Laia Costa
Laia Costa Bertrán () (born February 18, 1985) is a Spanish actress who has worked in Spain, Russia, Germany, Argentina, Italy, United Kingdom and the United States. Life and career. Costa was born in Barcelona, Spain. Costa obtained a degree in advertising, public relations, and marketing at the Blanquerna-Ramon Llull University's School of Communication and International Relations. She speaks fluent Catalan, Spanish, French, and English. She starred in the critically acclaimed 2015 film "Victoria", which was almost entirely improvised by the actors; the 134-minute film was shot in a single take. Costa won the Lola for  Best Actress and was nominated for a European Film Awards for Best European Actress. Her performance also garnered her a nomination for the prestigious BAFTA EE Rising Star Award. Costa starred alongside Nicholas Hoult in Drake Doremus' "Newness" (Sundance Film Festival 2017). In addition to co-starring with Mia Wasikowska and Christopher Abbott in Nicolas Pesce's "Piercing" (Sundance Film Festival 2018), she is the lead of two films which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival 2018, Miguel Arteta's "Duck Butter" with Alia Shawkat and "Maine" with Thomas Mann. Also in 2018, Costa co-starred in Amazon/Dan Fogelman 's drama film "Life Itself" with Oscar Isaac and Antonio Banderas. Costa starred alongside Josh O'Connor in Harry Wootliff's critically acclaimed directorial debut "Only You", which premiered in competition at The London Film Festival, on 19 October 2018. "The New York Times" includes her in 2015’s "Breakthrough Performances of the Fall Season". She filmed the international co-produced Italian English language television series "Devils" co-starring along Patrick Dempsey based on the international bestseller novel of the same name by Guido Maria Brera. She also starred in "Cites", the Catalan remake of the British TV series "Dates", and  Polseres Vermelles, winner of the International Emmy Award for Best Kids TV Series, adapted by Steven Spielberg for North America as "Red Band Society". Costa returned to the Berlinale to premiere "Lullaby" by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, which premiered in the Panorama section on February 11, 2022. Subsequently, the film premiered at the Malaga Film Festival on March 20, 2022, where it was the grand winner of the edition with the Golden Biznaga for Best Spanish Film, the Silver Biznaga for Best Screenplay, and the Silver Biznaga for Best Female Performance for Costa and Susi Sánchez.