Pablo Berger’s twist on the Snow White fairytale won best picture at the Spanish Film Academy’s Goya Awards where Juan Antonio Bayona won best director for tsunami drama The Impossible.

Blancanieves won 10 awards on the night including best picture, best actress (Maribel Verdú), best new actress (Macarena García), best original script (Pablo Berger) and best cinematography (Kiko de la Rica).

The Impossible, the tsunami drama that has grossed almost $55m in Spain and more than $160m worldwide, picked up five Goyas, including best director for Bayona and prizes for technical achievements including sound, production design, editing and visual effects.

After receiving the award, Bayona gave his Goya to María Belón, whose story inspired The Impossible.

Animated feature Tad, the Explorer, which has made $24m at the Spanish box office, scored a hat trick with best animation feature, best new director for Enrique Gato and best adapted script.

There was some expectation that the show may feature criticism of the government, as Spain continues to experience both a political and economic crisis. But aside from a few jokes, the ceremony remained free of controversy.

However, in his speech, the president of the Academy, producer, distributor and exhibitor Enrique González Macho strongly criticized the VAT rise on cinema tickets (from 8% to 21%) and piracy as well as the cuts and uncertain future facing public broadcaster TVE – Spanish cinema’s strongest supporter.

Other winners during the night included veteran actor José Sacristán, a key figure in the 70s and 80s, who won as best actor for Javier Rebollo’s The Dead Man and Being Happy, in which he portrays a former serial killer with cancer who travels in Argentina.

Despite garnering 16 nominations, thriller Unit 7 left with just two awards, including best actor in a supporting role for Julián Villagrán and best new actor for Joaquín Núñez.

Concha Velasco, a legend of Spanish showbusiness with hundreds of films, TV shows and records, received the honorary Goya.

Full list of winners

Film
Blancanieves

Director
Juan Antonio Bayona for The Impossible

Actor
Jose Sacristan for The Dead Man and Being Happy

Actress
Maribel Verdu for Blancanieves

Original Screenplay
Pablo Berger for Blancanieves

Adapted Screenplay
Javier Barreira, Gorka Magallon, Ignacio del Moral, Jordi Gasull and Neil Landau for Tad, the Lost Explorer

Supporting Actor
Julian Villagran for Grupo 7

Supporting Actress
Candela Pena for Una Pistola en Cada Mano

Honorary Goya
Concha Velasco

Production Design
Sandra Hermida Muniz for The Impossible

Artistic Director
Alain Bainee For Blancanieves

Photography
Kiko de la Rica for Blancanieves

Special Effects
Pau Costa and Felix Berges for The Impossible

Wardrobe
Paco Delgado for Blancanieves

Editing
Bernat Vilaplano and Elena Ruiz for The Impossible

Sound
Peter Glossop, Marc Orts, Oriol Tarrago for The Impossible

Original Score
Alfonso Villalonga for Blancanieves

Original Song
No Te Puedo Encontrar from Blancanieves

New Actor
Joaquin Nunez for Grupo 7

Makeup and Hair
Sylvie Imbert and Fermin Galan for Blancanieves

New Actress
Macarena Garcia for Blancanieves

New Director
Enrique Gato for Tad, the Lost Explorer

Animated Feature Film
The Adventures of Tadeo Jones

Documentary Film
Sons of the Clouds, The Last Colony

European Film
Untouchable (France)

Ibero-American Film
Juan de los Muertos (Cuba)

Animated Short
Jaime Maestro for El Vendedor de Humo

Fiction Short
Esteban Crespo Garcia for Aquel no Era Yo

Documentary Short
Sergio Oksman for A Story for the Modlins

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