Pedro Almodóvar Denounces Europe’s “Barbarous” Anti-Immigration Laws

Legendary Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar received a hero’s welcome at the San Sebastian Film Festival where he arrived this morning to speak with the press before receiving the festival’s honorary Donostia Award for career achievement. 

Almodóvar was accompanied by British actress Tilda Swinton.The maverick filmmaker will present their latest collaboration The Room Next Door as part of the Donostia Award celebrations this evening. 

The press conference room was packed — which isn’t common at San Sebastian — and Almodóvar was swarmed by journalists who rushed to snap his picture. He was even presented with a handmade gift by one of the reporters in the room. 

This evening’s Donostia ceremony coincides with Almodóvar’s 75th birthday and is headline news in Spain. Pedro Sánchez, the country’s President, will even attend the ceremony. Almodóvar was asked by one of the journalists in the room this morning if he had remarks prepared to challenge Sánchez. The All About My Mother filmmaker dodged the direct question about addressing Sánchez but used the question to provide a lengthy and eloquent assessment of Spain and Europe’s approach to immigration. 

“Spain is a big country and many regions are empty. It’s barbarous and deeply stupid that a young kid could be described as ‘invading’ Spain. It makes no sense at all,” Almodóvar said. “It’s enormously unjust. My film is about opening your arms and welcoming people, which is something we should apply to all.” 

Almodóvar continued: “Immigrants should be welcomed. They would make our country. We are a generation where the average age is old. We need new blood. It would rejuvenate Spain. And there are several problems that would be solved at the same time. All of this is in my film.”

Almodóvar ended by saying: “The message that has been in all my films is freedom.”

Elsewhere during the session, Almodóvar was asked by several journalists about how he has managed to stay relevant with young audiences and tapped into the Gen X zeitgeist. The Golden Lion-winning filmmaker said his popularity with younger audiences is a “surprise” but he believes streamers may have something to do with it. 

“I want to thank the platforms. Through the platforms, people have been able to see my work and connect with it. It surprises me enormously,” he said. 

“My films always have a set audience that is LGBT, who are faithful. But then there are other people, young people, who feel the same emotions as the audiences back in the 90s. The passing of time in cinema is harsh. But time has enriched me and the stories I used to tell, so I feel very fortunate.” 

Swinton chalked Almodóvar’s enduring popularity up to his “dauntless passion and desire and belief in cinema.” 

“There will always be a whole new generation looking for Pedro,” she said. “What they will find in Pedro’s cinema is a young spirit.” 

Swinton added: “Pedro forever, frankly.”

Almodóvar arrives back home in Spain after clinching the Golden Lion at last month’s Venice Film Festival with The Room Next Door. The pic marked his English-language debut.

Swinton stars with Julianne Moore. In the film, Moore stars as Ingrid, a best-selling writer who rekindles a relationship with her friend Martha, a war journalist played by Swinton. The two women immerse themselves in their pasts, but Martha has a request that will test their newly strengthened bond. The pic is a reteam for Almodóvar and Swinton, who starred in his first English-language short, 2020’s The Human Voice, which similarly debuted in Venice. Also featured in the cast are Alessandro Nivola, Juan Diego Botto, Raúl Arévalo, Melina Mathews, and Victoria Luengo.

San Sebastian runs until September 28.