Guillermo Pfening from Argentina was the winner of the Best Actor Award in the international competition at the 2017 edition of the Tribeca Film Festival for his protagonist role in Julia Solomonoff's Nobody's Watching. The award "for a performance of extraordinary vulnerability and commitment that anchored the film," was given by actors Alessandro Nivola and Willem Dafoe, on behalf of the jury which also included Peter Fonda, Tavi Gevinson, and Ruth Wilson.
Pfening plays the role of Nico, who leaves a promising acting career in Argentina after a romantic break-up with his male married producer. He lands in New York City, lured into believing that his talent will help him find success “on his own” and prove his self-worth. But that’s not what he discovers. Too blond to play Latino and his accent too strong to play anything else, Nico falls through the cracks, and must juggle odd jobs to survive. Unwilling to return home and be seen as a failure, Nico manages to stay afloat thanks to his ability to pretend to be something he isn’t. But he gets lost in his own lies. Theo, the baby he cares for, becomes his only genuine bond of affection. His fragile world is shaken when he receives a visit from his former producer/mentor and ex-lover.
