Ana Cristina Barragán's coming-of-age debut feature Alba was the top winner at the 3rd edition of the Ecuadorian Film Festival in New York receiving the award for Best Film, while Translúcido / Translucid by Leonard Zelig was the most popular film at the festival, winning the Audience Award. The jury decided to give a special mention to the documentary film Territorio by Alexandra Cuesta.
Barragan's film follows eleven-year-old Alba, who has to go to live with her father Igor, who she barely knows, after her mother is admitted to the hospital. Igor’s attempts to get closer to Alba, the girls in her school, and her first kiss serve to propel her path to adolescence and acceptance of her family. The film had its world premiere at the Rotterdam Film Festival and played in numerous festivals and series. Alba had its New York premiere last April at The Museum of Modern Art as part of the series "Latin American Cinema: The State of the Art."
Starring popular telenovela actor Roberto Manrique, Translúcido tells the story of Rubén, who has been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. He has three months to live or about a year and a half with treatment. He has decided to end his life with dignity, leaving no loose ends.
