The Argentine film Simon of the Mountain / Simón de la montaña, the debut feature by director Federico Luis, has just been announced as the winner of the Grand Prix at the 63rd edition of the Critics’ Week, the independent parallel section at the Cannes Film Festival.
The debut feature by Argentine director Luis—a co-production between Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay—follows Simon, a 21-year-old young man who introduces himself as a mover's helper. He claims not to know how to cook or clean the bathroom, but he does know how to make a bed. However, he seems to have become a different person recently.
Born in Buenos Aires in 1990, Luis studied Social Communication Sciences at the UBA (University of Buenos Aires). His short film La siesta had its international premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival in the Official Short Film Competition and received an Honorable Mention at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Shortcuts program. It also won Best Short Film at the 2019 Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival (BAFICI). In 2023, he received the award for Best Short at IDFA.
Additionally, the Brazilian actor Ricardo Teodoro was presented with the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award for his breakthrough performance in Baby by Marcelo Caetano.
The 63rd edition of Critics’ Week took place May 15-23 at Cannes.
