Still Recording, by filmmakers Ghiath Ayoub and Saeed Al Batal, was crowned Best Picture at the 25th edition of the Valdivia International Film Festival 2018

• Los Sueños del Castillo by director René Ballesteros obtained top prize in the Chilean Feature competition.
• Actress Blanca Lewin and Festival Director Raúl Camargo hosted the closing ceremony, held at the Aula Magna Auditorium in Universidad Austral de Chile.
• During the event, attendees, and those following the broadcast via Chilevisión’s online platform, were invited to FICValdivia’s next edition, taking place between October 7 – 13, 2019.

The Closing Ceremony of the 25th edition of the Valdivia International Film Festival kicked off with the screening of El Último Cuatrero, by filmmaker Armando Sandoval, with live musicalization by eight musicians from the Valdivia Chamber Orchestra, this Saturday at 7pm, at the Aula Magna Auditorium in Universidad Austral de Chile.

During the gala, the winners of the competition in the categories of International Feature, Chilean Feature, International Youth Feature, Latin American Short Film, Latin American Children’s Short Film, and Future Chilean Cinema were announced. Also awarded were the filmmakers that obtained first prize and honorary mentions in the non-official PAR Explora Conicyt Los Ríos Micro Film Contest for school students, and a recognition handed down by the Asociación de Cinematógrafos de Chile (Chilean Cinematographers Association).

In the ceremony, FICValdivia Director Raúl Camargo made remarks regarding the 25 years of the Festival, reflected on the main milestones throughout the event’s history, and commented on its present, and the challenges coming in the future.

At the event, attendees, and people following the broadcast via Chilevisión’s online platform, were invited to FICValdivia’s next edition, which will take place between October 7 – 13, 2019

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International Feature Competition

The winner of the International Feature Competition at the 2018 Valdivia International Film Festival was Still Recording, by directors Ghiath Ayoub and Saeed Al Batal, who received the Pudú Award, and CLP 2,580,000.

 

The Special Jury Prize went to Braquer Poitiers, by filmmaker Claude Schmitz. The first Special Jury Mention was for director Ignacio Juricic, with the movie Enigma, while the second Mention went to Familia Sumergida, by María Alché. Meanwhile, La Casa Lobo, by Cristóbal León collected the Audience Award.

The International Competition, this year, included the participation of 12 films, hailing from Japan, Spain, Germany, Mexico, France, Lebanon, Argentina, Portugal, Syria, and Chile. The jury was composed of Fabienne Hanclot, Benjamín Domenech, and Camila José Donoso.

 

 

 

Chilean Feature Competition

From the six participating productions, the winner of the category was Los Sueños del Castillo, by director René Ballesteros, who took away the Festival trophy, and CLP 3,000,000, a prize awarded by Chilevisión, who broadcasted the ceremony on their online platform.

The Special Jury Prize was collected by the film Las Cruces, by Teresa Arredondo and Carlos Vásquez.

Giona Nazzaro, María Bonsati, and Matthijs Wouter Knol made up the jury for the category this year.

 

 

International Youth Feature Competition

The Pudú Award for the Best International Youth Feature, this year, went to audiovisual creator Laura Bari, with the movie Primas, the winner among five participating productions, hailing from Egypt, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico. The filmmaker also received an incentive of CLP 640,000.

In charge of selecting the winning production were jury members Sofía Mancilla Lincoln, Josh Tecklin Samaniego, Priscilla Torres Saéz, and Gustavo Viveros González.

 

Latin American Short Film Competition

The award for Best Short went to the film Una Luna de Hierro, by Francisco Rodríguez, collecting the Pudú Award, and CLP 640,000 bestowed by Universidad Austral de Chile. Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Direct TV, Ligia León, handed down the trophy.

Meanwhile, the Special Jury Prize was presented to Estamos Todos Aquí, by Chico Santos and Rafael Mellín.

Twelve pictures participated in the Official Latin American Short Film Selection, in the 25th edition of the Valdivia International Film Festival, representing filmmakers form Costa Rica, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, and Chile.

Álvaro Arroba, Jeannette Muñoz, and Malena Szlam made up the jury that chose the winning production.

 

Latin American Children’s Short Film Competition

This year, the prize for the Best Short Film for children, awarded by Universidad Austral de Chile (UACh), went to Santiago no Tiene Mar, made by students from Liceo Experimental Manuel de Salas, who received CLP 640,000, plus the customary Pudú Award.

The jury for this instance were the girls and boys attending the screenings at the Aula Magna Auditorium at UACh, who voted for their favorite movie, depositing ice cream sticks according to their preference, inside the boxes identified with photos of the four films, hailing from Chile and Argentina.

 

Future Chilean Cinema

Eight films participated this year, in the second version of Future Chilean Cinema, a section in the Festival that showcases a selection of movies in the process of completion. The instance is organized by FICValdivia, in alliance with CinemaChile, Film Commission Chile, the Department of Cultural Affairs (DIRAC), Kiné Imágenes, and Sonamos.

This Festival segment is divided in two categories: Postproduction and First Cut. In the former, the winner was La Última Frontera, directed by Fernanda Abarca and Andrés Opaso, who received a prize of CLP 960,000, along with the development of a Master DCP (from Kiné Imágenes), three days of 5.1 sound mixing (at Sonamos), and a stay for the film’s producer Martín Cabello, to attend the European Film Market at Berlinale, which includes lodging, airfare and accreditation (from CinemaChile).

 

The award winner in the First Cut category was the film Anacoreta, de Francisco Bermejo, which received CLP 960,000, along with a scholarship for producer Francisco Hervé to attend the international educational program for up-and-coming producers at Rotterdam 2019, including lodging, airfare and registration.

Lorenzo Espósito, Karel Och, and Andréa Picard made up the jury that awarded the winning film.

 

CHILEAN CINEMATOGRAPHERS ASSOCIATION AWARD

For the first time, the association handed down the Héctor Ríos Award to one of the competing films in the Festival. The award-winners were Joaquín Cociña and Cristóbal León, for the film La Casa Lobo.

 

EXPLORE CINEMA MICRO MOVIE CONTEST

The winners of the Explora El Cine Micro Film Contest were announced at the ceremony. The contest was organized in the framework of the Valdivia International Film Festival, by the Valdivia Cultural Center for Film Promotion and PAR Explora Conicyt Los Ríos, and it was aimed at students from Middle and High School.

From the micro films made by students in Middle School, the prize went to La Isla de la Basura, by directors Ángela Sobarzo, Francisca Campo and Nélida Quil. An Honorary Mention was given to Valentina Álvarez, Anelis Obando and Crishna Valenzuela, from Escuela México de Valdivia, for their piece Las Puertas de la Belleza.

Meanwhile, in the High School segment, the award-winning picture was Teoría a Prueba, by José Tomás González, from Instituto Salesiano de Valdivia. Honorary Mention recipient was Franco Tapia, a student of Colegio Santa Cruz de Río Bueno, with his piece Por Qué Todos Debemos Ser Valorados?.

The distinctions included a field trip for the award-winning production teams, financed by PAR Explora Conicyt Los Ríos, seeking to bolster their talents in sciences, and audiovisual arts. Likewise, the young honorees received diplomas and Explora packs.