In recent years, Wikimedia Spain has had the opportunity to attend the Goya Awards, a key event in the Spanish film industry. This participation has not only served to enrich our projects but has also allowed us to make more women in film visible and strengthen our mission to promote free access to knowledge.
Accordingly, we conducted an interview with Pedro Pacheco, former member of the Board of Directors and photography lover, to tell us about his experience.
Wikimedia Spain’s presence at the Goya Awards
It all started in 2018 during Santiago Navarro’s presidency of Wikimedia Spain. The management of Florencia Claes, former president, and her contact with the media, made it possible to obtain accreditations to attend the Goya Awards.
Although professional photographer Rubén Ortega, a former member of Wikimedia Spain, initially attended that year’s edition, it was in 2019 when Pedro Pacheco began to attend the galas on a regular basis. Since then, he has participated in five editions, except for those of 2021 and 2022.
The presence of Wikimedia Spain in these awards has been an invaluable opportunity to complete the repository of images in Wikimedia Commons, a key space for free knowledge. The photos of film artists, often unknown or of low quality, now enrich the Wikimedia projects, making them available to everyone.
More than an image: a commitment to visibility and equality
Beyond capturing a photo, it also highlights the impact it has on the representation of women in film. Pacheco indicates that, in recent years, he has seen an increase in the visibility of women nominated and awarded prizes, which is breaking with historical stereotypes about film as a largely male industry. ‘Step by step, the myth that film at a technical level is a male thing is being broken. In these few years, we have seen that the number of female nominees and award winners is increasing,’ Pacheco points out.
In this way, we are aware that photographic work not only documents but also contributes to changing the gender narrative in the cultural sphere.
Behind the photos and the challenges they face
The process of capturing at the Goya Awards is not easy. Pedro tells us that one prepares oneself beforehand with a list of nominations and artists whose photo needs to be updated, but once on the red carpet, everything changes. ‘When it comes down to it, all that preparation is of little use, as the red carpet is a constant whirlwind of people for four hours, without much time to think.
To get the best pictures, two cameras with different lenses are used, depending on whether it is one person or a group. However, the real work begins after the gala, when each person photographed has to be identified, colours have to be adjusted and images retouched. This work can take Pedro weeks to complete, and often requires great skill and patience.
The emotions and unique moments that are experienced during the night of the Goya Awards, as well as the sincerity and emotion of each artist, make all the effort worthwhile. ‘This year my most emotional moment was with Salva Reina, who is a very nice, natural and dedicated guy, who was visibly moved. With that, one forgets the backache of carrying two cameras for the 8 hours that it all lasts’, Pedro expresses with emotion.
The value of images for Wikimedia and free knowledge
The images taken at the Goya Awards are undoubtedly a key part of the enrichment of Wikipedia articles. At Wikimedia Spain, we believe that photos are an important tool, but that they only have real value when they are supported by detailed articles in Wikipedia and items in Wikidata, providing context and knowledge to those who consult them.
In addition, this work also contributes to Wikimedia’s overall goal of promoting open access to knowledge. Free licenses, such as Creative Commons, allow these photos to be freely used, shared and distributed, ensuring that knowledge is accessible to everyone.
Despite the difficulties in convincing some photographers of the importance of these licences, Wikimedia Spain continues to work so that more and more people understand the value of sharing their photos freely. ‘Fortunately, the communication work of Wikimedia Spain and other chapters is gradually winning this battle’, says our interviewee.
We invite you to share knowledge
In short, Wikimedia Spain’s participation in the Goya Awards has not only been an opportunity to enrich our projects with high quality images, but also a way to promote gender equality in film and give visibility to the contributions of women in the industry. Pedro encourages and calls for participation: ‘I would encourage people who love photography and who practice it in an amateur way, to share their work on Wikimedia Commons’.
Likewise, from Wikimedia Spain, we encourage every lover of photography, both amateur and professional, to share their work on Wikimedia Commons to continue building a free, accessible and diverse knowledge. Each captured photo is a collective effort that makes possible free access and the creation of knowledge for the world.
If you want to know the impact of these photographs on Wikimedia projects, you can see the results obtained here, such as the number of uses, articles covered, among other data. Visit the Category Wikimedia Commons.
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