Gaudi Awards

Overview

The Gaudi Awards are the annual film prizes presented by the Catalan Film Academy (Academia del Cinema Catala) to recognize outstanding achievement in Catalan cinema. Named after architect Antoni Gaudi, the awards cover 24 categories spanning fiction, documentary, animation, and short films. The 18th ceremony took place on February 8, 2026, at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, with approximately 1,900 attendees. Sirat won 8 awards including Best Film in a Non-Catalan Language, while Frontera took Best Film and the Audience Award. The ceremony was broadcast on Catalan public television.

For Catalan filmmakers, a Gaudi nomination or win provides regional recognition that directly impacts distribution prospects within Spain and positions films for Goya Award consideration. The awards split Best Film into two language tracks: Catalan-language and non-Catalan-language, the latter covering Spanish or other language films with Catalan production involvement. This structure ensures that Catalan-language cinema receives dedicated recognition regardless of budget or market reach. The full official rules (Bases dels XIX Premis Gaudi) are published on the Academy website.

Eligibility and Submission Rules

To qualify for the Gaudi Awards, a film must meet the following requirements:

1. Runtime: 60 minutes or longer, as certified by the ICEC (Institut Catala de les Empreses Culturals) or ICAA (Instituto de la Cinematografia y de las Artes Audiovisuales).
2. Theatrical release in Catalonia: The film must premiere commercially in Catalonia during the calendar year of the awards edition (January 1 through December 31). It must run for a minimum of 7 non-consecutive days with open box office, certified by the ICEC or the exhibitor.
3. No prior streaming or broadcast release: The film must not have been released on linear television (DTT) or non-linear platforms (streaming, VOD) before its theatrical commercial release.
4. Catalan production qualification: A "Catalan film" requires participation from a production company domiciled in Catalonia. Two thresholds apply:

- 20% or higher Catalan production participation: The film must accumulate at least 6 "Catalan talent points" distributed across a minimum of 3 categories from the official points table (covering director, screenwriter, cast, crew heads, language, and other elements).

- 10% or higher but below 20%: The film must accumulate at least 8 Catalan talent points across a minimum of 4 categories.

1. Best Film category: Only films in Catalan original version (as officially certified) are eligible, where lip movements match the Catalan language. Documentaries, animation, TV films, and short films are excluded from this specific category.
2. Submission deadline: For the 19th edition (films released in 2026), the registration deadline is September 22, 2026, at 2:00 PM. Films can be registered before all requirements are met (particularly the theatrical release), provided they confirm compliance by December 31, 2026.

Starting with the 19th edition, production companies must declare whether generative AI tools were used significantly during the creative process. The Academy reserves the right to disqualify works that violate the principle of human authorship.

Voting Process

The Catalan Film Academy membership votes in two rounds. In the first round, members select nominees across all categories. For the 19th edition, members can now cast blank votes in any full category during the first round. Short films pass through a pre-selection committee that narrows the field to 15 titles, with a guaranteed minimum of 8 Catalan original-version shorts among the selection. European films for the Best European Film category are pre-selected to 10 titles by a separate committee. If documentary submissions exceed 15, a pre-selection committee reduces them to two-thirds of the total submitted.

The second round determines winners. New rules eliminate tie-breaking criteria: in the first round, more than 4 nominations may occur in a single category (5 in Best Film), and in the second round, ties result in multiple winners.

Key Categories

The Gaudi Awards present 24 categories:

• Best Film (Catalan original version only)
• Best Film in a Non-Catalan Language
• Best Director and Best New Director
• Best Leading Actor (Male) and Best Leading Actor (Female)
• Best Supporting Actor (Male) and Best Supporting Actor (Female)
• Best New Performer
• Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay
• Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Art Direction
• Best Original Music, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects
• Best Production Management, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling
• Best Documentary Film, Best Animated Film, Best Short Film
• Best European Film (pre-selected by committee)
• Audience Award (public vote; 6,340 voters participated in the 18th edition)
• Gaudi of Honor (lifetime achievement)

Recent Ceremony (18th Gaudi Awards, February 2026)

The 18th ceremony was held on February 8, 2026, at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, hosted by Nora Navas, Maria Molins, Laura Weissmahr, Carla Quilez, and Maria Arnal. Key winners:

Sirat won 8 awards from 12 nominations, sweeping the technical categories. Frontera won 4 awards including Best Film and the Audience Award. Sorda won 3 awards including Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

History

The Catalan Film Academy was founded in 2008 by a group of Catalan film professionals seeking to create a dedicated awards ceremony for Catalan cinema. The first Gaudi Awards ceremony took place in 2009. The awards were named after Antoni Gaudi, the architect whose work defines Barcelona's visual identity.

The Academy has grown to approximately 400 members. The ceremony has been held at various Barcelona venues, including the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya and the CCIB Auditorium, before moving to the Gran Teatre del Liceu for the 18th edition in 2026.

The awards have evolved to address industry changes. The Best European Film category was added to connect Catalan cinema to the broader continental landscape. The Audience Award, decided by public vote, was introduced to engage general audiences. The language-specific Best Film split ensures Catalan-language productions receive dedicated recognition. For the 19th edition, the Academy introduced an AI declaration requirement, responding to industry concerns about generative AI in creative work.

Business Impact for Filmmakers

A Gaudi win or nomination affects a Catalan filmmaker's career in several concrete ways:

Goya Award positioning: Gaudi-recognized films and filmmakers frequently appear in subsequent Goya nominations. The Gaudi ceremony's timing in early February places it before the Goya ceremony, making it a reliable predictor of national-level recognition.

Regional funding leverage: Catalonia's film funding body, the ICEC, operates alongside the national ICAA system. Awards recognition strengthens applications for ICEC production grants and other regional support mechanisms. The ICEC provides production grants, distribution support, and exhibition subsidies for Catalan films.

Distribution visibility: A Gaudi win extends a film's theatrical run in Catalonia and increases interest from Spanish distributors. The Audience Award, with over 6,000 public voters in 2026, directly demonstrates market appeal to distributors and exhibitors.

International festival pipeline: Gaudi-winning films, particularly in documentary and animation categories, gain visibility with international festival programmers. Sirat, the 2026 top winner, had already screened at Cannes and received two Oscar nominations before the Gaudi ceremony, illustrating how regional awards reinforce international momentum.

Past Winners and What They Won With

The Gaudi Awards (Premis Gaudi) are Catalonia's national film awards, presented annually by the Catalan Film Academy (Academia del Cinema Catala). The 2026 Gaudi Awards (18th edition) saw Sirat win the top prize, a film that had already screened at Cannes and received two Oscar nominations before the Gaudi ceremony, illustrating how regional awards reinforce international momentum. The Gaudi Awards cover categories including Best Film in Catalan, Best Film in Non-Catalan Language, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Documentary, Best Animation, Best Original Music, and the Audience Award (with over 6,000 public voters in 2026). The ceremony is typically held in early February in Barcelona, placing it before the Goya Awards (Spain's national film awards) and making it a reliable predictor of national-level recognition. Gaudi-recognized films and filmmakers frequently appear in subsequent Goya nominations.

Eligibility Quirks That Trip People Up

Catalonia's film funding body, the ICEC (Institut Catala de les Empreses Culturals), operates alongside the national ICAA system. Awards recognition strengthens applications for ICEC production grants and other regional support mechanisms. The ICEC provides production grants, distribution support, and exhibition subsidies for Catalan films. A Gaudi win extends a film's theatrical run in Catalonia and increases interest from Spanish distributors. The Audience Award, with over 6,000 public voters in 2026, directly demonstrates market appeal to distributors and exhibitors. Gaudi-winning films, particularly in documentary and animation categories, gain visibility with international festival programmers. The distinction between Best Film in Catalan and Best Film in Non-Catalan Language reflects the bilingual reality of Catalan cinema, where some productions are made in Spanish or other languages by Catalan production companies.

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See Also

For understanding how regional European awards connect to broader distribution strategies, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model revenue across Spanish and European territories, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For evaluating the cost of an awards campaign against projected returns, use the Ad Spend Break-Even Calculator.