From top to bottom: Esta Isla, Runa Simi, and A Bright Future
Numerous Latin American films were among the top winners of the 24th edition of the Tribeca Festival, whose awards were announced this afternoon in New York City.
The Puerto Rican drama Esta Isla (This Island) by Lorraine Jones and Cristian Carretero won three awards: the Best New Narrative Director Award, a Special Jury Mention for Best U.S. Narrative Feature, and Best Cinematography. This visually striking and emotionally mature drama follows young lovers Bebo and Lola—who come from opposite social circles in Puerto Rico—as they flee to a remote part of the island in the wake of a heinous murder.
The jury decided to award the Puerto Rican film, which “straddles crime fiction and ethnography; balances poetic imagery, lush landscapes, and cinematic tension; and takes audiences deep into the survival crisis of a young man on an island that is both paradise and prison.”
The Peruvian documentary Runa Simi by Augusto Zegarra received the Albert Maysles Award for Best New Documentary Director. The film follows a father and son’s mission to dub The Lion King into Quechua—an effort to preserve their endangered language and culture. “This award goes to a film that takes us on a seemingly lighthearted journey while tackling an essential question: why storytelling matters. From the casting, to the frame, to the editorial pacing, this director creates the total cinematic package, revealing one man’s fight to preserve his people’s culture” said the jury.
The Uruguayan sci-fi film A Bright Future won the Best Film Award in the Viewpoints competition. Starring Martina Paseggi, Soledad Pelayo, Sofía Gala, and Alfonso Tort, the film follows Elisa, a curious and clever young woman selected for mysterious work in “the North”—a place from which no one seems to return.
“This year’s Viewpoints award goes to a film driven by an original, inventive voice. The filmmaker creates a seamless world that is captivating, thought-provoking, fresh and increasingly relevant. Weaving themes of the fetishization of youth, the timeless pursuit of dreams, and what makes us human, and anchored by a pitch perfect performance from their lead actress, we are pleased to award this year’s Viewpoint prize to A Bright Future. We believe Lucia Garibaldi has a very bright future,” said the jury.
In the same Viewpoints competition, the Brazilian film Kites by Walter Thompson-Hernández received a Special Jury Mention. The Chilean film Cuerpo Celeste by Nayra Ilic García earned a Special Jury Mention for International Narrative Feature, while fellow Chilean production Petra and the Sun by Malu Furche and Stefania Malacchini was honored with a Special Jury Mention for Animated Short.
Finally, Latina actress Gabriela Ochoa Pérez won the award for Best Performance in a U.S. Narrative Feature for her role in Charliebird.
