The debut feature of Guatemalan director Jayro Bustamante, Ixcanul / Ixcanul Volcano (pictured) won the best Ibero-American picture and best director at the 30th Guadalajara International Film Festival. The film follows 17-year old María, a Mayan Kaqchikel teenager living near an active volcano in Guatemala, as she confronts an unwanted arranged marriage.
Gabriel Ripstein’s debut gun trafficking drama 600 Miles / 600 millas (pictured below), won the Mezcal prize for best Mexican film. The film was also the recipient of the best first feature award at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival.
The Yellow Thin Line / La delgada línea amarilla by Celso García received the special jury prize, screenplay and audience awards. It follows five men, hired to paint a 200 kilometer yellow median line on a road that connects two towns. Their 15-day journey ultimately changes their understanding life.
The FIPRESCI international critics prize award, and the Special Jury Prize in the Ibero-American section was handed to Natalia Bruschtein’s documentary Suspended Time / El Tiempo suspendido. The film chronicles a woman succumbing to the ravages of memory loss, who’s spent her life fighting for the preservation of historical memory.
Tea Time / La once (pictured left) by Maite Alberdi, won best Ibero-American documentary. The Chilean film tells the story of five elderly women who have met for tea once a month for the past 60 years. El Patrón, radiografía de un crimen / The boss, Anatomy of a Crime helmed by Sebastian Schindel was named best first film.
The prize for best Ibero-American short was handed to the animated debut, from Brazilian director Pedro’s Harres, Castillo y el Armado. The prize for best Mexican animated short film was awarded to Juan José Medina and Rita Basulto for their short Zimbo.
The Guadalajara International Film Festival was held March 6-15 in Mexico.
