03/07/2023 - The medium-length film by María Antón Cabot wins the Luna de València award in the new Órbites section, while the Thai feature film Blue Again wins in the feature film competition

Sóc vertical però m’agradaria ser horitzontal director María Antón Cabot and producer Carlos Pardo Ros, alongside Cinema Jove director Carlos Madrid (centre), during the festival

Sóc vertical però m'agradaria ser horitzontal, a Spanish medium-length film that fantasises that the writer and poet Sylvia Plath travels back in time to present-day Benidorm and strikes up a friendship with the television star Belén Esteban, has won the Luna de València Award in the new Official Section of Cinema Jove, Òrbites, dedicated to new narratives. Written and directed by María Antón Cabot (<3 [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), it has been described by the jury as "a brilliant and disconcerting fable, with a clear narrative and great cinematographic quality, which presents an overhaul of cinema starring women and a personal and dreamlike Benidorm." Soc filla de ma mare [+see also:
film review
film profile], a debut film where the Spanish Laura García Pérez reconstructs her family’s story through testimonies and home videos, deserves a special mention in this section.

Blue Again, a Thai film directed by Thapanee Loosuwan, was the winner of the Official Feature Film Section. Last Saturday, the Luna de València award went to this story starring a mixed-race fashion student - with a Thai mother and a white father - who embarks on a journey to save her family's indigo dyeing business. The jury - made up of Spanish journalist Pepa Blanes, Italian director Beatrice Baldacci and Galician filmmaker Eloy Enciso - noted that "this film, as well as its protagonist, condenses the energy, contradictions and imperfection typical of her age. If being young means having strength and freedom, being brazen despite feeling small, and to rebel against yourself to try to know who you are, we think that the film best represents the spirit of a young cinema."

The awards in the Official Feature Film Section have been evenly distributed this year, where the drama on abortions in Yemen The Burdened has been recognised with a mention for Best Director for Amr Gamal, who also shares the award for Best Screenplay with Mazen Refaat. The Audience Award went to Starring Jerry as Himself, by Law Chen (USA), while the youth jury chose This Closeness, a film written, directed by and starring Kit Zauhar, one of the most promising voices of new American independent cinema.

Jerry Hsu received the Best Performance Award for the mockumentary Starring Jerry as Himself. The Official Section jury also singled out Jesse Jalonen for the cinematography of the Nordic dramedy Family Time [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tia Kouvo
film profile], and Richard Kett and Catherine Shrubshall for the soundtrack of the Nigerian feature film All the Colours of the World are Between Black and White.

The list of winners:

Feature Films

Luna de Valencia for Best Feature Film
Blue Again - Thapanee Loosuwan (Thailand)

Best Director
Amr Gamal – The Burdened (Yemen)

Best Performance
Jerry Hsu - Starring Jerry as himself (United States)

Best Screenplay
Amr Gamal and Mazen Refaat – The Burdened

Best Cinematography
Jesse Jalonen – Family Time [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tia Kouvo
film profile] (Finland/Sweden)

Best Music
Richard Kett and Catherine Shrubshall - All the Colours of the World are Between Black and White (Nigeria)

Audience Award for Best Feature Film
Starring Jerry as Himself – Law Chen

Youth Jury Award for Best Feature Film
This Closeness – Kit Zauhan (United States)

Òrbites

Òrbites Award
Sóc vertical però m’agradaria ser horitzontal – María Antón Cabot (Spain) (medium length)

Special Mention
Soc filla de ma mare [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Laura Garía Pérez (Spain)

Short Films

Luna de Valencia for Best Short Film
La herida luminosa – Christian Avilés (Spain)

Jury’s Mention
Super – Nikolas Kouloglou (Greece)

Audience Award for Best Short Film
Invincible – Vincent René-Lortie (Canada)

Youth Jury Award for Best Short Film
Super – Nikolas Kouloglou

Series

Luna de Valencia for Best Series
Triple Oh! – Poppy Stockell (Australia)

Best Director
Christopher Yip – Streams Flow from a River (Canada)

Best Performance
Lea Drinda – Becoming Charlie (Germany)

Best Script
Christopher Yip, Marushka Jessica Almedia, Leonard Chand and Lelinh Du – Streams Flow from a River

Best Cinematography
Allen Liu – Streams Flow from a River

Best Editing
Steven Robinson – Triple Oh!

Best Production Design
Marichi Palacios – Poemas malditos (Chile)

Best Music
Camilo Salinas and Pablo Ilanaca – Poemas malditos

Audience Award for Best Series
Becoming Charlie – Kertin Polte and Greta Benkelmann

Youth Jury Award for Best Series
Triple Oh! – Poppy Stockell

Marseille Webfest Special Prize
Appetite – Neil Sharma and Mohini Herse (Australia)

Other Awards

Feroz Award
Una terapia de mierda – Javier Polo (Spain) (short film)

CIMA Award for the Best Film directed by a woman
Blue Again – Thapanee Loosuwan

CIMA Mention for Feature Film
The Lost Boys [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Zeno Graton
film profile] – Zeno Graton (France/Belgium)

(Translated from Spanish by Vicky York)