04/12/2023 - The film by the Chilean Tana Gilbert won in the official section, and Bloom, by Helena Girón and Samuel L. Delgado, was chosen the best short film in the Cruce de caminos section

(l-r) Moderator Elena Azzedin and jury members Garbiñe Ortega, María Abenia and Irina Raffo during the award deliberation (© Bruto/Muestra de Cine de Lanzarote)

After a week of screenings, talks, exhibitions and all kinds of events around cinema and with migration as a key theme, the 13th edition of the Muestra de Cine de Lanzarote came to an end. And it did so by revealing its list of winners. In a public and open deliberation, which was an additional event in itself. The whole audience gained insight into the interesting process of discussing a list of winners. The jury formed by the filmmaker, photographer and producer Irina Raffo; the also filmmaker, teacher, scriptwriter and programmer María Abenia; and the producer, teacher and curator Garbiñe Ortega, reached the unanimous decision of awarding the highest recognition to Malqueridas [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tana Gilbert
film profile], directed by the Chilean Tana Gilbert. The film tells of the harsh circumstances of prison life for a group of women, using images recorded by the prisoners themselves with their personal mobile phones, the use of which is prohibited in Chilean prisons. The jury highlighted Gilbert's "ability to arouse emotions in a balanced, respectful, dignified way, legitimising the life that these people share with us in their stories".

Also unanimously, the jury decided to award a special mention to Do Not Expect Too Much of the End of the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Jude
film profile], by the Romanian director Radu Jude. In their motivation for awarding this mention, the jury defined the film as "an exploration of the territory, geographically based in Bucharest, which manages to transcend its frontier and create a space for universal thought through the cinematographic narrative”. The jury of the official section also had to choose the best short film out of those featured in the section Cruce de caminos: Canarian filmmakers. They chose the film Bloom, by Helena Girón and Samuel L. Delgado, of which they highlighted its "hypnotic images, for their beauty and aesthetic treatment".

The awards were completed with the decision of the young jury, which in this case decided to award their highest recognition to Obscure Night - Goodbye Here, Anywhere [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sylvain George
film profile], by French director Sylvain George. It is a documentary that tells the story of a group of young people living clandestinely, facing extremely harsh situations in the city of Melilla. The young jury also wanted to highlight Malqueridas, awarding it a special mention. Finally, it is worth mentioning the honorary award of this edition of the festival, which went to the International School of Film and TV of San Antonio de los Baños (Cuba).

The list of winners:

Best Film
Malqueridas [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tana Gilbert
film profile] - Tana Gilbert (Chile/Germany)

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

Youth Jury Award
Obscure Night - Goodbye Here, Anywhere [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sylvain George
film profile] - Sylvain George (France/Switzerland)
Special Mention
Malqueridas - Tana Gilbert

Best Short Film Cruce de caminos: Canarian filmmakers
Bloom - Helena Girón and Samuel L. Delgado (Spain)

(Translated from Spanish by Vicky York)