The Martín Carpena Sports Palace in Málaga is transformed against the clock for the Goya gala

More than 350 professionals work 24 hours a day, distributed in 3 shifts, to convert the sports hall into a large auditorium with an extra stand with capacity for more than 500 people. The space will be dominated by a 580-square-meter stage surrounded by a self-supporting structure that supports a 20-ton technical ceiling 15 meters high.

The Film Academy begins the week in which the 34th edition of the Goya Awards with the press conference of the gala presenters, Silvia April y Andreu Buenafuente, and the president of the Film Academy, Mariano Barroso, who revealed this Monday some of the details of the ceremony, which will take place on January 25 at the José María Martín Carpena Sports Palace from Malaga.

The president of the institution announced this Monday that, for the first time, the Goya Awards can be followed live through screens installed outside the Martín Carpena Palace. The red carpet will also be located in the vicinity of the venue so that the public has access to the nominees and professionals of our cinema who are at the gala. A space that will pulse the atmosphere that will be experienced in this meeting point between the people of Malaga and the protagonists of the great festival of Spanish cinema.

Abril and Buenafuente spoke about the way in which they will exploit the Martín Carpena space to generate a great show. “The gala will be a visual spectacle,” promised the hosts, who advanced the musical performances of A Chorus Line with Antonio Banderas, the British Jamie Cullum, and Ana Mena and Rayden, who will be in charge of the opening, in which the presenters will participate. The tribute to the Goya of Honor will also have a musical accent with Amaia, who admires Pepa Flores and began singing for her, and Celia Flores, who will also have a prominent role in the tribute to her mother.

Mariano Barroso put figures on the technical challenge of transforming the Sports Palace into a suitable space for an awards ceremony. “More than 350 people are workings 24 hours distributed in 3 shifts. A stand has been built with capacity for more than 500 people. The space is presided over by a 580 square meter stage surrounded by a self-supporting structure with 10 legs that support a 20-ton technical roof at 15 meters high. 20 power generators have been installed that supply more than 4,000 meters of power distribution cable that are distributed in more than 50 electrical panels distributed throughout the venue to serve the gala, photocall, dressing rooms, catering, production rooms and offices. In the field of decoration, more than 6,000 square meters of carpet will be installed, almost 4,000 m² of fabrics, curtains and textile reinforcements," the president explained, before announcing that "everything will be ready for January 25 and four days later, on the 29th, Unicaja will play on its field again... as if nothing had happened."

“The space It has given us a creative challenge"acknowledged Buenafuente, who, together with Abril, has opted to combine the technological aspects with the emotion of the winners and nominees. "We are going to try to make the screens play a key role in the scenography, but we have to foresee the human side," said the presenter, who only has two red lines: "common sense and the sense of the show. We are very aligned with the Academy. You have to know who you are, and not do anything that doesn't suit you, know who you do it with and why you do it.”

Delighted to repeat as presenters, Abril and Buenafuente highlighted the joint trip of the Film Academy and The Terrace, to the teams of both entities and the maturity of Spanish cinema, factors that will make possible the dimension of this awards ceremony, “unique in our country”, for which they receive a lot of love. "People are excited that you are there presenting and we are excited that they are excited. We are going to the film festival with great friends," Buenafuente celebrated, while Abril assured that "the viewer already knows our tone, we are not here to be able to give anyone a hard time."