Andorran designer Guirao nominated for Best Costume at Gaudí Awards

Andorran costume designer Désirée Guirao, alongside Angélica Muñoz, has received a Best Costume nomination at the 18th Gaudí Awards for their work on *Sorda*, directed by Eva Libertad and starring Miriam Garlo and Álvaro Cervantes. The film earned ten nominations in total, positioning it among the top contenders alongside *Romería*—which leads with the most nods for Carla Simón's drama about a 1990s Galicia drug plague—and *Sirât*, Oliver Laxe's Cannes Jury Prize winner with 12 nominations and Spain's Oscar entry.

Guirao, who has called Andorra la Vella home for 20 years, described costumes as a core narrative element. Wardrobe reveals characters' emotions, backgrounds, social status, and personalities, often more powerfully than words. For *Sorda*, set in contemporary rural Murcia amid fields and orchards, the designers chose natural fabrics in greens, blues, and earth tones to blend seamlessly with the environment. Turquoise details nodded subtly to the deaf community, while aged, lived-in garments ensured realism—"a second skin" rather than costumes, as Guirao put it. "The less noticeable the wardrobe, the better it integrates," she said.

The film's modest budget required a tight process: script analysis led to a proposal dossier for the director, followed by sourcing and actor fittings during a short shoot. *Sorda* premiered at the Berlinale in February, later winning the Golden Biznaga for Best Film at the Málaga Festival.

Guirao's career began as a costume assistant on J.A. Bayona's *El Orfanato* (2007). Highlights include *Red Lights* (2012) with Robert De Niro and Sigourney Weaver, *Vulcania* (2015), *La hija de un ladrón* (2019)—a prior Gaudí nominee—and *Mamífera* and *Esmorza amb ti*, the latter also nominated this year. Her TV credits feature *Maricón Perdido*, with ad work for Nike, Coca-Cola, San Miguel, and Heineken. She and Muñoz are currently designing for Netflix's *El mapa de los anhelos*. Locally, Guirao judged at the Ull Nu Festival.

Another Andorran, Laia Ateca, earned a production design nod for *Sirât*, following her prior win for *Polvo serán*. Her competitors include designs from *Sorda*, *Frontera*, and *Romería*. The ceremony takes place on 8 February 2026 at Barcelona's Gran Teatre del Liceu.