The winners of the 28th edition of the annual Imagen Awards, honoring positive portrayals of Latinos and Latino culture in entertainment, were announced last tonight at a dinner ceremony held in the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The film Bless Me Ultima by Carl Franklin was the big winner of the night winning the prizes for Best Feature Film, and its leading actors Miriam Colon and Luke Ganalon received the prizes for Best Actress and Best Actor respectively.
Based on the controversial 1972 novel by acclaimed author Rudolfo Anaya, the film is a WWII drama set in New Mexico that is centered on the relationship between a young man and an elderly medicine woman who helps him contend with the battle between good and evil that rages in his village.
The prize for Best Documentary was awarded to Harvest of Empire by Peter Getzel and Eduardo Lopez. POV's Sin País by Theo Rigby was awarded with the prize for Best Theatrical Short / Student Film.
The awards ceremony were hosted by Latina journalist Elizabeth Espinosa, Winners were selected in 20 different categories from film, television and the internet, and judged by an independent panel of entertainment industry executives and Latino community leaders. Special recognition went to entrepreneur and philanthropist Christy Walton who won the Imagen Foundation’s President’s Award. Writer/Producer Jesus Salvador Trevino received the Lifetime Achievement Award and writing and directing brothers, Michael and Gerald Cuesta also received the Norman Lear Writing Award.
