Outfest, the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, announced the winners for its 30th edition which came to a close today, with some prizes awarded to Latino talent. Chilean writer/director Marialy Rivas received the Special Programming Award for Emerging Talent for her film Young & Wild / Joven y alocada. According to the jury, the prize was awarded "for crafting a stylistically fearless film to match the excitement, danger and chaos that can erupt with youthful sexual exploration."
The Audience Award for Outstanding First U.S. Dramatic Feature Film with a cash prize of $5,000 went to Mosquita y Mari, directed by Aurora Guerrero. Its protagonist Fenessa Pineda, was also awarded the prize for Outstanding Actress in a US Dramatic Feature Film. According to the jury "this actress brought nuance and subtlety to a fresh coming of age story", and she won the prize "for beautifully capturing the fleeting moments of transition from innocence to curiosity to self-discovery."
The prize for Outstanding Screenwriting in a US Dramatic Feature Film, was awarded to Brazilian screenwriter Mauricio Zacharias and American filmmaker Ira Sachs for Keep the Lights On, directed by Sachs, which was also awarded the prize for Outstanding U.S. Dramatic Feature Film.
