Sublime by Mariano Biasin
This past Sunday, the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) announced the winners of its 48th annual edition, which includes three Latin American winners: the Brazilian film The Territory by Alex Pritz was awarded the Golden Space Needle for Best Documentary; Mexican director Horacio Alcalá won the Golden Space Needle Award for Best Director for his feature film Finlandia; and the Argentine film Sublime by Mariano Biasin was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Ibero-American Film.
The Territory by American director Pritz tells the story of a young indigenous leader and his mentor, who must fight back in defense of the land and an uncontacted group living deep within the forest as a network of Brazilian farmers seizes a protected area of the Amazon rainforest. In Finlandia, the multifaceted drama by Gómez Alcalá, nothing will be the same for the lives of the Muxes, the so-called third gender, after a devastating heartquake hits Oaxaca.
Biasin’s debut feature Sublime, tells the story of Manuel, a teenager living in a small coastal town. He plays bass in a band with his best friends. One of them is Felipe, with whom he shares a strong friendship from a very young age. Manuel is dating Azul, a relationship that they are intensely exploring. But when it comes time to have their first time together, Manuel feels something completely new that makes him see Felipe with different eyes. Routine situations of that friendship change tenor. Manuel tries to figure out if the impulse is mutual. The challenge is not putting the friendship at risk. Something that inevitably ends up being tested.
The jury of the Ibero-American Competition was composed of journalist Carlos Aguilar, filmmaker Álvaro Delgado Aparicio, and film professional Jasmine Jaisinghani. In a written statement, the jury stated that the award was presented to the Argentine film for “its nuanced depiction of adolescent self-discovery, delicately crafted performances, and use of music to broaden our perspective on the characters.”
The 48th edition of the Seattle International Film Festival took place April 14–24, 2022.
