Several Latin American winners were announced at the 28th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival, the largest genre festival in North America, which was held in Montreal, Canada July 18 - August 4.
In the Cheval Noir main competition, the Argentine film Electrophilia / Los impactados, the most recent film by Lucía Puenzo was the winner of three awards: a Special Jury Mention for Best Film, for Best Screenplay, and Outstanding Performance Award presented to Chilean actress Mariana Di Girolamo (ex aequo).
Electrophilia tells the story of Ada [played by Di Girolamo, (Ema)], who is struck by lightning during a storm in the countryside, resulting in physical and psychological reconfiguration. Her journey towards electrophilia, as she joins a group of lightning strike survivors and the magnetic doctor they blindly trust, proves an unlikely path towards rebuilding her sense of self. The road to electrophilia will be a journey of no return…
The Guatemalan film Rita, the latest by acclaimed director Jayro Bustamante was the winner for Best Cinematography, presented to DP Inti Briones. The film follows a 13-year-old girl who runs away from her abusive father to the big city. She finds solace until she’s placed in a safe house run by the State. She and her cellmates plots an escape that ends in a shocking act of violence.
The Chilean film Empty Jars / Frascos vacíos by Guillermo Ribbeck was the big winner in the International Short Film Competition winning the awards for Best Film, Best Screenplay, and Outstanding Performance (ex aequo). The stylish dark fantasy tells the story of a woman (played by Ana Burgos) who frees a ghost and works to find it a suitable human vessel to possess.
And the Haitian film Kidnapping Inc. by Bruno Mourral, a comedic thriller about two hapless kidnappers who tasked with what appears to be a simple abduction for hire, only to find out that it's anything but and end up in the middle of a political conspiracy, received a Special Jury Mention in the New Flesh competition.
