The Bolivian film Tu Me Manques by Rodrigo Bellott and the Mexican documentary film Maricarmen by Sergio Morkin were the top winners at the 27th edition of the San Diego Latino Film Festival, taking home the awards for Best Narrative Film and Best Documentary Film, respectively.
Starring Óscar Martínez and Rossy de Palma, Bellott’s tender exploration of acceptance and loss follows José, who travels to New York City to make sense of his son Gabriels’ suicide—and to get much-needed answers from his boyfriend, Sebastian. As their differences melt away, their pain and grief are incorporated into Sebastian’s transcendent new play: A revolutionary act of queer liberation and homage to Gabriel.
Maricarmen tells the story of the Maricarmen Graue, a 52-year-old cello player who plays with a rock band, as well as in a chamber orchestra. She is also a music teacher, a writer, and a marathon runner. She lives alone and is completely blind. She copes with her condition by having a biting sense of humor and being fiercely self-demanding. Swaying between laughter and a bare-boned meditation on the act of living, the documentary navigates the labyrinths surrounding a survivor.
Other winners announced by the festival include the Best Youth Film Award to Hecho en México by Samantha del Rio, the Best Family Film Award to Hotel Paraíso by Daniel Rehder, the Best Narrative Short Award to Destete, and the Best Frontera Short Award to Niña sola by Javier Ávila.
