It’s a wrap for the 23rd edition of the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival, which ran from 19-28 April. On 27 April, the Official Competition Jury, made up of Marina Sanna, Samal Yeslyamova and Sidney Cadot-Sambosi, handed out the festival’s top prize, the Golden Lady Harimaguada, to the Canadian feature Matt and Mara, directed by Kazik Radwanski. The jurors praised “the ability of the director to bring deep, complex and universal relationship issues and situations to the screen” as well as “the direction of the actors” and “the brilliant and relevant script”.

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The second-most-important accolade, the Silver Lady Harimaguada, went to Gábor Reisz’s Venice-premiered drama Explanation for Everything [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Gábor Reisz
scheda film] (Hungary/Slovakia), thanks to its “powerful immersion in Hungarian society, the subtle interconnection between the characters, and the complexity of the questions that link politics and freedom”. The same jury awarded the Prize for Best Performance to actress Minh-Châu for her role in Phḁm Ngọc Lân’s Cu Li Never Cries [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] (Vietnam/Singapore/France/Philippines/Norway). A Special Mention was also granted to Through the Graves the Wind Is Blowing (USA) by Travis Wilkerson.

Meanwhile, the Panorama Spain jury, made up of María Campaña Ramia, Davide Abbatescianni and Ana Isabel Strindberg, handed the section’s trophy to the Locarno-premiered road movie On the Go [+leggi anche:
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intervista: María Gisèle Royo, Julia d…
scheda film] (Spain), helmed by María Gisèle Royo and Julia de Castro. They “were struck by the uniqueness of its bizarre yet deep leading characters, its freewheeling yet rigorous film language, and its playful but tactful approach to love, queerness, friendship and motherhood”. The picture, they added, “delivers a rare freshness and audacity in terms of its acting performances, cinematography and editing, and embraces the viewer, who embarks on a gentle yet radical journey through the South of Spain and the four corners of the body”. The same jury bestowed a Special Mention upon Anna Llargués’ short Crack of Dawn (Spain).

Next, the Canarias Cinema jury, made up of Maider Fernández Iriarte, Javier García Puerto and Joana Granero Sánchez, gave the Richard Leacock Award for Best Feature Film to Macu Machín’s The Undergrowth [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Macu Machín
scheda film] (Spain). They billed it as “a great film that portrays three sisters’ intimacy and complicity thanks to the skill of a filmmaker who manages to convey to the audience, with members of her own family, a story with a universal scope”.

Finally, Prasanna Vithanage’s Paradise (Sri Lanka/India) snagged the Audience Award.

Here is the full list of this year’s winners:

Official Selection

Golden Lady Harimaguada
Matt and Mara - Kazik Radwanski (Canada)

Silver Lady Harimaguada
Explanation for Everything [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Gábor Reisz
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Best Performance Award
Minh-Châu - Cu Li Never Cries [+leggi anche:
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Special Mention
Through the Graves the Wind Is Blowing - Travis Wilkerson (USA)

Best Short Film Award
Cuatro hoyos - Daniela Muñoz Barroso (Cuba/France, short)

Audience Award
Paradise - Prasanna Vithanage (Sri Lanka/India)

Bande à Part
Malqueridas [+leggi anche:
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Panorama Spain

Panorama Spain Award
On the Go [+leggi anche:
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intervista: María Gisèle Royo, Julia d…
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Special Mention
Crack of Dawn – Anna Llargués (Spain, short)

Canarias Cinema

Richard Leacock Award for Best Feature Film
The Undergrowth [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Macu Machín
scheda film] – Macu Machín (Spain)

Richard Leacock Award for Best Short Film
Aitana – Marina Alberti (Spain, short)
Special Mention
Goat Anger - Jesús F Cruz (Spain, short)

Digital 104 Distribution Award
The Song of the Years to Come - Alexander Cabeza Triggs (Spain)

CIMA Award
I’m Not Everything I Want to Be [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Klára Tasovská
scheda film] – Klára Tasovská (Czech Republic/Slovakia/Austria)