Laia Ateca from Andorra triumphed at the 40th Goya Awards for her work on Oliver Laxe's Sirat, dedicating

Andorran art director Laia Ateca won the Goya Award for best production design for her work on Oliver Laxe's *Sirat* at the 40th Goya Awards, held Saturday at Barcelona's Auditori Fòrum in the CCIB. Hailing from Sant Julià de Lòria, she triumphed over nominees Juan Pedro de Gaspar (*El cautivo*), Koldo Vallés (*La cena*), Pepe Domínguez del Olmo (*Los Tigres*), and Mikel Serrano (*Maspalomas*), becoming only the second woman to claim the prize since Ana Alvargonzález for *Pa negre* in 2011.

In her acceptance speech, Ateca dedicated the award to women in the industry: those who opened doors without recognition, those who sustain art departments, and those yet to come. She also thanked her art team colleagues. Before the ceremony, Ateca had voiced reservations about the jury's preferences, warning that interventionist period designs like *El cautivo* often appeal more than the subtle naturalism needed for modern films such as *Sirat*.

The win bolstered *Sirat*'s impressive awards run, following victories for production design at the European Film Awards on 17 January and the Catalan Gaudí Awards on 9 February. The film secured six of its 11 to 13 nominations at the Goyas, sweeping technical categories: original music (Kangding Ray), production management (Oriol Maymó), cinematography (Mauro Herce), editing (Cristóbal Fernández), and sound (Amanda Villavieja, Laia Casanovas, Yasmina Praderas).

Starring Sergi López, *Sirat* represents Spain in the best international feature race at the Oscars on 15 March, competing against *The Secret Agent* (Brazil), *It Was Just an Accident* (France), *Sentimental Value* (Norway), and *The Voice of Hind Rajab* (Tunisia). It is also nominated for best sound.

*Los Domingos* dominated the evening with five awards, including best film, direction, and original screenplay for Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, plus lead actress (Patricia López Arnaiz) and supporting actress (Nagore Aranburu). The gala highlighted global issues from Gaza to gender violence and championed underrepresented groups. Ateca's success underscores Andorra's rising profile in cinema beyond Catalan borders.