Javier Bardem wins Spanish prize

Javier Bardem wins Spain’s National Cinema Prize by Spain’s ICAA film institute.

Spain’s National Cinema Prize was created in 1980, and helmer Carlos Saura was the first recipient.

The jury took into consideration Bardem’s career achievements, especially last year, as well as his “defense of the acting profession and continued commitment to Spanish film at home and abroad.”

“I take the prize to be a mark of affection from Spanish filmmakers, from my colleagues, and this touches me deeply,” Bardem said.

Earlier awarded filmmakers are directors Luis Garcia-Berlanga and Pedro Almodovar, actors Francisco Rabal and Fernando Rey and distributor-exhibitor Enrique Gonzalez-Macho.

Universal to co-finance Almodovar’s ‘Los abrazos rotos’

Universal Pictures will co-finance Pedro Almodovar’s “Los abrazos rotos” (Broken Embraces), with Focus Features Intl. handling foreign sales.

The film, starring Penelope Cruz, starts shooting May 26 in Madrid and the Canary Islands.

Focus will handle sales in all foreign territories except Spain, where Almodovar’s own production outfit El Deseo retains the rights, and those countries where Almodovar traditionally partners with Pathe, France, the U.K., Benelux and Switzerland.

There is no U.S. distribution deal yet for the movie.

The deal between El Deseo, Universal and Focus continues a long-standing link that dates back to days when Focus was an independent known as Good Machine, jointly run by David Linde, now U’s co-chairman, Focus president James Schamus and Ted Hope.

Focus Intl. previously was sales agent for Almodovar’s “Volver,” “Bad Education” and “Talk to Her,” as well as other El Deseo titles, including “The Secret Life of Words” and “My Life Without Me.”

This is the first time Universal has co-financed one of Almodovar’s movies.

Focus is also handling sales for El Deseo’s “La mujer sin cabeza” (The Headless Woman), directed by Lucrecia Martel (Cannes 2008)

Christian Grass, president of Universal’s Intl. Studio, said,

“Universal’s international production group is committed to providing the most comprehensive support possible for companies like El Deseo.”

‘Los Abrazos rotos’ next Pedro Almodovar’s film

Pedro Almodovar’s next film will be ‘Los abrazos rotos’. Penelope Cruz, Blanca Portillo and Llius Homar will star. ‘Abrazos’ will go into pre-production next year, with Almodovar aiming to shoot in the spring. The film will lense partly in Madrid.

El Deseo, the Madrid production house owned by Pedro and producer brother Agustin Almodovar, will produce the film. Budget is about $15 million.

‘Abrazos’ is set in the ’90s and present day. It will be with Almodovar’s themes: ‘Fate, the mystery of creation, guilt, unscrupulous power, the eternal search of fathers for sons, and sons for fathers.’ said Pedro Almodovar.

Echoing traditional financing practices on Almodovar movies, the brothers aim to pre-sell a small clutch of foreign territories to long-term distributors of Almodovar film, said Agustin Almodovar.

‘Penelope (Cruz) will exchange the era’s aprons, cardigans and the hairdos for an updated look, but one that mixes the transparent turbulence of Gene Tierney and the mistreated, challenging beauty of Linda Darnell in Otto Preminger’s ‘Fallen Angel,’ ‘ Pedro Almodovar explained, talking about points of departure for the film.

He is completing the screenplay. ‘Like some of my other films - ‘Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown’ - this film came easily, in one go, ‘Almodovar said.