The presence of Spaniards at the Oscars was extremely limited. In addition to Oliver Laxe and the team of his film Sirat, which did not win any of the two statues it was nominated for, on the red carpet we could see actors Javier Bardem, Arón Piper and Manu Ríos. It was, however, someone we did not see who drew the most comments about his presence in Los Angeles: the Government’s second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour, Yolanda Díaz.
Although no images of her presence in the hub of cinema surfaced, though we know she chose a dress from the Galician brand Purificación García, Yolanda Díaz merely stated to the EFE agency that she had traveled “to support Spanish cinema”. The succinct phrase summed up the reason for her presence at the Oscar ceremony. A ceremony to which she was invited by Oliver Laxe himself, with whom she has had a close friendship for a long time. Both are great lovers of culture and share Galician origins. She was born in La Coruña and he moved to Galicia at the age of six after being born in Paris.
“Yes, Yolanda has come; I think it’s a super beautiful, important gesture,” were the affectionate words of the director of Sirat about the minister’s presence in Los Angeles. Yolanda Díaz was not the only companion of Oliver Laxe at the Oscars, as José López Campos, the Culture Councillor of the Xunta de Galicia, also traveled there, although his presence drew less attention.
From Yolanda Díaz’s team they have justified this trip, which lasted all of the past weekend, as “an official trip.” In statements gathered by El Mundo, this source notes that “she attended as Spain’s representative at the most important cinema gala, in which a Spanish film was nominated,” they continue. And they add that this fact is nothing out of the ordinary, since “when Almodóvar was nominated it was Rodrigo Rato and when José Luis Garci was nominated it was Mariano Rajoy.”
Yolanda Díaz and the details of her trip to the Oscars
Beyond the justification of her presence at the Oscars, we already know several details of what happened in the hours Yolanda Díaz and Oliver Laxe spent together in the United States. The newspaper ABC has published that the minister flew in business class accompanied by a bodyguard and a member of her team. It has not been disclosed where she stayed or which places she visited, for security reasons. From the program En boca de todos, Nacho Abad estimated the total cost of the trip at “about 60,000 euros”.
Oliver Laxe on the red carpet at the 2026 Oscars.
Yolanda Díaz met with the entire delegation of Spanish nominees in the Californian city and then attended the ceremony. “She didn’t go to the red carpet, because that area only accommodates the nominees and a few guests. It is not like the Goyas where everyone goes,” we read in ABC. Both she and Oliver Laxe were unfortunately unable to celebrate any prize, since Sirat did not win in either the Best International Feature Film category or the Best Sound category.
Regarding Yolanda Díaz’s whereabouts after the ceremony, there are also unanswered questions. It drew a lot of attention that she did not attend the post-Oscars party organized by Oliver Laxe’s film, which had come to show support. Her absence at the event was confirmed by Ana Rosa Quintana’s program. “I don’t know if there are endless parties after the Oscar gala, I don’t know if she opted to go to another one, but at the Sirat party, which indeed was where everyone else was, there were other politicians,” Rosa Conde, the Telecinco morning show’s correspondent, certified.
The Yolanda Díaz and Oliver Laxe selfie in Cannes
In her usually very active social media, Yolanda Díaz did not post images of her trip to the Oscars this time. She did, however, do so last summer when she also supported Oliver Laxe and Sirat at the glamorous French festival of Cannes. On that occasion the minister shared a lovely portrait of both and did pose on the red carpet on the Croisette.
“Happy to accompany Oliver Laxe to the screening of Sirat in Cannes,” Yolanda Díaz wrote then in words dedicated to the filmmaker. “Best wishes for the film, with which Galician cinema is present in the Official Selection of the world’s premier festival. You represent the best of our culture,” added the politician, who surprised with a look consisting of a red dress that left almost all of her back exposed.
