27/11/2023 - Selma Doborac, Radu Jude, Luis Muñoz and Alfredo Picaz were spotlighted in the festival’s three competition strands, Retueyos, Albar and Tierres en Trance

The 61st Gijón International Film Festival (17-25 November) concluded with a win for De Facto [+see also:
film review
film profile], the docu-fiction film by Selma Doborac. The international jury of the Retueyos Competition, made up of Ugo Broussot, Pilar Palomero and Ana Pfaff, also rewarded Elene Naveriani’s Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elene Naveriani
film profile] with the Distribution Award, as well as both AISGE Awards for Best Female and Male Performances.

In the Albar Competition, acclaimed auteurs from Europe and beyond took home the main prizes. The jury, made up of Marian Álvarez, Kieron Corless and Elena Martín Gimeno, awarded Best Film to Radu Jude’s Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Jude
film profile], while the Special Jury Prize went to the daring Last Summer [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Catherine Breillat
film profile], the newest feature by France’s Catherine Breillat. Lisandro Alonso’s Eureka [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lisandro Alonso
film profile] was given the Distribution Award in that section.

The FIPRESCI jury, consisting of Barbara Lorey, Shahla Nahid and Manu Yáñez, handed out the prizes in the Tierres en Trance Competition as follows: Best Feature Film to The Trail Left by Time [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Luis (Soto) Muñoz and Alfredo Picazo, and the Acción! Association Award for Best Director to María Aparicio for her work on the Argentinian flick Las cosas indefinidas.

The Youth Jury Award for Best Feature Film in the Retueyos Competition went to France’s Midwives [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Léa Fehner
film profile] by Léa Fehner, “for its powerful message, which is especially important today”, while a Special Mention was given to Locals by Måns Nyman (Sweden). The Award for Best Spanish Film went to On the Go [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: María Gisèle Royo, Julia de…
film profile] by María Gisèle Royo and Julia de Castro, who also received the “RCservice” Award for the Directors of the Best Spanish Feature Film and the DELUXE DCP Award. In addition, two other prizes celebrated the craft of filmmaking: the “DAMA” Award for Best Script of a Spanish Film went to Ariadna Fortuny and Clàudia Garcia de Dios for A Bright Sun [+see also:
film review
film profile], while the “AMAE” Best Editing of a Spanish Feature Film Award was bestowed upon Rafael Cano for The Trail Left by Time. Finally, the Grand Audience Award was also won by a Spanish film, El amigo de todos by José Antonio Quirós.

Regarding the awards in the FICXPro programme, the industry events dedicated to film industry professionals, the main winners are As defensas by Lucía Estévez among the projects in development and both Estados generales by Mauricio Freyre and AUSPICIA* by María Royo among the projects in (post)production.

The full list of award winners is as follows:

Retueyos Competition

Best Feature Film
De Facto [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Selma Doborac (Austria/Germany)

AISGE Award – Best Female Actor
Eka Chavleishvili - Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elene Naveriani
film profile] (Georgia/Switzerland)

AISGE Award – Best Male Actor
Temiko Chinchinadze - Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry

Distribution Award
Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry - Elene Naveriani

Albar Competition

Best Feature Film
Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Jude
film profile] - Radu Jude (Romania/Luxembourg/France/Croatia)

Special Award
Last Summer [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Catherine Breillat
film profile] - Catherine Breillat (France)

Distribution Award
Eureka [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lisandro Alonso
film profile] - Lisandro Alonso (France/Argentina/Germany/Portugal/Mexico)

Tierres en Trance Competition

FIPRESCI Award – Best Feature Film
The Trail Left by Time [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Luis (Soto) Muñoz, Alfredo Picazo (Spain)

FIPRESCI Award – Best Director
María Aparicio – Las cosas indefinidas (Argentina)

Short Film Competition

Principality of Asturias Award for Best Short Film
Blow! - Neus Ballús (Spain)
Special Mention
Gregoria - Celia Viada Caso (Spain)

Other awards

Audience Award
El amigo de todos - José Antonio Quirós (Spain)

Audience Award - Tierres en Trance Competition for Distribution
La prisión de mi padre - Iván Simonovis Pertíñez (Venezuela/Czech Republic)

Enfants Terribles Award for Best Feature Film
Katak: The Brave Beluga - Christine Dallaire-Dupont, Nicola Lemay (Canada)

Europa Film Festivals - Young Europe Award
El Cine, 5 [+see also:
film review
interview: Elisa Cepedal
film profile] - Elisa Cepedal (Spain)

Young Jury’s Award for Best Feature Film from the Retueyos Competition
Midwives [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Léa Fehner
film profile] - Léa Fehner (France)
Special Mention
Locals - Måns Nyman (Sweden)

Young Jury’s Award for Best Short Film from the Official Selection
2720 - Basil da Cunha (Portugal/Switzerland)

Best Spanish Feature Film
On the Go [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: María Gisèle Royo, Julia de…
film profile] - María Gisèle Royo, Julia de Castro (Spain)

DAMA Award for Best Script of a Spanish Film
Ariadna Fortuny, Clàudia Garcia de Dios - A Bright Sun [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Spain)
Special Mention
Samu Fuentes - Los últimos pastores [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Spain)

AMAE Award for Best Editing of a Spanish Film
Rafael Cano – The Trail Left by Time

DCP Deluxe Award for Best Director of a Spanish Feature Film
María Gisèle Royo, Julia de Castro - On the Go

CIMA Award for Best Feature Film Directed by a Woman
María Aparicio – Las cosas indefinidas

RTPA Award for Best Asturian Feature Film
Los últimos pastores - Samu Fuentes
Special Mention
Il Mulín - Álex Galán (Spain)

RTPA Award for Asturian Short Film Competition (Asturies Curtiumetraxes)
Les Praeres - Iván Menéndez (Spain)
Special Mention
Los trazos que quedan de ti - Lía Lugilde (Spain)

Principality of Asturias New Filmmakers Award
Una lluz - Diego Flórez (Spain)

Short Film Distribution Award Laboral Cinemateca Cortos
Les Praeres - Iván Menéndez

Proyecto Corto Movistar Plus+ / Pecera Estudio 2023 Award
In Memoriam - Teresa Bellón, César F Calvillo (Solita Films, Spain)

FICX Pro Awards

Premios Semilleru Lab - Projects in Development

Semilleru Lab Asturias Paraíso Natural Film Commission Award
As defensas - Lucía Estévez

FICXLAB Residence
Dónde estés será mi hogar - Lionel Braverman

Taskovski Award
San dai shi guang - Jiajie Yu Yan

Premios Semilleru Lab - Projects in (Post)production

Semilleru Lab Award
Estados generales - Mauricio Freyre
AUSPICIA* - María Royo

OpenECAM Award
Leandro Flores - Mateo Kesselman

DCP Deluxe Semilleru Lab Award
Deuses de pedra - Iván Castiñeiras

Subtitulam Award
El exilio del viento - Andreu Corberá

MECAS Award
AUSPICIA* - María Royo