SAG-AFTRA, the world’s largest actor and media artist union, was among those honored at the 32nd Union of Actors and Actresses Awards in Madrid on March 11. The annual event is hosted by the Spanish actors union, the Unión de Actores y Actrices.
SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director & Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland attended the ceremony on the union’s behalf and accepted the “Premio Especial” Award. The Premio Especial is the highest honor given by the Spanish actors union, recognizing individuals and organizations that reflect “spirit and dedication toward the acting profession and community.”
Unión de Actores previously announced the honor in a Feb. 19 press release. In the announcement, SAG-AFTRA was praised for its longstanding commitment to actors and resilience during its TV/Theatrical/Streaming strike in 2023.
Said Crabtree-Ireland, “Last year witnessed one of the toughest battles our industry has ever faced, and we were able to come together and say, ‘Enough.’
Our strike actions rewrote the rules for how technology and artificial intelligence protections can be achieved, and we reaffirmed the indispensable role that human art plays in the world of entertainment and storytelling.
“This award belongs to each of our SAG-AFTRA union members who walked and raised their voices,” he said. The Unión de Actores y Actrices is the professional and independent union for film, television and theater actors in Spain. It currently has 2,630 members.
This item originally featured in the SAG-AFTRA summer 2024 magazine issue.