Four Latin American films, from Mexico, Brazil, El Salvador, and Argentina, were awarded yesterday at the 47th annual edition of the Seattle Film Festival: The Son of Monarchs / Hijo de monarcas by Alexis Gambis, Fly so Far / Nuestra libertad by Celina Escher, Valentina by Cássio Pereira dos Santos, and The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet / El perro que no calla by Ana Katz.
The Mexican-American co-production Son of Monarchs by French-Venezuelan director Gambis was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize in the New American Cinema Competition. In a written statement the jury described the winner as an “engrossing film about science and spirituality with a fresh image of the Mexican-American experience that dissolves conventional ideas about borders.” The film, winner of the Sloan Prize at the Sundance Film Festival follows a New York-based Mexican biologist dedicated to mapping out the monarch butterfly’s genetics returns to Mexico for his grandmother’s funeral, coming to terms with the repressed trauma of his youth.
In the Ibero-American competition, the Grand Jury Prize was presented to the documentary film Fly so Far by Swiss-Salvadoran filmmaker Celina Escher. The jury decided to give the prize to “a compelling documentary focused on the efforts of 17 El Salvadoran women imprisoned for decades for terminated pregnancies, deemed ‘aggravated homicides’ under El Salvadoran law. Led by Teodora Vasquez—sentenced to 30 years for a miscarriage after being mugged—the women unite and fuel a movement for reproductive rights chronicled here with stirring emotion. We proudly award the Grand Jury Prize to Fly so Far directed by Celina Escher, for its deeply moving and visually stunning cinematic testament to indomitable courage.”
The Ibero-American jury panel also decided to give two Special Mentions: one for Outstanding Acting to Brazilian trans actress Thiessa Woinbackk for Valentina, “for doing justice to her complex character by finding the best way forward without sacrificing one's essence, and a heartfelt performance that will stay with the audience all the way,” and a second one to the Argentine film The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet for its freshness, its innovative approach to filmmaking and its originality (and prescience) in storytelling.”
The 47th edition of the Seattle Film Festival took place April 8-18, 2021.
