- So Pretty, by Jessie Jeffrey Dunn Rovinelli, was declared the winner of the International Feature competition.
- Actress Blanca Lewin, and festival director Raúl Camargo hosted the closing ceremony, in a renovated Cervantes Theater.
- At the event, attendees, along with those following the broadcast in the Chilevision online platform, were invited to participate in the 2020 edition of the Festival, taking place between October 5 and 11.
This Saturday October 12, the closing ceremony of the 26th edition of the Valdivia International Film Festival was held at the Cervantes Theater. FICValdivia award-winners were announced during the activity, for the categories of International Feature, Chilean Feature, International Youth Feature, Latin American Short Film, Latin American Children’s Short Film, and Future Chilean Cinema.
Also at the event, the filmmakers that obtained first prize, and honorary mentions, received the non-official awards handed out by PAR Explora Conicyt Los Ríos, to school students participating in their micro movie contest. Likewise, the Chilean Cinematographers Association gave out the Héctor Ríos Award for Best Cinematography in a Chilean Feature.
Concerns were raised during the gala, regarding the events taking place at present in Ecuador, with the hope that political solutions can be reached within a context of respect for Human rights, and democracy, particularly towards their native peoples.
At the end of the ceremony, the hosts invited those present, along with viewers of the live broadcast on Chilevision’s online platform, to participate in FICValdivia’s coming edition, which will take place between October 5 and 11, in 2020.
Official International Feature Selection
The Best Picture in the International Feature Competition of the 26th edition of the Valdivia International Film Festival was So Pretty, by Jessie Jeffrey Dunn Rovinelli, which collected the Pudú Award, and CLP 2,500,000, given by Universidad Austral de Chile. The Special Jury Prize went to Electric Swan, by Konstantina Kotzamani, while the Jury’s First Special Mention was bestowed on the film by Fernando Martín Restelli, Construcciones. There was a Second Special Mention, given to the Algerian production 143 Sahara Street, by Hassen Ferhani.
The Audience Award also went to Electric Swan, by Konstantina Kotzamani, which thus collected two accolades in the competition.
The jury was composed of Caroline Maleville, head of programming at the French Cinematheque; Ecuadorian filmmaker, and programmer María Campaña Ramia; and Chilean-American film director Niles Atallah. Together, they adjudicated the best picture, from among the 10 titles in competition.
Official Chilean Feature Selection
Lina de Lima, by director María Paz González, was the award-winning picture in the Chilean Feature category this year, which had 7 cinematographic productions in competition. The movie received a prize consisting of CLP 2,500,000, given by FICValdivia, a FILMA kit with a Kinetic bag, and the festival statuette.
The Special Jury Prize went to Visión Nocturna, by Carolina Moscoso.
Selecting the winners were independent producer, and curator Madeleine Molyneaux, who resides in New York and Los Angeles; curator, teacher, and founder of the IndieLisboa Film Festival Miguel Valverde; and Susana Santos Rodrigues, Portuguese film programmer, distributor, and development consultant.
Official International Youth Feature Selection
The movie that rose as the winner, among the six competing titles in the International Youth Feature category was La Fortaleza, by Andrés Torres, receiving CLP 650,000, a FILMA kit, and the festival’s Pudú Award. The Special Jury Prize went to the film Parío y Criao, by director Jorge Donoso.
The deliberators were Leslie Cordonnier, audiovisual communication student, and promising director from the Magellan Region in southern Chile; independent filmmaker José Tomás González, who received first prize in the Explora Cinema Contest 2018; Colombian director and producer Lida Prada; and Tomás Toledo Leal, 9th grade student from Liceo Bicentenario, a member of the School Cinema Club Network.
Official Latin American Short Film Selection
The award-winning short was Fiebre Austral, by Thomas Woodroffe, receiving CLP 650,000 from Universidad Austral de Chile, a FILMA kit, and the festival statue. The Special Jury Prize in the Latin American Short Film Competition went to Plano Controle, by Juliana Antunes.
The group of experts that chose the prize-winners, among 10 titles hailing from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Chile, included Bolivian film critic, and chemical engineer Aldo Padilla; Azucena Losana, filmmaker, and member of the Mexican national system of arts creators FONCA; and Daniela Lillo, filmmaker, performance artist, and master in Documentary and Creative Video from Centro TAI, in Madrid.
Official Latin American Children’s Short Film Selection
Without a doubt, one of the most treasured, and important spaces for the Festival is the Official Latin American Children’s Short Film Selection. Its role is to stimulate the imagination, and talent of the younger film buffs.
5 pictures were competing in the category this year, and the winning title was Melty Hearts, by Patricio and Manuel Cisterna. The production was chosen as the best by 355 children who attended the program, during its two shows, and who voted depositing ice-cream sticks according to their preferences, into the ballot boxes with stills from the screened shorts.
The prize consisted in CLP 650,000, given by Universidad Austral de Chile, a FILMA kit, and the Festival Pudú Award.
Future Chilean Cinema
This instance handed down awards in two categories.
The winner of the First Cut category was the film Los Árboles Nos Cuentan, by Carlos Sepúlveda, who took away USD 1,500, given by FICValdivia.
In the Postproduction category, the award-winning title was El Otro, by Francisco Bermejo. The prize consisted in the creation of a Master DCP, handed by Kiné-Imágenes, and 3 days of sound mixing in a 5.1 studio, awarded by Sonamos, along with USD 1,500 from FICValdivia.
The statuettes were given by Nazeli Nazar, from Film Commission Chile, Enrique Stindt, from Kiné-Imágenes, and Roberto Espinoza, from Sonamos. The members of the jury were independent producer, and curator Madeleine Molyneaux, who resides in New York and Los Angeles; curator, teacher, and founder of the IndieLisboa Film Festival Miguel Valverde; and Susana Santos Rodrigues, Portuguese film programmer, distributor, and development consultant.
Chilean Cinematographers Association Award
For the second year in a row, the Chilean Cinematographers Association gave out the Héctor Ríos Award to the Best Cinematography in a Chilean film, in the context of the 26th edition of FICValdivia. Representing the association, Nicolás Ibieta, Rodrigo Llano, and Michelle Bossy bestowed the distinction on Benjamín Echazarreta, for his work on the film Lina de Lima.
Explora Cinema Micro Movie Award
In the category of Best High School Micro Movie, the prize went to Sol De otoño, by Traecy Delgado, from Colegio Santa Cruz, in Río Bueno. The Second Elementary Cycle award was collected by El Corazón de Helios, by Rosmery Asencio, from Escuela México, in Valdivia.
This year, the honorary mentions in the Explora Cinema contest were for ¿Quién Es Tu Sol?, by Ana Bustamante, a student at Colegio José Manuel Balmaceda, in Futrono, in the High School category; and La Orquídea y el Sol, by Sara Pinto, from Escuela México, in Valdivia, in the Second Elementary Cycle competition.
The awards were handed down by PAR Explora Executive Coordinator, Dr. Rocío Jaña.
About FICValdivia
The Valdivia International Film Festival screens Chilean and international productions in six competitive categories: International Feature, Chilean Feature, International Youth Feature, Latin American Short Film, Latin American Children’s Short Film, and Future Chilean Cinema. The non-competitive program includes historic retrospectives, foci on contemporary filmmakers, political cinema, avant-garde films, genre movies, and a section with productions for children and their families. It was founded, and is organized, by Universidad Austral de Chile, produced by the Valdivia Cultural Center for Film Promotion (CPCV), convened by the Great City of Valdivia, the Los Ríos Regional Government, and CODEPROVAL, and funded by the Chilean Ministry for Cultures, Arts and Patrimony. Its next edition will take place between October 5 and 11, in 2020.
