The Border by David David
The Colombian film The Border / La frontera and the Brazilian film King Kong in Asuncion / King Kong en Asuncion were the top winners at the 48th annual edition of the Gramado Film Festival in Brazil, each taking home four and three awards, respectively.
The Border, the debut feature by David David, was the winner of three Kikito Awards for Best International Film, Best Actress for its two protagonists Daylin Vega Moreno and Sheila Monterola, and for Best Screenplay. The film follows Diana Ipuana, a pregnant indigenous woman who lives on a hamlet by the Colombian-Venezuelan border, with her husband Chevrolet and brother Jorge. They find supplies by looting travelers who take shortcuts between the countries, since the official road was closed by the government of Venezuela. One day Chevrolet and Jorge get killed. From there, Diana must test the resilient power of her Wayuu femininity, and learn to expand her own borders.
Other winners in the Latin American competition are Mariana Viñoles’s A Great Trip to a Small Country / El gran viaje al país pequeño from Uruguay for Best Director and the Special Jury Prize, and Martin Desalvo’s The Hunter’s Silence / El silencio del cazador from Argentina for Best Cinematography.
Camilo Cavalcante’s King Kong in Asuncion was the winner of the Best Film Award in the Brazilian competition, Best Actor, and Best Music. The film follows an old rent killer who has just committed his latest murde, hidden in the interior of Bolivia. After months in isolation, he travels to the interior of Paraguay where he receives a large reward and thinks about meeting his daughter.
Other winners in the Brazilian competition were Ruy Guerra’s Aos Pedaços for Best Director and Best Cinematography, Felipe Bragança’s Um Animal Amarelo for Best Screenplay, Best Actress, and Special Jury Mention.
The 48th annual edition of the Gramado Film Festival took place 18-26 September in Brazil.
