28/09/2023 - Daniela Abad Lombana and Bárbara Sarasola-Day's upcoming titles have excelled in the Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum, and those by Michael Fetter Nathansky and Iair Said in the WIP sections

The industry winners at San Sebastián (© Festival de San Sebastián/Pablo Cifuentes)

The handing out of several awards in the different sections and by the various juries brought the 71st San Sebastián International Film Festival’s industry programme to a close yesterday. The festival once again dedicated all its efforts to encouraging Latin American and European professionals to work together, and to helping them finish their projects. Some of last year’s winners have gone on to premiere at A-list festivals this year, such as Selman Nacar’s Hesitation Wound [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Selman Nacar
film profile], which won the WIP Europa Industry Award and premiered in Venice’s Orizzonti, and Martín Benchimol’s The Castle [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Martín Benchimol
film profile], which won the WIP Latam Industry Award and premiered in the Berlinale Panorama.

The top prize (endowed with a gross sum of €10,000, awarded to the majority producer) of the 12th edition of the Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum went to the Colombian project These Were All Fields (Todo esto eran mangas), the first feature by Daniela Abad Lombana. Comprising Brussels’ Cinema Galeries director and Cineuropa board member Frédéric Cornet, producer, screenwriter and director Izaskun Arandia, and Los Cabos Film Festival art director Maru Garzón, the jury decided to reward this film about surviving in Colombia in the 1990s, the country’s most violent decade.

The DALE! Award, handed out by the European Film Agency Directors Association (EFAD) and by the Conference of Ibero-American Audiovisual and Cinematographic Authorities (CAACI), and endowed with €20,000 for the majority producer, went to the Argentinian-Dutch film Little War, the new movie by Bárbara Sarasola-Day (director of Belated [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and White Blood, and producer of titles such as this year’s Golden Shell competitor Puan [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benjamín Naishtat and María…
film profile]). The director of the film, which takes a look at an Argentinian-British family on the brink of the Falklands War, took the opportunity to raise her voice against the disquieting situation that culture is having to endure in Argentina, because of the possible establishment of a far-right government.

Lastly, the Artekino International Award (endowed with a gross sum of €6,000 for the majority producer) was given to The Days Off (Los días libres), the first feature by Argentina’s Lucila Mariani, and Three Dark Nights (Tres noches negras), the new project by Chile's Théo Court (director of Ocaso and Venice’s Orizzonti Best Director winner White on White [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Théo Court
film profile]), has been invited to Ventana Sur.

As for the work-in-progress sections, the WIP Europa Industry Award and subsequently the WIP Europa Award (respectively offering post-production on the film and €10,000 for its producer) in the WIP Europa section went to the German project Every You Every Me [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michael Fetter Nathansky
film profile], directed by Michael Fetter Nathansky. In the words of its director, “The film is about a woman encouraging others, and sometimes when you make films, you lack encouragement - and this is really it.” For its part, in WIP Latam, Most People Die on Sundays [+see also:
film review
film profile], an Argentinian-Italian-Swiss project helmed by Argentina’s Iair Said, who also took the opportunity to call for action to be taken against the threats to culture and the film industry in his home country, went home with both the WIP Latam Industry Award (which offers post-production on the film) and the Egeda Platino Industria Award for Best WIP Latam (which comes with a gross sum of €30,000 for its producer).

Lastly, accolades were also given out in the Ikusmira Berriak programme (see the news), where After the Night, the Night, the first feature by Swiss-Dutch filmmaker Naomi Pacifique, triumphed, and in the Lau Haizetara Documentary Co-Production Forum, organised by IBAIA (the Association of Basque Independent Audiovisual Producers), in conjunction with the festival.

Here is the full list of award winners:

Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum

Best Project Award
These Were All Fields (Todo esto eran mangas) - Daniela Abad Lombana (Colombia)
Production: La Selva Cine S.A.S

Dale! (Development Latin America-Europe) Award
Little War - Bárbara Sarasola-Day (Argentina/Netherlands)
Production: Pucará Cine, Viking Films

Artekino International Prize
The Days Off (Los días libres) - Lucila Mariani (Argentina/Brazil)
Production: Maravillacine, Persona Non Grata

Ventana Sur award
Three Dark Nights (Tres noches negras) - Théo Court (Spain/Chile)
Production: El Viaje Films

WIP Europa

WIP Europa Industry Award + WIP Europa Award
Every You Every Me [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michael Fetter Nathansky
film profile] - Michael Fetter Nathansky (Germany)
Production: Contando Films, Studio Zentral

WIP Latam

WIP Latam Industry Award
Most People Die on Sundays [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Iair Said (Argentina/Italy/Switzerland)
Production: Campo Cine, dispàrte, Patagonik, My Gosh

Egeda Platino Industria Award for Best WIP Latam
Most People Die on Sundays (Los domingos mueren más personas) - Iair Said

Ikusmira Berriak

Elamedia - Euskadi Postproduction Award
After the Night, the Night – Naomi Pacifique (Switzerland/Netherlands)
Production: Golden Egg Production, Idle Eye

Lau Haizetara Foro de Coproducción de Documentales

Ibaia – Elkargi Award
Pulso - Victoria Alvares, Quentin Delaroche (Brazil)
Production: Revoada Produçoes

Dogwoof Award
December - Grzegorz Paprzycki (Poland/Lithuania)
Production: Telemark, Just a moment

Ibaia – Bilibin Circular Award
Yo terrateniente - Rodrigo Demirjian (Spain/Argentina)
Production: Tourmalet Films, AH! Cine

DOCSBarcelona Award
Animal – Raúl de la Fuente, Amaia Ramírez (Spain/France)
Production: Kanaki Films, Bellota Films

FIPADOC Biarritz Award
La pietà – Pepe Andreu, Rafa Molés (Spain/Iceland/Lithuania)
Production: SUICAfilms, AXfilms, Studio Nominum