The Chilean film Las cosas como son / Things the Way they Are (pictured) by Fernando Lavanderos was the winner of the prize for Best Latin American Film at the 27th edition of the Mar del Plata Film Festival, which took ran November 17-25 at the coastal Argentinean city.
Lavanderos' sophomore film follows Jerónimo, an antisocial guy who rents out rooms to foreign people and goes through their belongings. An attractive Scandinavian girl arrives to his house, and he falls for her. But just when it seems he’s won her over, he starts to get suspicious. She is hiding something in the house, something that raises Jerónimo’s worst fears.
The jury gave two Special Mentions to Alicia Cano's El Bella Vista from Uruguay and Carlos Reygadas' Post Tenebras Lux from Mexico. Reality 2.0 by Víctor Orozco Ramírez from Mexico received the prize for Best Latin American Short Film, and Amir Admoni's Linear from Brazil receives a Special Jury Mention in the same category.
In the Argentinean competition, the prize for Best Film went to Hermanos de sangre / Blood Brothers by Daniel de la Vega. José Celestino Campusano was awarded the Best Director prize for his film Fango. Pablo Gonzalo Pérez's Ojos / Eyes was selected as Best Argentinean Short Film, and Geraldine Barón received the prize for Best Director of Short Film for her film Hotel Y.
