"The Spanish Film Academy's problem with Almodóvar is starting to look personal", wrote PdS Blog a week ago. Well, it's only dinner party chat material really, but this arrived today from the El Deseo press office: Debido a los crecientes rumores, queremos confirmar desde EL DESEO que tanto Agustín como Pedro Almodóvar solicitaron su baja definitiva de la Academia de las Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas de España a finales de diciembre de 2004. (Pedro and his producer brother Agustín have resigned from the Academy.) El motivo fundamental es el desacuerdo con el sistema de votación, así como otros aspectos que rigen el funcionamiento de la Academia, tales como la falta de información en cuanto a número de participantes en las distintas votaciones. (Because they don't agree with the Academy's voting system and "other aspects" of the way the Academy is run.)

So basically Spain's greatest living film director is no longer a member of the Spanish Film Academy. Habitually snubbed by them down the years during the Goya Awards, Almodóvar didn't win anything for La mala educacíon last week - and if this latest news explains that, or if that explains this latest news, then things are in a sorry state indeed. You heard it here first (in English, at least.)
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