MIAMI, United States.-The Cuban actor Ruben Cortada was awarded this Sunday with the Luz Prize during the 50th edition of the Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival. This award recognizes him as one of the emerging talents of Ibero-American audiovisual production and applauds his participation in outstanding serial productions in Spain and Latin America.
The ceremony took place at the Gran Teatro de Huelva, where the performer joined other figures honored in this edition, such as Paz Vega and María León, according to reports the Efe agency.
“It is an honor to receive this award for my work, it is a gift that Huelva gives me, a city that I have been in love with since filming Operation English Quarter”Cortada said upon receiving the recognition.
Prior to the award ceremony, the actor participated in the “Encounters” space, where he reflected on his career and dedicated the award to his colleagues: “I give my all to try to be an actor, and I receive this award with a lot of responsibility for the profession.” and for my colleagues,” he stated.
Likewise, the performer, who started in Spain as a model, highlighted that his efforts are aimed at improving his technique. ““I am in the process of becoming a better actor, convinced that the only way to earn respect is to work and learn.”
Cortada shared how his love for acting was born, inspired by films like tremulous flesh ,Memories of Underdevelopment and Strawberry and Chocolate: “A thorn stuck in me,” he confessed. Furthermore, he highlighted the role of cinema as a mirror of society: “Cinema is the reflection of society, through cinema I can see local stories from distant places. It is the flow of blood to both sides.”
With this recognition, at 40 years old Rubén Cortada consolidates his position as one of the most promising figures on the Ibero-American audiovisual scene.
Rubén’s story: from Cuba to Spain
The artist was born in 1984 in Isla de la Juventud and began practicing sports since he was little, however it was not to the tennis courts where he directed his future. Cortada was finishing his degree as an engineer when he decided to emigrate to Spain. There she worked as a model for the first few years. Little by little, he became known and collaborated with brands such as Guess, Custo Barcelona and with Jean Paul Gaultier. At the same time, he distributed flyers and worked in other jobs like any migrant.
However, his aspiration was to be able to act professionally. He had already begun to take his first steps in acting in Cuba with a theater group for amateur actors, directed by Humberto Rodríguez. On the island he acted in two productions and longed to develop in Spain, but Rubén did not expect that his accent would be the main obstacle to his career.
It was not until 2011 when he got his first role on Iberian soil. was in the series Shoulder strap and two years later in The time between seamsalthough with small roles. I was still struggling to speak less “Cuban.” His origin earned him a “no” in several castings, such as in the television adaptation of the novel The queen of the south.
In 2014 came the biggest opportunity of his career up to that point. He was chosen for a leading role in the police series The Princewhere he played Faruq Ben Barek, a dangerous drug trafficker of Arab origin. With this role Rubén occupied the covers of the main Spanish spaces.
