The Chinese film Return to Dust, directed by Li Ruijun, has won the Golden Spike for best film in the official section of the 67th Seminci - Valladolid International Film Week, held between 22 and 29 October. In its verdict, the jury, made up of Kate O'Toole, Jorge Arriagada, Pablo de Vita, Patricia Ferreira, Martín Hernández, Gracia Querejeta and Marie-Pierre Richard, noted that "it is a hymn to the idea of surviving with dignity and shows the importance of nature in our lives and how we discriminate against the marginalised."

The Silver Spike went to the Irish production The Quiet Girl [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Colm Bairéad
scheda film], which deals with the complexity of family ties through a young girl who is sent to spend the summer with some relatives. The jury awarded the film "for representing one of the most popular themes in the films during the festival: parenting and care". Colm Bairéad's debut feature film also won the FIPRESCI international critics' prize and the Audience Award.

The international jury awarded the ‘Ribera del Duero’ Award for Best Director to Polish director Jerzy Skolimowsk for EO [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], a vision of the world through the eyes of a donkey. While the ‘Pilar Miró’ Award for Best New Director went to the Portuguese film Alma Viva [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Cristèle Alves Meira
scheda film], by Cristèle Alves Meira for “having the power to affect the audience with humour and love for humanity, even if it is far from perfect”.

In the acting category, actors Ivan Barnev and Karra Elejalde have been equally recognised with the Best Actor Award for their roles in the Spanish-Bulgarian co-production Vasil [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Avelina Prat
scheda film], by Avelina Prat, while the Best Actress Award went to Lubna Azabal for her work in the feature film The Blue Caftan [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], by Maryam Touzani.

The ‘Miguel Delibes’ Award for Best Script went to Mikhaël Hers, Maud Ameline and Mariette Désert for the French film The Passengers of the Night [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Mikhaël Hers
scheda film], directed by Mikhaël Hers. In the technical category, the jury gave the Best Director of Photography Award to Rubens Impens for his work in The Eight Mountains [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Felix van Groeningen & Cha…
scheda film], by Belgians Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch, and the ‘José Salcedo’ Award for Best Editing to Kim Sang-bum for Decision to Leave, by South Korea’s Park Chan-wook.

Spanish director León Siminiani's short film Arquitectura emocional 1959 won the Golden Spike Short Award and the EFA Short Film Nominee Valladolid 2023 Award. Finally, for its sense of humour, poetry and commitment to global warming, the Silver Spike Short Award went to the Portuguese film Ice Merchants, by João Gonzalez.

The list of winners:

Official Feature Film Section

Golden Spike
Return to Dust - Li Ruijun (China)

Silver Spike
The Quiet Girl [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Colm Bairéad
scheda film] - Colm Bairéad (Ireland)

‘Ribera del Duero’ Award for Best Director
Jerzy Skolimowsk – EO [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] (Poland/Italy)

‘Pilar Miró’ Award for Best New Director
Alma Viva [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Cristèle Alves Meira
scheda film] - Cristèle Alves Meira (Portugal/France/Belgium)

Best Actor
Ivan Barnev and Karra Elejalde - Vasil [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Avelina Prat
scheda film] (Spain/Bulgaria)

Best Actress
Lubna Azabal – The Blue Caftan [+leggi anche:
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trailer
scheda film] (France/Morocco/Belgium/Denmark)

‘Miguel Delibes’ Award for Best Script
Mikhaël Hers, Maud Ameline and Mariette Désert – The Passengers of the Night [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Mikhaël Hers
scheda film] (France)

Best Director of Photography
Rubens Impens – The Eight Mountains [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Felix van Groeningen & Cha…
scheda film] (Italy/Belgium/France)

‘José Salcedo’ Award for Best Editing
Kim Sang-bum - Decision to Leave (South Korea)

Official Short Film Section

Golden Spike for Best Short Film
Arquitectura emocional 1959 - León Siminiani (Spain)

Silver Spike
Ice Merchants - João Gonzalez (Portugal)

EFA Short Film Nominee Valladolid 2023
Arquitectura emocional 1959 - León Siminiani

Meeting Point Section

Best Feature (ex aequo)
Sick of Myself [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Kristine Kujath Thorp
intervista: Kristoffer Borgli
scheda film] - Kristoffer Borgli (Norway/ Sweden)
War Pony - Gina Gammell and Riley Keough (USA)

Best Foreign Short
O Homem do Lixo - Laura Gonçalves (Portugal)

Special Mention
Happy New Year, Jim - Andrea Gatopoulos (Italy)

‘A Night of Spanish Shorts’ Prize
El porvenir - Santiago Ráfales (Spain)

Time of History Section

First Prize
All that Breathes [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Shaunak Sen
scheda film] - Shaunak Sen (India/USA/UK)

Second Prize
Rojek - Zaynê Akyol (Canada)

Best Short Film
La Mécanique des fluides - Gala Hernández López (France)

DOC. Section Spain

Best Film
Hafreiat [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film] - Álex Sardà (Spain/Jordan)

Other awards

Audience Award Official Section
The Quiet Girl - Colm Bairéad

Audience Award Meeting Point Section
Joyland - Saim Sadiq (Pakistan)
The Sparrow - Michael Kinirons (Ireland)

Audience Award Time of History Section
Afghan Dreamers - David Greenwald (Afghanistan)

Young Jury Award Official Section
Beautiful Beings [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson
scheda film] - Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson (Iceland/Denmark/Denmark/Sweden/Netherlands/Czech Republic)

Young Jury Award Time of History Section
Palm Trees and Power Lines - Jamie Dack (USA)
Special Mention
Sick of Myself - Kristoffer Borgli

Rainbow Award
Warsha - Dania Bdeir (France/Lebanon) (short film)

Green Award
Delikado [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] - Karl Malakunas (Australia/Hong Kong/USA/Philippines/UK)
Special Mention
Ice Merchants - João Gonzalez (short film)

Fundos Award
All that Breathes - Shaunak Sen

Seminci Joven Award
El universo de Óliver [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] - Alexis Morante (Spain)

Blogos de Oro Critics’ Award
Le Otto Montagne - Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeerschn

PIC Award for Best Ibero-American Film
Staring at Strangers [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Félix Viscarret
scheda film] - Félix Viscarret (Spain/Belgium)

Short Film from Castile and Leon Award
Plein Air - Raúl Herrera (Spain)