre with the company Els Joglars, under Albert Boadella. He also performed at the Teatre Lliure under directors including Lluís Pasqual in productions such as Waiting for Godot and Hamlet — the latter earning him both the Max Award for Best Lead Actor and the Fotogramas de Plata for Best Theatre Actor.
His film career consolidated in 1999 with Mariano Barroso’s Los lobos de Washington, which earned him his first Goya nomination for Best Breakthrough Actor. Since then, his roles have brought him four Goya Awards: Best Lead Actor for Marco, directed by Aitor Arregi and Jon Garaño; Best Lead Actor for Faust 5.0, directed by Álex Ollé and Carlus Padrissa; Best Supporting Actor for In the City, directed by Cesc Gay; and Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Millán Astray in While at War, directed by Alejandro Amenábar. He has also earned a Silver Shell at the San Sebastián Film Festival 2016 for The Man with a Thousand Faces, directed by Alberto Rodríguez; four Gaudí Awards; three Silver Biznaga Awards; and the 2025 National Cinema Award, among many other honors.
In recent years his career has continued to shine for both critics and audiences alike, demonstrating his chameleonic versatility across a wide range of genres with titles such as Crooked Lines, directed by Oriol Paulo, and El 47, directed by Marcel Barrena (with whom he also made Mediterranean). The latter was one of the biggest box office and awards stories in Spain throughout 2024.
His talent has equally proven itself on stage and on television. The Teatros del Canal hosted the premiere of his stage production All the Love Songs, directed by Andrés Lima, for which he won the 2024 Max Award for Best Actor. On the small screen, he has appeared in Anatomy of a Moment, directed by Alberto Rodríguez; The House of the Spirits, by Francisco Alegría and Andrés Wood; Stories to Stay Awake, directed by Rodrigo Cortés; 30 Coins (for which he won the 2021 Feroz Award for Best Actor), directed by Álex de la Iglesia; and Criminal, directed by Mariano Barroso.
