Last Saturday, another Goya Awards ceremony took place in Granada, Spain, the most important awards in Spanish cinema. These awards have been given by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain since 1987. Eva Valiño, who has a history with Costa Rica, became one of the winners of the Goya for best sound for the film Segundo Premio.
She – who in 2024 won the Goya for best sound for the film Te doy mis ojos – stood out at the ceremony for her applauded speech on housing problems and evictions in Spain.
In her speech, Valiño dedicated the award to her sister Vanessa, who died last November from cancer. She stood out because “she worked all her life so that access to housing was not a privilege of a few.”
“Here and around the world we need governments that truly bet on people, that do not trade with human beings. Places are alive. No country, no city, no town, no jungle should become a shopping center, a luxury resort for a few. We all need places to live, to live healthy, to live together, to dream, enjoy and dance. Thank you!” she said in her heartfelt speech.
What is Eva’s connection with Costa Rica?
Eva, 55 years old and who studied Information Sciences and Performing Arts, has a special connection with Costa Rica. She worked here as an advertising creative for some years.
“She was creative and in an audio recording for a commercial she discovered her love for sound design,” said Marco Blanco, one of the founders of the JBQ agency, where she worked for about two years.
Later, Valiño traveled to New Orleans to study music and there he met Thomas Montgomery, professor emeritus of the Department of Hispanic Languages at Tulane University.
With him she began to translate, listen to and analyze film soundtracks from an acousmatic perspective. Valiño studied sound at the Film and Television School of San Antonio de los Baños and returned to Spain.
Casa Luisa Spanish food
But there are more stories of Valiño with Costa Rica. For many years his mother Luisa had a restaurant here known as Casa Luisa, located in Sabana Sur and where the menu was dedicated to Spanish food. Casa Luisa was for years the epicenter where personalities from politics and entertainment met. She retired from the business and returned to her homeland years ago.
