20/03/2023 - After receiving acclaim at the Berlinale, Estíbaliz Urresola's debut feature film wins the Golden Biznaga for the best Spanish film in the festival’s official section

20,000 Species of Bees [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Estíbaliz Urresola
film profile], Estíbaliz Urresola’s first feature film after shorts Polvo somos and Cuerdas, is undoubtedly one of Spain’s films of the year. After the film’s success at the Berlinale, it is now on to the Málaga Film Festival. This family drama starring a transsexual girl won the Golden Biznaga for Best Spanish Feature Film, plus the award for Best Supporting Actress for Patricia López Arnaiz, who plays the mother of the very young protagonist, played by Sofía Otero, already an award-winner in Berlin.

In the Ibero-American film section, the Golden Biznaga for Best Film went to Las hijas, a co-production between Panama and Chile directed by Kattia G. Zúñiga. And the Chilean Matías Bize won the award for Best Director for his work in El castigo (Chile/Argentina), a film created around a single sequence shot and few actors that addresses the almost taboo subject of frustrated and unwanted motherhood. The cast of an effective comedy with a message, Under Therapy [+see also:
trailer
film profile], by Spanish director and producer Gerardo Herrero, also won the Special Jury Prize for the ensemble cast, including Malena Alterio, Alexandra Jiménez and Antonio Pagudo.

The Enchanted [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], by Elena Trapé (winner here five years ago with Distances [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elena Trapé
film profile]), was, according to the jury chaired by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón, worthy of the award for best screenplay, written by the Catalan filmmaker together with her usual partner: Miguel Ibáñez; Galician María Vázquez (a clear favourite at the festival since her work was seen) won Best Actress for her leading role in Matria [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Álvaro Gago
film profile]; Alberto Ammann was named Best Actor for Upon Entry [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alejandro Rojas and Juan Se…
film profile]  and Jorge Marrale was Best Supporting Actor for Empieza el baile (Argentina/Spain).

Before listing all the awards at this busy and increasingly bigger Málaga festival, it should be noted that in the alternative Zonazine section, Omar Al Abdul Razzak's Killing Crabs [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Omar Al Abdul Razzak
film profile] won for Spain, with the awards for Best Film and Actress (for the teenager Paula Campos); and Diógenes as best Ibero-American feature film, which also won the Silver Biznaga for Best Director for Leonardo Barbury, while the best actor was the very old Saturnino García, 88, for Tierra de nuestras madres, a Spanish production by Liz Lobato, which the public voted as the best in this always exciting and surprising section.

As for the awards in the MAFIZ industry area, included in full in the list below, the Málaga Festival - WIP Spain Award went to La nit no fa vigilia, the Spanish production by Laura Corominas Espelt, Laura Serra Solé, Clara Serrano Llorens, Gerard Simó Gimeno, Ariadna Ulldemolins Abad and Pau Vall Capdet, and the Málaga Festival - WIP Ibero-America Award for Hidden City, by the Argentinian Francisco Bouza, as well as the first Cántico Producciones Award at the Málaga Festival Fund Co-production Event (MAFF) for the Spanish production El claro de las luciérnagas, by Ana Ortiz.

The list of winners:

Feature Film Competition

Golden Biznaga for Best Spanish Film
20,000 Species of Bees [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Estíbaliz Urresola
film profile] - Estíbaliz Urresola Solaguren (Spain)

Golden Biznaga for Best Ibero-American Film
Las hijas - Kattia G. Zúñiga (Panama/Chile)

Silver Biznaga Special Jury Award
Under Therapy [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Gerardo Herrero (Spain), for the cast of actors and actresses

Silver Biznaga for Best Director
Matías Bize - El castigo (Chile/Argentina)

Silver Biznaga for the Best Actress
María Vázquez – Matria [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Álvaro Gago
film profile] (Spain)

Silver Biznaga for Best Actor
Alberto Ammann - Upon Entry [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alejandro Rojas and Juan Se…
film profile] (Spain)

Silver Biznaga for Best Supporting Actress
Patricia López Arnaiz - 20,000 Species of Bees

Silver Biznaga for Best Supporting Male Actor
Jorge Marrale - Empieza el baile (Argentina/Spain)

Silver Biznaga DAMA for Best Screenplay
Miguel Ibáñez and Elena Trapé – The Enchanted [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Spain)

Silver Biznaga for Best Music
Pablo Mondragón - Rebelión (Colombia/Argentina/USA)

Silver Biznaga for Best Cinematography
Serguei Saldívar Tanaka - Zapatos Rojos (Mexico)

Silver Biznaga for Best Editing
Haroldo Borges and Juliano Castro - Saudade fez morada aqui dentro (Brazil)

Zonazine Competition

Silver Biznaga for Best Spanish Film
Killing Crabs [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Omar Al Abdul Razzak
film profile] - Omar Al Abdul Razzak (Spain/Netherlands)

Silver Biznaga for Best Ibero-American Film
Diógenes - Leonardo Barbuy La Torre (Peru/France/Colombia)

Silver Biznaga for Best Director
Leonardo Barbuy La Torre - Diógenes

Silver Biznaga for Best Actress
Paula Campos - Killing Crabs 

Silver Biznaga for Best Actor
Saturnino García - Tierra de nuestras madres (Spain)

Documentary Competition

Silver Biznaga for Best Documentary
El matadero - Fernando Fraguela Fosado (Cuba)

Silver Biznaga for Best Director
Sofía Paoli Thorne - Guapo'y (Paraguay/Argentina/Qatar)

Silver Biznaga Audience Award
Remember My Name [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Elena Molina (Spain/France/Qatar)

Short Film Competitions

Fiction

Silver Biznaga for Best Fiction Short Film
Mamá - Miguel Azurmendi Gómez

Silver Biznaga for Best Director
Jorge Cañada Escorihuela - El padre bueno

Silver Biznaga for Best Actress
Mayte Atarés - Mamá

Silver Biznaga for Best Actor
Àlex Monner - Tormenta de verano

Documentaries

Silver Biznaga for Best Documentary Short Film
Acheronte - Manuel Muñoz Rivas

Special Jury Mention
El bus - Sandra Reina

Animazine

Silver Biznaga for Best Short Film
Amanece la noche más larga - Lorena Ares and Carlos F. de Vigo.

Málaga

Award for Best Fiction Short Film
Anticlímax - Néstor López and Óscar Romero

Award for Best Documentary Short Film, Animation or Experimental
Retap - Víctor Marín

Affirming Women's Rights Competition

Silver Biznaga First Prize
Por Magda - Carla Larrea (short film)

Silver Biznaga Special Jury Award
Mujeres sin censura - Eva Vizcarra Chamero

Silver Biznaga Special Mention for Best Documentary
Women in the Studio - Marina Espinach (short film)

Other Awards

Silver Biznaga Special Jury Critics' Award in Feature Film Competition
Desperté con un sueño - Pablo Solarz (Argentina/Uruguay)

Silver Biznaga Audience Award in Feature Film Competition
Empieza el baile - Marina Seresesky (Spain/Argentina)

Silver Biznaga Audience Award in Zonazine Competition
Tierra de nuestras madres - Liz Lobato

Silver Biznaga Audience Award for Best Film in Mosaico Panorama International Section
Rise [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Cédric Klapisch (France/Belgium)

Silver Biznaga Audience Award in Short Fiction Film Competition
Mamá - Miguel Azurmendi Gómez

Silver Biznaga Audience Award in Short Documentary Competition
Les més grans - Núria Ubach, Marta Codesido, Dubi Cano and Ulrika Andersson

Silver Biznaga Audience Award in Animazine Short Film Competition
Diari d’un operador cinematogràfic - Dani Seguí Florit

Silver Biznaga Audience Award in Málaga Short Film Competition
La acampada - Afioco Gnecco and Enrique Cervantes

Silver Biznaga Audience Award in Affirming Women's Rights Competition
Insisten - Elías Federico Domínguez

Silver Biznaga Audience Award for Best Documentary in Affirming Women's Rights Competition
Insisten - Elías Federico Domínguez

MAFIZ (Málaga Festival Industry Zone)

Málaga Work in Progress (WIP)

Málaga Festival Award - WIP Spain
La nit no fa vigilia - Laura Corominas Espelt, Laura Serra Solé, Clara Serrano Llorens, Gerard Simó Gimeno, Ariadna Ulldemolins Abad, Pau Vall Capdet (Spain)

Málaga Film Festival Award - WIP Ibero-America
Hidden City - Francisco Bouza (Argentina)

Aracne Digital Cinema Award
Sobre todo de noche [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Víctor Iriarte
film profile] - Víctor Iriarte (Spain/Portugal/France)

Latido Films Award
Sobre todo de noche - Víctor Iriarte

Yagán Films Award
Carropasajero - Juan Pablo Polanco, César Jaimes (Colombia/Germany)
I Trust You - Agustín Toscano (Argentina)

Damita Joe Award
The Saint - Juan Agustín Carbonere (Argentina)

Music Library Award
The Daughter of the Volcano - Jenifer de la Rosa (Spain/México)
The Saint - Juan Agustín Carbonere

Latamcinema.com Award
I Trust You - Agustín Toscano

Film and Television Award
La nit no fa vigilia - Laura Corominas Espelt, Laura Serra Solé, Clara Serrano Llorens, Gerard Simó Gimeno, Ariadna Ulldemolins Abad, Pau Vall Capdet

SANFIC Industry Award. Santiago International Film Festival
I Trust You - Agustín Toscano

FIDBA Award. Buenos Aires International Documentary Film Festival
Carropasajero - Juan Pablo Polanco and César Jaimes

ABYCINE Award. Albacete International Film Festival
Lo carga el diablo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Guillermo Polo
film profile] - Guillermo Polo (Spain)

REC Award. Tarragona International Film Festival
Estados generales - Mauricio Freyre (Peru/Spain)
La nit no fa vigilia - Laura Corominas Espelt, Laura Serra Solé, Clara Serrano Llorens, Gerard Simó Gimeno, Ariadna Ulldemolins Abad and Pau Vall Capdet

Málaga Festival Fund Co-production Event (MAFF)

First Prize Cántico Producciones
El claro de las luciérnagas - Ana Ortiz (Spain)

Second Prize Cántico Producciones
Borda do Mundo - Jô Serfaty, Clarissa Guarilha (Brazil)

Bolivia Lab Award
Cae el Sol - Aeden O´Connor Agurcia and Ana Isabel Martins Palacios (Honduras/Mexico/Guatemala/Norway)

ECAM – MAFF Award
Borda do Mundo - Jô Serfaty, Clarissa Guarilha)

SANFIC Santiago Lab Award
4Eber - Ximena Valdivia Salas e Illari Orccottoma Mendoza (Peru/Mexico)

Film to Festival Awards
Toda una vida - Ariel Gutiérrez, Víctor Léycegui (Mexico)
La otra orilla - Francesca Canepa Sarmiento, Enid Marie Campos León (Peru)

Acorde Music Library Women Screen Industry Award
Tal vez - Arima León, Daute Campos (Spain)

Acorde Music Library Ibero-American Award
Madres de Octubre - Cristian Lagos Soto and Maximiliano Bolados (Chile)

Acorde Music Library Latin American Award
Moxos - Marilina Calós and Soledad San Julián (Argentina)

Elamedia-Sideral Award
My Parents Great Bazar - Rakesh Narwani (Spain)

Production grants
10.000 idiotas - Raúl Mancilla (€5,000)
A golpe de mar - Jaime Gómez and Erika Elizalde (€6,000)
Butterfly style - Álvaro Ortega (€5,000)
Ma-Maniquí - Elizabet Núñez Fernández (€6,000)
Insólita soledad - Juanma Lara and Miguel Ángel Almanza (€6,000)
El desayuno de los funcionarios - Javier Gómez Bello (€4,500)
El amoragaor - Adrián Ordóñez (€3,500)
La banda - Leonor Jiménez and Simona Frabotta (€5,000)
X - Afioco Gnecco and Carolina Yuste (€4,000)
Geranium - Daniel Parra (€4,500)

(Translated from Spanish by Vicky York)