Goya Award for Best New Director
| Goya Award for Best New Director | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The 2026 recipient: Eva Libertad | |
| Native name | Premio Goya a la mejor dirección novel |
| Awarded for | Best debuting direction of a Spanish film of the year |
| Country | Spain |
| Presented by | Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain (AACCE) |
| First award | 4th Goya Awards (1989) |
| Most recent winner | Eva Libertad Deaf (2025) |
| Website | Official website |
The Goya Award for Best New Director (Spanish: Premio Goya a la mejor dirección novel) is one of the Goya Awards presented annually by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain (AACCE) since the 4th edition of the awards in 1989. It is given in honor of a debuting film director or directing team that has demonstrated outstanding directing ability in making a Spanish film.
History
The award was first presented at the fourth edition of the Goya Awards with Ana Díez being the first winner for her film Ander eta Yul.
Three directors have won this category and later have received the Best Director award, Alejandro Amenábar won for Tesis (1996) and went on to win Best Director twice, for The Others (2001) and The Sea Inside (2005); Fernando León de Aranoa won for Familia (1997) and later won Best Director thrice, for Barrio (1998), Mondays in the Sun (2002) and The Good Boss (2022); and Juan Antonio Bayona won for The Orphanage (2007) and went on to win Best Director twice, for The Impossible (2012) and A Monster Calls (2016).
Five films have won both this award and Best Film, Agustín Díaz Yanes's Nobody Will Speak of Us When We're Dead (1995), Alejandro Amenábar's Tesis (1996), Achero Mañas's Pellet (2000), Raúl Arévalo's The Fury of a Patient Man (2016) and Pilar Palomero's Schoolgirls (2020). Animator Enrique Gato became the first to historically win the award for an animated film with Tad, The Lost Explorer.
At the 40th Goya Awards, the academy announced changes in the eligibility criteria for the category, changing the nature of the debut work from first ICAA-assessed feature film to first feature film released in theatres.[1]
Winners and nominees
In the following table, the years are listed as per Academy convention, and generally correspond to the year of film release; the ceremonies are always held the following year.
| ‡ | Indicates the winner |
|---|
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1980s
| Year | Director(s) | English title | Original title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 (4th) | Ana Díez | Ander eta Yul | |
| Cristina Andreu | Brumal | ||
| Isabel Coixet | Massa vell per morir jove | ||
| Xavier Villaverde | Continental | ||
| Teodoro Ríos and Santiago Ríos | Guarapo | ||
1990s
2000s
| Year | Director(s) | English title | Original title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 (15th) | Achero Mañas | Pellet | El Bola |
| Daniel Monzón | Heart of the Warrior | El corazón del guerrero | |
| Cesc Gay | Nico and Dani | Krámpack | |
| Patricia Ferreira | I Know Who You Are | Sé quién eres | |
| 2001 (16th) | Juan Carlos Fresnadillo | Intacto | |
| Víctor García León | No Pain, No Gain | Más pena que gloria | |
| Carlos Molinero | Savages | Salvajes | |
| Javier Balaguer | Mine Alone | Solo mía | |
| 2002 (17th) | Julio Wallovits and Roger Gual | Smoking Room | |
| Inés París and Daniela Fejerman | My Mother Likes Women | A mi madre le gustan las mujeres | |
| Eduard Cortés | Nobody's Life | La vida de nadie | |
| Ramón Salazar | Stones | Piedras | |
| 2003 (18th) | Ángeles González Sinde | Sleeping Luck | La suerte dormida |
| David Serrano | Football Days | Días de fútbol | |
| Jaime Rosales | The Hours of the Day | Las horas de día | |
| Pablo Berger | Torremolinos 73 | ||
| 2004 (19th) | Pablo Malo | Cold Winter Sun | Frío sol de invierno |
| Santiago Amodeo | Astronauts | Astronautas | |
| Vicente Peñarrocha | Body Confusion | Fuera del cuerpo | |
| Ramón de España | Kill Me Tender | Haz conmigo lo que quieras | |
| 2005 (20th) | José Corbacho and Juan Cruz | Tapas | |
| Asier Altuna and Telmo Esnal | Aupa Etxebeste! | ||
| Guillem Morales | The Uninvited Guest | El habitante incierto | |
| Santiago Tabernero | Life and Colour | Vida y color | |
| 2006 (21st) | Daniel Sánchez Arévalo | DarkBlueAlmostBlack | Azuloscurocasinegro |
| Carlos Iglesias | Crossing the Border | Un franco, 14 pesetas | |
| Javier Rebollo | Lola | Lo que sé de Lola | |
| Jorge Sánchez-Cabezudo | The Night of the Sunflowers | La noche de los girasoles | |
| 2007 (22nd) | Juan Antonio Bayona | The Orphanage | El orfanato |
| Félix Viscarret | Under the Stars | Bajo las estrellas | |
| Tomás Fernández | Suso's Tower | La torre de Suso | |
| Tristán Ulloa and David Ulloa | Modesty | Pudor | |
| 2008 (23rd) | Santiago Zannou | The One-Handed Trick | El truco del manco |
| Belén Macías | My Prison Yard | El patio de mi cárcel | |
| Nacho Vigalondo | Timecrimes | Los cronocrímenes | |
| Irene Cardona | Un novio para Yasmina | ||
| 2009 (24th) | Mar Coll | Three Days With the Family | Tres dies amb la família |
| David Planell | The Shame | La vergüenza | |
| Borja Cobeaga | Friend Zone | Pagafantas | |
| Antonio Naharro and Álvaro Pastor | Me, Too | Yo, también | |
2010s
2020s
| Year | Director(s) | English title | Original title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 (35th) [6] | Pilar Palomero | Schoolgirls | Las niñas |
| David Pérez Sañudo | Ane Is Missing | Ane | |
| Bernabé Rico | One Careful Owner | El inconveniente | |
| Núria Giménez Lorang | My Mexican Bretzel | ||
| 2021 (36th) [7][8] | Clara Roquet | Libertad | |
| Carol Rodríguez Colás | Girlfriends | Chavalas | |
| Javier Marco | Josephine | Josefina | |
| David Martín de los Santos | That Was Life | La vida era eso | |
| 2022 (37th) [9] | Alauda Ruiz de Azúa | Lullaby | Cinco lobitos |
| Carlota Pereda | Piggy | Cerdita | |
| Elena López Riera | The Water | El agua | |
| Juan Diego Botto | On the Fringe | En los márgenes | |
| Mikel Gurrea | Cork | Suro | |
| 2023 (38th) [10] | Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren | 20,000 Species of Bees | 20.000 especies de abejas |
| Itsaso Arana | The Girls Are Alright | Las chicas están bien | |
| Álvaro Gago | Matria | ||
| Alejandro Rojas, Juan Sebastián Vasquez | Upon Entry | ||
| Alejandro Marín | Love & Revolution | Te estoy amando locamente | |
| 2024 (39th)[11][12] |
Javier Macipe | The Blue Star | La estrella azul |
| Miguel Faus | The Quiet Maid | Calladita | |
| Pedro Martín-Calero | The Wailing | El llanto | |
| Sandra Romero | As Silence Passes By | Por donde pasa el silencio | |
| Paz Vega | Rita | ||
| 2025(40th)[13] | Eva Libertad | Deaf | Sorda |
| Ion de Sosa | Balearic | ||
| Jaume Claret Muxart | Strange River | Estrany riu | |
| Gemma Blasco | Fury | La furia | |
| Gerard Oms | Away | Molt lluny | |
Statistics
The following list is for Best New Director nominees and winners that went on to win or be nominated for Best Director. The times that the directors won either of the categories are in bold.
| Director(s) | Best New Director nominated work and result | Best Director nominated work(s) and result(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Isabel Coixet | nominated for Massa vell per morir jove (1989) | nominated for My Life Without Me (2003) |
| won for The Secret Life of Words (2005) | ||
| nominated for Nobody Wants the Night (2015) | ||
| won for The Bookshop (2017) | ||
| nominated for It Snows in Benidorm (2020) | ||
| nominated for Un amor (2023) | ||
| Juanma Bajo Ulloa | won for Butterfly Wings (1991) | nominated for The Dead Mother (1993) |
| nominated for Baby (2020) | ||
| Manuel Gómez Pereira | nominated for Pink Sauce (1991) | nominated for Mouth to Mouth (1995) |
| Julio Médem | won for Vacas (1992) | nominated for Earth (1996) |
| nominated for Sex and Lucia (2001) | ||
| Álex de la Iglesia | nominated for Acción mutante (1992) | won for The Day of the Beast (1995) |
| nominated for Common Wealth (2000) | ||
| nominated for The Oxford Murders (2008) | ||
| nominated for The Last Circus (2010) | ||
| Manuel Huerga | nominated for Antarctica (1995) | nominated for Salvador (Puig Antich) (2006) |
| Icíar Bollaín | nominated for Hola, ¿estás sola? (1995) | won for Take My Eyes (2003) |
| nominated for Mataharis (2007) | ||
| nominated for Even the Rain (2010) | ||
| nominated for Rosa's Wedding (2020) | ||
| nominated for Maixabel (2021) | ||
| Alejandro Amenábar | won for Thesis (1996) | nominated for Open Your Eyes (1998) |
| won for The Others (2001) | ||
| won for The Sea Inside (2004) | ||
| nominated for Agora (2009) | ||
| nominated for While at War (2019) | ||
| David Trueba | nominated for The Good Life (1996) | nominated for Soldiers of Salamina (2003) |
| won for Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed (2013) | ||
| nominated for Jokes & Cigarettes (2023) | ||
| Fernando León de Aranoa | won for Familia (1997) | won for Barrio (1998) |
| won for Mondays in the Sun (2002) | ||
| nominated for A Perfect Day (2015) | ||
| won for The Good Boss (2021) | ||
| Javier Fesser | nominated for The Miracle of P. Tinto (1998) | won for Camino (2008) |
| nominated for Champions (2018) | ||
| Benito Zambrano | won for Alone (1999) | nominated for Alone (1999) |
| nominated for Habana Blues (2005) | ||
| nominated for The Sleeping Voice (2011) | ||
| Mateo Gil | nominated for Nobody Knows Anybody (1999) | nominated for Blackthorn (2011) |
| Daniel Monzón | nominated for Heart of the Warrior (2000) | nominated for Cell 211 (2009) |
| nominated for El Niño (2014) | ||
| Cesc Gay | nominated for Nico and Dani (2000) | nominated for In the City (2003) |
| nominated for Truman (2015) | ||
| Jaime Rosales | nominated for The Hours of the Day (2003) | won for Solitary Fragments (2007) |
| Pablo Berger | nominated for Torremolinos 73 (2003) | nominated for Blancanieves (2012) |
| Daniel Sánchez Arévalo | won for Dark Blue Almost Black (2006) | nominated for Family United (2013) |
| Juan Antonio Bayona | won for The Orphanage (2007) | won for The Impossible (2012) |
| won for A Monster Calls (2016) | ||
| won for Society of the Snow (2023) | ||
| Paula Ortiz | nominated for Chrysalis (2011) | nominated for The Bride (2015) |
| nominated for The Red Virgin (2024) | ||
| Rodrigo Sorogoyen | nominated for Stockholm (2013) | nominated for May God Save Us (2016) |
| won for The Realm (2018) | ||
| won for The Beasts (2022) | ||
| Salvador Calvo | nominated for 1898, Our Last Men in the Philippines (2016) | won for Adú (2020) |
| Carla Simón | won for Summer 1993 (2017) | nominated for Alcarràs (2022) |
| nominated for Romería (2025) | ||
| Arantxa Echevarría | won for Carmen & Lola (2018) | nominated for Undercover (2024) |
| Pilar Palomero | won for Schoolgirls (2020) | nominated for Motherhood (2022) |
| Alauda Ruiz de Azúa | won for Lullaby (2022) | won for Sundays (2025) |
References
- ↑ Mantilla, Daniel (18 July 2025). "La Academia de Cine cambia sus bases y clarifica la carrera del Goya a la Mejor Dirección novel". Kinótico.
- ↑ "Juan Antonio Bayona's 'A Monster Calls' Leads Goya Award Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. December 14, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ↑ Blanes, Pepa (December 13, 2017). "'Handia' y 'La librería', lidera las nominaciones a los Goya". Cadena SER (in Spanish). Retrieved December 13, 2017.
- ↑ "Todos los nominados a los Premios Goya 2019". El Mundo (in Spanish). December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
- ↑ Lang, Jamie (December 2, 2019). "'Pain and Glory,' 'While at War,' 'Endless Trench' Lead Goya Nominations". Variety. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- ↑ Belinchón, Gregorio (January 18, 2021). "'Adú', 'Akelarre' y 'Las niñas' lideran las nominaciones a los Goya 2021". El País. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ↑ "'El buen patrón' bate el récord histórico de los Goya con 20 nominaciones". RTVE (in Spanish). Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ↑ Gajewski, Ryan (12 February 2022). "Spain's Goya Awards: Javier Bardem's 'The Good Boss' Named Best Picture". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ "Nominaciones a los Premios Goya 2023, en directo: estos son los nominados". El Confidencial (in Spanish). 1 December 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
- ↑ "Nominaciones Premios Goya 2024: todas las películas y actores nominados, en directo". El Confidencial (in Spanish). 30 November 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ↑ Partearroyo, Daniel de (18 December 2024). "Premios Goya 2025: 'El 47' domina con 14 nominaciones, seguida de 'La infiltrada'". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
- ↑ "Premios Goya 2025 | Palmarés completo: todos los ganadores de la noche del histórico triunfo compartido de 'El 47' y 'La infiltrada'". Cinemanía. 9 February 2025 – via 20minutos.es.
- ↑ Matossian, Juan Claudio (13 January 2026). "Los domingos y Sirat lideran las nominaciones a los Premios Goya 2026". Vanity Fair.
