31/03/2014 - O homem das multidões and Casa Grande triumph at the 26th edition of Cinélatino. The new title by Manuel Nieto received the Cinema in Development Award, and Aurora won the 25th Films in Progress

This weekend, Brazilian production O homem das multidões, directed by Marcelo Gomes and Cao Guimarães, made off with the top prize at the feature-film competition of the Cinélatino, Rencontres de Toulouse festival. This so-called “Grand Prix Coup de Coeur” is awarded together with €6,000 of backing for French distribution. The debut film by Montevidean director Inés María Barrionuevo, Atlantida [+see also:
trailer
film profile], received a Special Mention.

Another Brazilian film, Casa Grande, the feature debut by Fellipe Barbosa, was the other big winner at this edition, having won the Audience Award, the FIPRESCI Award and the French Critics’ Award. The complete awards list can be seen here.

In the industry section, the BrLab Cinema in Development Award went to The Employer and the Employee, the new project by Uruguayan director Manuel Nieto, following El lugar del hijo, with which he took part in Films in Progress two years ago.

For its part, the jury, comprising representatives of the CNC, Commune Image, TITRATVS, Mactari, Eaux Vives, Firefly and the CCAS, handed the Films in Progress Award to Chilean director Rodrigo Sepúlveda for Aurora, also the winner of the Cine + Special Award in Progress. Ausência, a co-production between Brazil, Chile and France (Ciné-sud), and directed by Chico Teixeira, won the European Distributors and Exhibitors Award.

Films in Progress, which also has backing from the Midi-Pyrénées region, also provides each of the six selected films with translations of their dialogues into French through the firm Fila 13 Subtitulation, and two accreditations for the next edition of the Producers Network at the Cannes Film Festival.

The initiative, which held its 25th edition in Toulouse, proved itself to be stronger than ever, as it recorded a record-breaking number of applications, 134, and saw a visibly increased presence of European (mostly French) professionals taking part. The next call for Films in Progress will be held in September at the San Sebastián Film Festival and will remain open until May.

(Translated from Spanish)