The Conference of Birds by Kevin Contento
Latinx filmmakers have taken top honors at the 32nd New Orleans Film Festival, winning the top prizes in the Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature competitions.
The Jury Award Winner for Best Film in the Narrative Feature Competition was The Conference of Birds, the debut feature film by Colombian-American Kevin Contento. The film weaves together a handful of Farid Ud-Din Attar’s twelfth-century tales with everyday life in rural Pahokee, Florida and presents a series of portraits that triumphantly exhibit the true nature of the strong Black man in a culture that continues to perpetuate an image of degradation. The award includes a $15,000 Panavision camera rental package and a $13,500 Light Iron Post Production Services.
The Puerto Rican film Perfume de Gardenias, the debut feature film by Gisela Rosario received a Special Jury Mention. The dark comedy tells the story of Isabel, who at 80, years old, must find a new way to live despite the all-encompassing grief. In an effort to honor her husband in death, Isabel crafts a beautiful and unique service. Her neighbor attends the wake and encourages her to use that same creativity to plan the funerals of the aging and ill people in their community. Feeling aimless and alone, Isabel decides to take up on the offer and is suddenly immersed in a world she never knew existed.
The winner of the Best Film in the Documentary Feature Competition was Maya Cueva and Leah Galant’s On the Divide, which follows a Latinx community on the U.S./Mexico border who are literally and figuratively the ground zero for this administration's strict policies on immigration and healthcare. This character-driven portrait features three stories of people who are struggling for a sense of belonging in their community. Cueva is a Latinx award-winning director and producer with a background in radio and podcast producing.
Additionally, the Brazilian short Fireflies (Vagalumes) by Léo Bittencourt received a Special Jury Mention in the Experimental Shorts Competition, and Mexican-born photographer and camera operator Andrés Ballesteros was announced winner of the John-Carlo Monti Award for below-the-line, on-set crew members, not traditionally recognized.
The 32nd hybrid edition of the New Orleans Film Festival took place November 5—21.
