21/11/2022 - Films by Alexandru Belc, Ulrich Seidl and Theo Montoya won in the three sections of the official section, Retueyos, Albar and Tierres en Trance, respectively

The International Jury of the Retueyos Competition of the 60th Gijón International Film Festival, made up of Maria de Medeiros, Maximiliano Cruz and Beatrice Fiorentino last Saturday awarded the following awards in the Official Section – Retueyos Competition: Best Feature Film to Metronom [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alexandru Belc
film profile], directed by Alexandru Belc (Romania/France); AISGE Award for Best Actress to Andrea Riseborough for the American film To Leslie, while her co-star in the same film, Marc Maron was awarded Best Actor; and the Distribution Award went to the Argentinian production company Estertor, of Sofía Jallinsky and Basovih Marinaro.

In the Albar Official Section, two indomitable masters of European cinema received awards. The jury, made up of Tizza Covi, James Lattimer and Hrönn Marinósdóttir awarded best film to Rimini [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ulrich Seidl
film profile], the penultimate work by the always surprising Ulrich Seidl, and the Special Jury Prize went to The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], a documentary by the unfaltering Werner Herzog.

The FIPRESCI jury, made up of Adrian Martin, Ela Bittencourt and Joaquín Vallet Rodrigo, awarded the prizes in the Official Section – Tierres en Trance Competition: Best Feature Film to Anhell69 [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Theo Montoya
film profile], by Theo Montoya and the Acción! Association Award for Best Director to Claudia Sainte-Luce, for her work on the Mexican production El reino de Dios (also receiving a Cima award for a film directed by a woman).

At the closing gala, where honorary awards were also given to the costume designers Sonia Grande and to the filmmaker Patricia Ferreira, the speeches from Beatriz Navas, director of the ICAA, and Ulrich Seidl were particularly noteworthy. While the former recalled the successful haul of recent international awards for Spanish films thanks to titles such as Piggy [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carlota Pereda
film profile], Alcarràs [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carla Simón
interview: Carla Simón
interview: Giovanni Pompili
film profile] and The Beasts [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rodrigo Sorogoyen and Isabe…
film profile], she congratulated it as the second best-rated Spanish event by the Ministry of Culture and Sport. The Austrian filmmaker –whose latest film, Sparta [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], was screened in the Esbilla section of the festival– defended creative freedom and warned of the censorship that fear can cause when faced with the painful realities that cinema exposes.

Many other prizes were awarded at the closing ceremony, including Best Spanish Film of the Festival for A Foreign Song, by César Souto; Best Asturian Film for the Spanish-Portuguese co-production The Open Body [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ángeles Huerta
film profile], by Ángeles Huerta, a director born in Gijón; the Youth Jury Award for Bread and Salt [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Damian Kocur
film profile], by Damian Kocur (Poland); the Dama Award for Best Screenplay for a Spanish film for the documentary Hilos, by Tito Montero; the DCP Deluxe Award to the Andalusian Rocío Mesa for her debut film Tobacco Barns [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rocío Mesa
film profile]; and a special mention to the futuristic and dystopian road movie Mission to Mars [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], by Amat Vallmajor del Pozo.

The award winners:

Official Section - Retueyos Competition

Best Feature Film
Metronom [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alexandru Belc
film profile] - Alexandru Belc (Romania/France)

AISGE Award for Best Actress
Andrea Riseborough - To Leslie (United States)

AISGE Award for Best Actor
Marc Maron – To Leslie

Distribution Award
Estertor - Sofía Jallinsky and Basovih Marinaro (Argentina)

Official Section - Albar Competition

Best Film
Rimini [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ulrich Seidl
film profile] - Ulrich Seidl (Austria/France/Germany)

Special Jury Prize
The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Werner Herzog (France/United Kingdom/Switzerland/United States).

Official Section - Tierres en Trance Competition

Best Feature Film
Anhell69 [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Theo Montoya
film profile] - Theo Montoya (Colombia/Romania/France/Germany)

Acción! Association Award for Best Director
Claudia Sainte-Luce - El reino de Dios (Mexico)

Distribution Award
Hilos - Tito Montero (Spain)

Other Awards

Best Spanish Film
A Foreign Song - César Souto (Spain)

Best Asturian Film
The Open Body [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ángeles Huerta
film profile] - Ángeles Huerta (Spain/Portugal)

Audience Grand Prize
The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft - Werner Herzog

Youth Jury Award
Bread and Salt [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Damian Kocur
film profile] - Damian Kocur (Poland)

Enfants Terribles Award for Best Feature Film
Bigman - Camiel Schouwenaar (Netherlands/Germany)

DCP Deluxe Award
Rocío Mesa – Tobacco Barns [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rocío Mesa
film profile] (Spain/United States)
Special Mention
Mission to Mars [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Amat Vallmajor del Pozo (Spain)

Dama Award for Best Screenplay for a Spanish Film
Hilos - Tito Montero

CIMA Award for a Film Directed by a Woman
El reino de Dios - Claudia Sainte-Luce (Mexico)

Europa Film Festivals Award – Europa Joven
Cabeza y corazón - Ainhoa Andraka and Zuri Goikoetxea (Spain)

Principality of Asturias Award for Best Short Film
La niña mártir - María Pérez Sanz (Spain)

Youth Jury Award for Best Short Film in the Official Selection
Glimmen - Ken Rischard (Luxembourg)

RTPA Prize of the Asturies Curtiumetraxes Competition
Europa - Lucas del Fresno (Spain/Switzerland)
Special Mention
Vas a ser mi memoria siempre - Marina Munárriz (Spain)

Laboral Cinemateca Short Films Distribution Award
8 filmes sobre la guerra - Pablo Casanueva (Spain)

Movistar Plus+/La Pecera Estudio/Free your mind 2022 Short Film Project Award
Largo viaje - Héctor Herce
Production: Kabiria Films

Principality of Asturias New Directors Award
Cantar un batallón - Inés G. Aparicio (Spain) (short film)

(Translated from Spanish by Vicky York)