The Employer and the Employee by Manolo Nieto
The San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM), the longest-running film festival in the Americas announced last Saturday the winners of its 65th edition, which includes a handful of Latin American and Latinx winners from Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and the United States.
The Uruguayan film The Employer and the Employee / El empleado y el patrón, the third film by Manolo Nieto was the winner of the Cine Latino Jury Award. The jury composed of was selected by director and producer Cristina Gallego, filmmaker Alexandre Moratto, and director Rodrigo Reyes selected the film for “its nuanced portrait of the co-dependency between Latin America’s ruling and working classes. This filmmaker’s bold choices and narrative risks result in a film that’s at once riveting, unique, surprising, and insightful.” said the jury in a written statement.
The Argentine film Sublime, the debut feature by Mariano Biasin, received an Honorable Jury Mention, in the Critics-New Directors competition. The jury gave special attention to the “deft coming-of-age movie that channels the intense bond between teenage BFFs through their shared passion for garage rock.” The Brazilian film Mars One / Marte Um by Gabriel Martins was the winner of the Audience Award for Narrative Feature.
The Mexico-U.S-Belgium coproduction The Time of the Fireflies by Matteo Robert Morales and Mattis Appelqvist Dalton was the winner of the Golden Gate Award for Best Mid-Length Film. In awarding the prize to The Time of the Fireflies, the jury described it as “…a poignant depiction of the sacrifice many are forced to make in order to support their families. It’s a stunningly cinematic and beautiful film about the migration, reflection, and reconnection of one family that skirts an overtly political and formulaic narrative in favor of illuminating all the magic that happens in the space, silence and stillness in between movements. The filmmakers take such great care.”
And Honeybee by Latinx director Emilio Vazquez Reyes was the winner of the Golden Gate Award for Youth Works Shorts, for “…its powerful story, deft camerawork, and impressive editing. Honeybee continues to have a lasting impact on us as we reflect on its crucial messages” said the jury in a statement.
The 65th edition of the San Francisco Film Festival took place April 21-May 1.
