Scandal-hit Narco-Musical ‘Emilia Perez’ Wins Spanish Film Prize

AFP/APP

Granada, Spain: Narco-musical Emilia Perez won Best European Film at Spain’s equivalent of the Oscars on Saturday, despite a backlash triggered by social media posts from its star in the middle of awards season.

The mostly Spanish-language musical tells the story of a Mexican drug cartel boss who transitions to life as a woman and turns her back on crime.

Before the scandal broke, the film earned 13 Oscar nods, picked up four Golden Globes in January, and won multiple prizes at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. However, old social media posts by star Karla Sofia Gascon, in which she denigrated Islam, China, and African American George Floyd, sparked controversy and damaged both her reputation and the film.

Voting for the Goya Awards closed on January 24, just days before the posts resurfaced.

Spaniard Gascon, the first transgender woman nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress, has apologized for her past remarks and distanced herself from the film’s publicity. She resides near Madrid but did not attend the Goya Awards ceremony in Granada.

The movie’s French director, Jacques Audiard, has condemned the posts as “inexcusable” and “absolutely hateful.”