Pedro Almodóvar defends freedom of creation when receiving tribute at the Toronto Festival

The Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar collected one of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Tribute Awards on Sunday night with an emotional speech in English in which he defended freedom, both creative and personal, and shared the award with Iranian filmmaker Ali Ahmadzadeh.

“I would like to share this award with the Iranian director Ali Ahmadzadeh whose latest film, ‘Critical Zone’, has just won the Palme d’Or at the Locarno Festival. This director cannot leave his country. Unfortunately there are countries in which directors are imprisoned and cannot make the films they would like to make.”said Almodovar.

“All my work has been born from the absence of censorship, both legal and personal. And I would like to dedicate this award to all those colleagues who have suffered and at the same time send them a message of support.”added Almodóvar to the applause of the audience attending the ceremony, including director Spike Lee and actors Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette.

Hawke is the protagonist along with Chilean Pedro Pascual in Almodóvar’s latest film, the short “Strange Way of Life,” which is being screened this year at the Toronto Film Festival. The exhibition, one of the most important in the world, began on September 7 and will end on September 17.

TIFF has awarded Almodóvar in recognition of the “profound impact” that his filmography has had on society thanks to “his artistic vision, daring narrative and unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of cinema.”

The director was grateful for the award, pointing out that it is an honor to think that his work “has helped people and allowed society to be more fair, permissive, plural and free. “I never dreamed so much.”

Almodóvar, winner of two Oscars, one for Best Foreign Film for “All About My Mother” in 1999 and another for Best Original Screenplay for “Hable Con Ella” in 2002, referred in his speech to his life at the end of the dictatorship of General Franco and the beginning of democracy in Spain.

“I am proof that the change that occurred in my country was real. It was an indescribable experience for someone so young to suddenly have access to so much freedom. Not only to live but also to create. In those years I was born as a film director,” he said in reference to the years of the democratic transition.

And he added: “One needs to live in a free society but one also has to choose to work in freedom. “That was what I aspired to.”

“Making movies is a difficult job but a great adventure. It doesn’t matter what kind of movies are made. Doing them in freedom and total independence, without market considerations has never been a problem for me. “It’s my nature,” explained the director.

Almodóvar ended by remembering the Hollywood actors’ strike. “I hope they find a solution for everyone,” he said.

At the Tribute Awards ceremony, TIFF also honored directors Spike Lee (USA), Carolina Markowicz (Brazil), Lukasz Zal (Poland) and Shawn Levy (Canada) on Sunday night, as well as actors Patricia Arquette, Colman Domingo, Vicky Krieps and Andy Lau.

With information from EFE