The 29th Festival de Málaga presented the Biznaga de Honor to actress Natalia Oreiro at a gala held at the Cervantes Theatre on Thursday 13 March, in recognition of the extensive and versatile career of one of the most popular and best-loved figures in Latin American audiovisuals.

The ceremony was presented by actress Elisa Zulueta, who highlighted Oreiro's relevance as "a key performer in Latin American cinema and television, able to have shined for decades in all kinds of roles, genres and formats".

The event began with the screening of a video that reviewed the honoree's career, from her early works to her most recent projects. Oreiro’s career that has spanned film, television and music, establishing herself as a leading figure in the Spanish-speaking cultural scene since the 1990s.

Uruguayan by birth and Argentinian by adoption, Natalia Oreiro has built a career marked by her artistic versatility. As an actress, she has received three Cóndor de Plata awards, while as a singer she has sold more than ten million records, achieving notable international popularity in territories as diverse as Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Russia.

In addition to her acting and music, Oreiro has developed projects as a model, fashion designer and entrepreneur, as well as a television presenter, consolidating a multidisciplinary career that has made her one of the most influential artists of her generation.

At the Festival de Málaga, audiences will also be able to enjoy one of her most recent works, La mujer de la fila (The Woman in the Queue), confirming that the actress continues to explore new creative challenges.

During the gala, director Lorena Muñoz, casting director María Laura Berch and filmmaker Benjamín Ávila took to the stage to dedicate a few words to the honoree and recall different moments shared during their careers.

Muñoz summarised the actress's career with an emotional review of some of her characters: "Nati, with your acting many lives were possible. You invited us to your first wedding, you were a mother, you were crazy, almost dead and suffocated. You went camping, spent the night without a voice and was the first woman in the queue. I love you".

For her part, María Laura Berch highlighted Oreiro's commitment and sensitivity as a performer: "I have the enormous fortune of accompanying Natalia in her creative processes, and I never cease to be amazed by what I saw in her on the first day of Infancia clandestina (Clandestine Childhood): an immense love for her profession, and the sensitivity and honesty with which she works. She always raises the bar with a meticulous eye and with absolute respect for all of us behind the camera".

Director Benjamín Ávila also recalled his first professional meeting with the actress: "The first time we sat down to talk was at her house. I saw her reading the script with a very deep look, not only at the character, but also at the story. I realised that I was with a special person. You have the virtue of always leading us to be better".

After these speeches, Elisa Zulueta gave way to the highlight of the evening. Amidst the applause of the audience, Natalia Oreiro took the stage from the stalls of the Cervantes Theatre to collect the Biznaga of Honour of the 29th Festival de Málaga, visibly moved.

In her thank you speech, the actress shared a very personal memory linked to the city. "I just discovered that maybe I didn't want to be an actress, I wanted to be loved", she confessed with humour, before thanking those who accompanied her on stage and the directors she has worked with throughout her career.

Oreiro also recalled a childhood incident related to Málaga: "Forty years ago my family emigrated from Uruguay to Malaga in search of a better future, repeating the story that my grandparents had made from Galicia to Uruguay. These days, I went to Miraflores de los Ángeles and I met again the six-year-old girl I used to be. What happens to you in childhood marks you forever”.

The actress wanted to dedicate this recognition to this stage of her life: "Thank you to the Festival de Málaga for this recognition. Please know that you are not giving this award to the actress I am today, but to the child I was”.

With this recognition, the Festival de Málaga celebrates the career of a creator who has been able to connect with millions of spectators over a career spanning more than three decades, and who continues to expand her artistic universe with new projects in film, television and music.