Three Latin American productions won top prizes at the 75th Berlinale: the Brazilian film The Blue Trail / O Último Azul by Gabriel Mascaro received the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, the Argentine film The Message / El mensaje by Iván Fund won the Silver Bear Jury Prize, and the Mexican film The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box) / El Diablo Fuma (y guarda las cabezas de los cerillos quemados en la misma caja) by Ernesto Martínez Bucio was awarded Best First Feature.
The Blue Trail follows Tereza, an elderly woman who has spent her entire life in a small industrialized town in the Amazon. One day, she receives an official government order to relocate to a senior housing colony—a secluded facility where the elderly are sent to “enjoy” their final years, freeing the younger generation to focus on productivity and growth. Unwilling to accept this fate, Tereza embarks on a transformative journey through the rivers and tributaries of the Amazon to fulfill one last wish before her freedom is taken away—a decision that will change her destiny forever.
Mascaro became the eleventhj Latin American director to win the Berlinale Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize after Pablo Larraín (The Club / El club, Chile, 2015), Adrián Biniez (Giant / Gigante, Uruguay, 2009), Ariel Rotter (The Other / El otro, Argentina, 2007), Daniel Burman (Lost Embrace / El abrazo partido, Argentina, 2004), Tomás Gutiérrez Alea & Juan Carlos Tabío (Strawberry and Chocolate / Fresa y chocolate, Cuba, 1994), Héctor Olivera (Funny Dirty Little War / No habrá más penas ni olvido, Argentina, 1984), Ruy Guerra & Nelson Xavier (A Queda, Brazil, 1978), and Felipe Cazals (Canoa: A Shameful Memory / Canoa: memoria de un hecho vergonzoso, Mexico, 1976).
Set along the dusty roads of rural Argentina, The Message / El mensaje follows a young girl whose mysterious gift allows her opportunistic guardians to sell pet medium consultations to make a living. Whether magic or fraud, one thing is certain: the service is real, and innocence is a treasure.
The Message became the eighth Latin American film to win the Silver Bear Jury Prize (formerly the Alfred Bauer Prize), following Robe of Gems / Manto de gemas (Mexico, 2022) by Natalia López, The Heiresses / Las herederas (Paraguay, 2018) by Marcelo Martinessi, Ixcanul (Guatemala, 2015) by Jayro Bustamante, Giant / Gigante (Uruguay, 2009) by Adrián Biniez, Lake Tahoe (Mexico, 2008) by Fernando Eimbcke, and the Argentine films El custodio (2006) by Rodrigo Moreno and La ciénaga (2001) by Lucrecia Martel.
The Devil Smokes tells the story of five stoic young siblings—abandoned by their parents—whose fears intertwine with those of their schizophrenic grandmother, who now cares for them. As their realities merge, the boundary between imagination and the real world gradually dissolves.
Other Latin American winners at this year’s Berlinale include the Peruvian film The Memory of Butterflies / La memoria de las mariposas by Tatiana Fuentes Sadowski, which received a Special Mention for Best Documentary and was the winner of the FIPRESCI Cirtics’ Award in the Forum section.
The Brazilian feature Playtime / Hora do recreio by Lucia Murat and the Chilean short Sunset Over America / Atardecer en América by Matías Rojas Valencia both received Special Mentions in the Youth Jury Generation 14plus competition. The Colombian film Akababuru: Expression of Astonishment / Akababuru: Expresión de asombro by Irati Dojura Landa Yagarí was awarded a Special Mention in the Generation Kplus section, and the FIPRESCI Critics’ Award Panorama prize was presented to Under the Flags, the Sun / Bajo las banderas, el sol by Paraguayan filmmaker Juanjo Pereira.
The 75th edition of the Berlin Film Festival took place February 13-23 in Germany.
