J.A. Bayona’s “Society Of The Snow” Named Best Feature at This Year’s Platino Awards

J.A. Bayona’s most recent project is still picking up awards…

Society Of The Snow, the Spanish filmmaker’s survival drama for Netflix, dominated the top honors at the eleventh Platino Awards on Saturday evening.

J.A. BayonaBayona’s Society Of The Snow closed last year’s Venice Film Festival. Based on the book of the same name by Pablo Vierci, first published in 2008, the film charts the story of the 45 people who, on October 13, 1972, boarded Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 from Montevideo to Chile. There were five crew members on board and 40 passengers, including 19 members of the Old Christians Club rugby team.

J.A. Bayona, La Sociedad De La Nieve, Society of the SnowTragedy struck when the pilot began his descent too early, crashing into the Andes and killing 12 immediately. The survivors clung to the belief that help was coming, but none did. After weeks of hunger, having exhausted everything in the plane’s hold, they were forced to do the unthinkable and eat the flesh of those who had died.

The story was told by Frank Marshall in the 1993 film Alive. The film was Spain’s pick for the Best International Feature Oscar race.

The Ibero-American award show took place this year at the El Gran Tlachco theater in Xcaret Park, Riviera Maya.

Bayona claimed the award for best director for Society Of The Snow, which won Best Feature.

20,000 Species Of Bees, the debut film by Basque filmmaker Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren won Best Screenplay and Best First Feature.

The film is set during a summer in a village house linked to beekeeping and follows an eight-year-old and her mother experiencing revelations that will change their lives forever.

Elsewhere, Robot Dreams won Best Animated Feature and Under Therapy by Gerardo Herrero took Best Comedy, capping off a good night for Spain in Mexico, with all main film awards bar Best Documentary (The Eternal Memory by Maite Alberdi of Chile) going to Spanish filmmakers.

Here’s the full list of 2024 Platinos winners:

Film
Best Fiction Film: Society of the Snow (Spain)
Best Fictional comedy: Bajo Terapia (Spain)
Best Director: J. A. Bayona (Spain)
Best Screenplay: Estibaliz Urresola for 20,000 Species of Bees (Spain)
Best original music: Alfonso de Vilallonga for Robot Dreams (Spain)
Best Male Performance: Enzo Vogrincic for Society of the Snow
Best Female Performance: Laia Costa for Un amor (Spain)
Best Supporting Male Performance: Jose Coronado for Cerrar los ojos (Spain)
Best Supporting Female Performance: Ana Gabarain for 20,000 Species of Bees (Spain)
Best Animated Film: Eagle and Jaguar: Robot Dreams (Spain)
Best documentary film: The Eternal Memory by Maite Alberdi (Chile)
Best Ibero-American first feature film: 20,000 Species Of Bees
Best Editing: Jaume Marti, Andres Gil for Society of the Snow (Spain)
Best Art Direction: Rodrigo Bazaes for El Conde (Chile)
Best Director of Photography: Pedro Luque for Society of the Snow (Spain)
Best Sound Direction: Oriol Tarragó, Marc Orts, Jorge Adrados for Society of the Snow (Spain)

Series
Best film miniseries or television series: Barrabrava
Best Male Performance: Andy Chango for El amor después del amor
Best female performance: Carmen Machi for Las Mesias
Best supporting male performance: Alfredo Castro for The Thousand Days of Allende
Best Supporting Female Performance: Lola Dueñas for Las Mesias
Best creator of a film miniseries or television series: Daniel Burman for Iosi, the Regretful Spy