Mexican film Summer White / Blanco de verano, the debut feature by Rodrigo Ruiz Patterson, is the top winner at the 23rd edition of the Malaga Film Festival in Spain having received three awards: for Best Ibero-American film (with a cash prized of 12,000 euros), Best Screenplay (written by Ruiz Patterson and Raúl Sebastián Quintanilla), and Best Supporting Actor (Fabián Corres).
An outstanding and compelling coming-of-age psychological drama, Summer White tells the story of 13-year-old Rodrigo (played with bravado by newcomer Adrián Rossi), a solitary teenager who finds solace in his intimate relationship with his mother, Valeria (Sophie Alexander-Katz). She is his best friend, his protector, and his entire world. When her new boyfriend comes to live in their small house on the outskirts of Mexico City, however, Rodrigo finds his domain completely disrupted. He must decide if he should accept his new family or fight back and hurt the person he loves most.
Other Latin American winners at the Spanish film festival include Mexican filmmaker Arturo Ripstein for Best Director for his latest film Devil Between the Legs / El diablo entre las piernas; Alberto Ammann y Pablo Echarri from Argentina, who both received the Best Actor Award for their performance in Martín Desalvo’s The Silence of the Hunter / El silencio del cazador; Regina Casé from Brazil, recipient of the Best Actress Award for Three Summers / Três Veroes by Sandra Kogut; and Laura Herrero Garvin’s La Mami winner of a Special Jury Mention in the documentary competition.
The 23rd edition of the Malaga Film Festival took place August 21-30 in Spain.
