THE GOYA AND DOUBLE PLATINO AWARD WINNER WILL BE HONORED DURING THE OPENING GALA ON JUNE 5th
STAR OF ACCLAIMED FILMS SUCH AS LULLABY, UN AMOR, AND VICTORIA, COSTA IS SET FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE OF LEE CRONIN’S THE MUMMY, A BLOCKBUSTER PRODUCED BY THE RENOWNED JASON BLUM AND JAMES WAN
“LAIA’S TALENT IS UNQUESTIONABLE; SHE HAS PROVEN IT ACROSS ALL GENRES BOTH IN SPAIN AND INTERNATIONALLY,” STATES ESTELA RASAL, DIRECTOR OF THE HIFF
The 54th Huesca International Film Festival will honor Laia Costa with the “Ciudad de Huesca Carlos Saura” Award, a tribute emphasizing the career and international projection of one of the leading names in contemporary Spanish audiovisual arts. The Goya, Forqué, Feroz, Gaudí, and double Platino-winning actress will visit the capital of Alto Aragon for the opening of the world’s third-oldest festival exclusively dedicated to short films. The event will recognize a cinematic journey that has led Costa to star in productions in Spain, Germany, Argentina, the UK, and the USA. “Laia’s talent is unquestionable,” explains Estela Rasal, director of the festival, which will take place in Huesca from June 5th to 13th.
Laia Costa possesses a filmography featuring nearly fifty titles including feature films, shorts, television, and theater. She holds the distinction of being the first Spanish actress to win a Lola Award for her starring role in Victoria, a performance that also earned her a European Film Award nomination. Her versatility and innate talent have been showcased in diverse projects under the direction of major figures in the seventh art, such as Isabel Coixet, Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, Elena Trapé, Jonás Trueba, Alberto Rodríguez, and Dan Fogelman, among others.
On April 17th, her career will once again achieve global prominence with the world premiere of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy. This film reimagines the Egyptian myth under the direction of the filmmaker responsible for horror hits like Evil Dead Rise. The blockbuster’s producers, James Wan and Jason Blum, are the architects of some of the most successful horror franchises of the last century: Saw, The Purge, Paranormal Activity, and Insidious.
The history of the “Ciudad de Huesca Carlos Saura” Award began in 1991, with the Huesca-born master himself as the first recipient. Nearly three decades later, in 2019, the award integrated the name of the celebrated Aragonese director to complete its current title. Under this endorsement and a renewed focus on distinguishing relevance and promise in cinema, prominent names such as Paula Ortiz, Isabel Peña and Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Anna Castillo, Michel Franco, Diego Luna, Pablo Larraín, Isaki Lacuesta, and last year’s honoree, Irene Escolar, have been recognized over the past decade.
A TALENT WITHOUT BORDERS
Laia Costa (Barcelona, 1985) began her career on the small screen, debuting in 2011 in the series Bandolera, before joining the cast of The Red Band Society, one of the most acclaimed titles on TV3. Her first international role was also her first major breakthrough: the feature film Victoria by German director Sebastian Schipper. This performance earned her a European Film Award nomination, a Gaudí Award, a Sant Jordi Award, and made her the first foreign actress to win a Lola. Her international ascent continued in 2017 with a BAFTA nomination in the “Rising Star” category.
During this initial professional stage, she participated in short films, features, and television, appearing in titles such as the series Carlos, Rey Emperador and the Spanish-Argentine co-production Black Snow alongside Leonardo Sbaraglia and Ricardo Darín. Other notable works include Newness with Nicholas Hoult (The Great, X-Men: First Class), Palm Trees in the Snow, Maine, Piercing, Duck Butter, Life Itself, Only You, and Isabel Coixet’s series Foodie Love.
In 2022, she premiered Lullaby at the Berlin Film Festival, the debut feature by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa. For this role, she swept the awards circuit, winning the Goya, the Forqué, a Feroz, the Actors Union Award, the Biznaga for Best Actress at the Malaga Festival, and her first Platino. A year later, she appeared in the British series The Diplomat and The Enchanted, a film by Elena Trapé nominated for Best Picture at the Gaudí Awards.
Her second collaboration with Isabel Coixet once again elevated her at the most prestigious Ibero-American awards ceremonies; with Un Amor, she secured her second Platino and received nominations for the Fotogramas de Plata, and once again for the Goya, Forqué, Actors Union, Gaudí, and Feroz awards.
Most recently, audiences have enjoyed her performances in The Teacher Who Promised the Sea and the high-budget Amazon Prime series The Wheel of Time. In just a few days, her name will return to theaters with Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, while the release of Cruzados is also highly anticipated—the new film by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo, where Costa joins a cast including Karra Elejalde, Álvaro Cervantes, Luis Zahera, Lluís Homar, and Tamar Novas.
