NEW YORK – In a tribute to his career at New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Penelope cruz recalls the Betamax videotape store which opened in her neighborhood, in the suburbs of Madrid, when she was a child and which introduced her to the cinema.

This is where she rented all the films of the Spanish director Pedro Almodovar, she said.

“I watched and laughed, cried and learned,” she said at a star-studded benefit party Tuesday night at the museum. “I wouldn’t be here tonight, honored by the MoMa, if I hadn’t had the privilege of working with brilliant directors who inspired me, taught me, helped me grow as an artist and as a person. . I want to thank them all tonight, and especially my Pedro. “

This recognition comes a decade after the museum paid the same tribute to Almodóvar, who worked with Cruz in seven films. The director’s latest film, “Parallel Mothers”, starring Cruz, is released in the US on December 24. On Monday, he received two Golden Globe nominations.

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An exciting moment of the night was when Almodóvar sent a video message to Cruz, congratulating her on the recognition.

He recalled in the video a dialogue with the actress they had during the promotion of “All About My Mother” (1999).

“You told me that when I’m old you’ll take care of me. I’m not that old yet, but I hope you keep your word,” he said, causing the audience to laugh. “When I’m an old man, I hope you come and become, in this case, my mother. It would be a reflection of all the mothers that you have been to me throughout those seven films.”

Among those who paid tribute to the Spanish actress at the film’s annual benefit party was Anne Hathaway, Diane Kruger and Rebecca Hall. Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, Spanish singer Rosalía and fashion designer Zac Posen also didn’t miss the event.

The benefit included clips from some of Cruz’s many films: “Broken Embraces” (2009), “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (2008) and “Volver” (2006), among others. Cruz won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”.

Hathaway remembered this moment on Tuesday’s red carpet.

“I went upstairs to congratulate her and, I don’t know if it was her sisters or her friends, but two beautiful women came down from the upper balcony and they were so happy for her,” Hathaway said. “And I have women like that in my life, and I was so happy to see her, you know, the genuine joy that the women in her life felt for her.”

The service has been presented since 2011 by Chanel. Cruz, who wore a long red V-shaped Chanel dress with open back, has been the fashion house’s ambassador since 2018.

The MoMA Benefit Film raises funds to bring great cinematographic works to the museum’s collection. The museum’s cinema department includes more than 30,000 films and 1.5 million film images.

Cruz joins a group of former MoMA laureates which includes Martin Scorsese, Tom Hanks, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett, Quentin Tarantino, George Clooney and others.

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