Sofía Otero Labrador (born 31 March 2013) is a Spanish

child actress The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in movies. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated te ...

, who played a starring role in her film debut in ''

20,000 Species of Bees ''20,000 Species of Bees'' () is a 2023 Spanish Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren in her debut feature. It stars Sofía Otero, Patricia López Arnaiz, Ane Gabarain, and Itziar Lazkano. ...

''. The film won her the 2023 Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance at the

73rd Berlin International Film Festival The 73rd annual Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale (), took place from 16 to 26 February 2023. It was the first completely in-person Berlinale since 70th Berlin International Film Festival, the 70th in 2020. The fe ...

, becoming the youngest person to win the award.

Biography

Otero was born 31 March 2013 in

Barakaldo Barakaldo (; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality located in the Biscay province in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country in Spain. Located on the Left Bank (Biscay), Left Bank of the Estuary of Bilbao, the city is pa ...

and lives in

Basauri Basauri is a major municipality of Biscay, in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, an Autonomous Community in northern Spain. The town is a part of the Greater Bilbao conurbation, being only a few kilometers south of Bilbao. ...

, Spain. She made her film debut when director

Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren (born 4 May 1984) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter, and producer. She has won awards for ''Voces de papel'' (2016), a Documentary film, documentary, and (2022), a short film, while her first feature film, ...

cast her as the protagonist for ''

'' after auditioning 500 girls. The film tells the story of a transgender girl and her relationship with her family. To help an accurate portrayal, , a regional association for the families of transgender minors, worked with the director and provided guidance for Otero. Stephanie Bunbury of ''

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. It is updated several times a day, with en ...

'' praised Otero's performance, writing that she "shows an instinctive, unforced and generous understanding of how difficult her character's life must be." Lee Marshall of ''

Screen Daily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned '' Broadcast''. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involv ...

'' wrote that "Sofia Otero is never less than compelling, her face a deep pool that becomes a magnet for the audience". In 2023, Otero joined the cast of Martín Cuervo's comedy '' Quién es quién'', a remake of the 2020 French film '. In 2024, she joined the cast of

Borja Cobeaga Borja Cobeaga Eguillor (born 1977) is a Spanish film director and screenwriter. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film is an award presented at the annual Academ ...

's '' Los aitas'', a comedy film set in the late 1980s about a group of fathers accompanying their daughters to a rhythmic gymnastics championship in Berlin. She starred in the drama '' Cuatro paredes'' (2025), which premiered at the BCN Film Fest. It was filmed in 12 sequence shots. Also in 2025, she appeared in the music video for Aitana's song "Cuando hables con él".

Awards

Sofia Otero with Silver Bear Berlinale 2023

Otero received several honours for her work in ''20,000 Species of Bees'', including winning the 2023 Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance, becoming the youngest actor to have won the award. She was also part of the honorees when ''20,000 Species Of Bees'' won the award for a female cast ensemble at the

47th Hong Kong International Film Festival The 47th Hong Kong International Film Festival () took place from 30 March to 10 April 2023, both online and in-person in Hong Kong. Soi Cheang was selected as the Filmmaker in Focus for this edition and masterclasses led by Tsai Ming-liang and L ...

and the Maguey Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble at the 2023 Guadalajara International Film Festival. In April 2023, the Basauri City Council paid tribute to Otero for winning her Silver Bear award.

References

External links

* * * Otero receives the Silver Bear, with text in Basque and voice-over in English. {{DEFAULTSORT:Otero, Sofía 2013 births 21st-century Spanish actresses Actresses from the Basque Country (autonomous community) Film child actresses Living people People from Basauri Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance winners Spanish child actresses