My Prison Yard (Spanish: El patio de mi cárcel) is a 2008 Spanish prison drama film directed by Belén Macías. The female-dominated cast stars Candela Peña and Verónica Echegui alongside Ana Wagener, Blanca Portillo, Patricia Reyes Spíndola and Violeta Pérez.
My Prison Yard | |
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Spanish | El patio de mi cárcel |
Directed by | Belén Macías |
Screenplay by |
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Produced by | Esther García |
Starring |
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Cinematography | Joaquín Manchado |
Edited by | Alejandro Lázaro |
Music by | Juan Pablo Compaired |
Production companies |
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Release dates |
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Country | Spain |
Language | Spanish |
A prison drama set in the 1980s, the plot tracks a group of female inmates who create a theatre group with help from a female prison officer, Mar.[1][2]
An El Deseo and Warner Bros. Entertainment España production,[6] My Prison Yard began filming began on 8 October 2007.[7] Shooting lasted for 8 weeks, taking place in between the Madrid region and the province of Guadalajara.[8]
The film was presented on 22 September 2008 at the Kursaal as part of the main competition of the 56th San Sebastián International Film Festival (SSIFF).[9]
Irene Crespo of Cinemanía gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, considering that while not a promise of thematic renewal for Spanish cinema, the film seems to be a firm commitment to tell the social stories with renewed impetus.[10]
Jay Weissberg of Variety considered the film an "ultra-straight" drama, taking "the prize for most earnest and least self-aware women-in-prison film of the decade, if not longer", assessing that while never rising above TV movie material the female cast pulled solid and genuinely sympathetic performances.[4]
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
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2009 | 64th CEC Medals | Best Actress | Verónica Echegui | Nominated | [11][12] |
23rd Goya Awards | Best New Director | Belén Macías | Nominated | [13][14] | |
Goya Award for Best Actress | Verónica Echegui | Nominated | |||
Goya Award for Best New Actress | Ana Wagener | Nominated | |||
Goya Award for Best Original Song | "Podemos volar juntos"by Raul Sánchez Zafra, Juan Pablo Compaired | Nominated | |||
18th Actors and Actresses Union Awards | Best Film Actress in a Secondary Role | Ana Wagener | Won | [15][16] | |
Best Film Actress in a Minor Role | Natalia Mateo | Nominated | |||
Best New Actress | Violeta Pérez | Won |