Javier Bardem and Ryan Reynolds Compete For Goya Awards

The Goya Awards, Spain's equivalent to the Academy Awards, announced the nominees Tuesday and some familiar faces from this side of the Atlantic made the cut for the best in Spanish Cinema for 2010.

Four films captured most of the nominations.  Balada triste de trompeta (A Sad Trumpet Ballad) by director Álex de La Iglesia, President of the Spanish Film Academy, will be the one to beat with fifteen nominations. Ician Bollain's political drama Tambien la lluvia (Even the Rain) starring Gael Garcia Bernal trailed behind with fourteen while Rodrigo Cortés' English-language film, Buried (Enterrado) with Ryan Reynolds, earned ten.  Alejandro Gonzales Iñarritu's Biutiful with Javier Bardem garnered eight Goya nominations.

Javier Bardem along with Canadian-born Ryan Reynolds (The Proposal, The Green Lantern) will be competing for the Best Actor award along with Gael Garcia Bernal's co-star Luis Tosar from Tambien la lluvia.  Gael Garcia Bernal was left out of the category.  Javier Bardem's heartfelt portrayal of Biutiful's troubled protagonist makes him a favorite in the category.  If Javier takes the prize, this will be his fifth Goya Award.  The Academy Award winner previously won the Goya for The Sea Inside (Mar Adentro), Mondays in the Sun, Mouth to Mouth (Boca a Boca) as Best Actor and a Supporting Actor Goya for Running Out of Time (Días contados).  Many predict Javier Bardem will also be up for his third Academy Award nomination for Biutiful.

Biutiful director Alejandro Gonzales Iñarritu received 8 nominations for his Spanish co-production but failed to capture the Best Picture and Best Director. The Mexican native did receive a nomination for Original Screenplay along with his co-writers Nicolás Giacobone and Armando Bo.  Biutiful is also up for Cinematography (Rodrigo Prieto), Art Direction, Original Score by Oscar winner Gustavo Santolalla, Editing, and Best Song.

Ironically, Alejandro Gonzales Iñarritu was initially set to direct his Amores Perros and Babel star Gael Garcia Bernal in Tambien la lluvia but the Babel and 21 Grams director left the project to helm Biutiful instead.  Biutiful and Tambien la lluvia will be competing in many of the same categories for a Goya award but the competition also extends to the United States as both films have been submitted to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for consideration in Best Foreign Language Film for the Oscars.  Biutiful, a co-production between Spain and Mexico was submitted by Mexico as their officilal entry into the Foreign Language category while Spain selected También La Lluvia to represent them for the Oscars.

Movie Clip:  Gael Garcia Bernal in También La Lluvia

The acclaimed movies will be released in the United States in the next few weeks.  Biutiful opens January 28th while Tambien la lluvia is set for a limited release on February 11th.  

The Spanish Film Academy will award the Goya winners at Los Premios Goya February 23.

See a complete list of Goya nominees