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That Was Life
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Wikipedia article
'That Was Life' is a 2020 Spanish drama film directed and written by David Martn de los Santos. It stars Petra Martnez and Anna Castillo as two Spanish immigrants who form a friendship after meeting in a hospital in Belgium.
Plot
Mara and Vernica, two Spanish immigrants of different generations, meet in a hospital in Belgium where they form a friendship after an unexpected event, this leads Mara to embark on a journey of self discovery through the Spain she left many decades ago.
Cast
Production
The film began shooting in May 2019 in different locations of Spain in Almeria and Cabo de Gata, later in Ghent, Belgium. Santiago Racaj was the cinematographer and Javier Chavarra was the production designer, other credits include Tonucha Vidal (casting director), Eva Valio (sound) and Miguel Doblado (editing).
Release
The film was screened at the 17th Seville European Film Festival (SEFF), where it won the ASECAN award for Best Film and Best Actress for Petra Martnez. The film had to postpone its release in cinemas several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ultimately being scheduled to be released on December 10, 2021.
Critical reception
The performance of Martnez was met with acclaim, Demetrios Matheou from 'Screen International' wrote that "Martinez, well into her seventies when she shot this, gives a strong, minimalist performance". Writing for Cineuropa, Alfonso Rivera commented that "David Martn de los Santos makes his debut in fiction with a humble, emotional and intimate film, that supports its subtle theme over the experienced performance of the great Petra Martnez".
Accolades
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| align = "center" rowspan = "5" | 2021 || 27th Forqu Awards || Best Actress (film) || Petra Martnez || ||
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| rowspan = "4" | 34th ASECAN Awards || colspan = "2" | Best Film || || rowspan = "4" |
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| Best Director || David Martn de los Santos ||
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| Best Screenplay || David Martn de los Santos ||
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| Best Actress || Petra Martnez ||
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| align = "center" rowspan = "16" | 2022 || rowspan = "2" | 9th Feroz Awards || Best Actress (film) || Petra Martnez || || rowspan = "2" |
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| Best Supporting Actress (film) || Anna Castillo ||
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| rowspan = "8" | 1st Carmen Awards || Best Fiction Feature Film || La vida era eso AIE || || rowspan = "8" |
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| Best Screenplay || David Martn de los Santos ||
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| Best Production Supervision || Damin Paris ||
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| Best Actress || Petra Martnez ||
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| Best Original Song || Estrella Morente & Fernando Vacas ||
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| Best New Director || David Martn de los Santos ||
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| Best Editing || Miguel Doblado ||
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| Best Supporting Actress || Pilar Gmez ||
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| rowspan = "2" | 77th CEC Medals || Best New Director || David Martn de los Santos || || rowspan = "2" |
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| Best Actress || Petra Martnez ||
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| rowspan = "2" | 36th Goya Awards || Best Actress || Petra Martnez || || rowspan = "2" |
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| Best New Director || David Martn de los Santos ||
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| rowspan = "2" | 30th Actors and Actresses Union Awards || Best Film Actress in a Leading Role || Petra Martnez || || rowspan = "2" |
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| Best Film Actress in a Secondary Role || Anna Castillo ||
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See also
* List of Spanish films of 2021
References
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