The Fishbowl by Glorimar Marrero Sánchez
Mutt, the debut feature by Chilean-Serbian director Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, and the Puerto Rican film The Fishbowl / La pecera by Glorimar Marrero Sánchez, were among the winners at the 49th edition of the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF).
The Grand Jury Prize in the New American Cinema competition was presented to Mutt, “recognizing the raw, emotional insight into the transitional journey towards reconnection and reconciliation,” said the jury in a statement. The film tells the story of Feña (played by Sundance award-winner Lío Mehiel), who is still early in his transition and must navigate how he’s perceived by people from his past, including his ex-boyfriend, his half-sister, and his out-of-touch father over one long, hectic summer day in New York City.
The Fishbowl was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize in the Ibero-American competition. “This beautifully understated film grapples with the emotional, physical and psychological effects of colonial exploitation on a Puerto Rican community. Following a San Juan-based documentary filmmaker in the wake of her terminal cancer diagnosis, the film deepens in resonance through a sensual aesthetic and a complex central performance by Isel Rodriguez,” said the jury in a statement.
The debut feature from Marrero Sánchez, follows Noelia, a terminally ill woman returns to her native Puerto Rican island, one that the U.S. Navy poisoned with decades of military practices, to reunite with old friends and come to terms with her fate.
The 2023 edition of the Seattle International Film Festival took place May 11-21.
