LAND AND SHADE Tops AFI FEST

The Colombian film Land and Shade / La Tierra y la sombra, the debut feature by César Augusto Acevedo was the winner of the New Auteurs Grand Jury Award, the top prize at the 2015 edition of the AFI FEST in Los Angeles. The film had its world premiere at the International Critics’ Week of the Cannes Film Festival last May, where it was presented the Caméra d’Or Award for Best First Film.

Land and Shade tells the story of Alfonso, an old farmer who has returned home to tend to his son, who is gravely ill. He rediscovers his old house, where the woman who was once his wife still lives, with his daughter-in-law and grandson. The landscape that awaits him resembles a wasteland. Vast sugar cane plantations surround the house, producing perpetual clouds of ash. 17 years after abandoning them, Alfonso tries to fit back in and save his family. The film was picked by Outsider Pictures for U.S distribution.

Additionally, the Venezuelan film Desde allá / From Afar, the debut feature by Lorenzo Vigas was presented by with the Special Jury Mention for Screenplay.

Latin America Triumphs at Thessaloniki

Several Latin American film productions were awarded at the 56th edition of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. The Silver Alexander, Special Jury Award was presented to the Colombian film La tierra y la sombra / Land and Shade (pictured) by César Augusto Acevedo. The film was also winner of the Audience Award, and the Human Values Award, presented by the Hellenic Parliament TV Channel.

Bronze Alexander,  Special Jury Award went to the Argentinean film Camino a la Paz / Road to La Paz by Francisco Varone, while Mexican filmmaker Gabriel Ripstein was presented the Best Director Award for his debut feature film 600 Miles.

Lorenzo Vigas’ Desde allá / From Afar was the winner of the awards for Best Screenplay and Best Actor presented to Chilean thespian Alfredo Castro.

Additionally, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Latino director Alfonso Gómez-Rejón was the winner of the Audience Award in the Open Horizons section of the festival.

The 56th edition of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival took place November 6-15, in Greece.

Mexican Doc KINGS OF NOWHERE Nabs Cinema Eye Nomination

Kings of Nowhere / Los reyes del pueblo que no existe, the debut film of Mexican filmmaker Betzabé García, has been nominated for Cinema Eye 9th Annual Nonfiction Film Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Debut Feature Film. The film, which premiered in SXSW Film Festival in March this year, tells the story of three families living in a flooded town in Northwestern Mexico.

García’s film draws draws on a long-time interest in the town of San Marcos, which started when she first visited the village at only 13. Due to the construction of a dam, the town was flooded and the population decreased from 300 families to three. With the support of the community, she first directed the short film Venecia, Sinaloa (2011) inspired by the families which had endured the flood, and later decided to make Kings of Nowhere, looking at the residents that decided to stay their ground in this Mexican village.

The film won the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary at the 2015 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. The jury, Marilyn Ness, Sam Pollard, and Bernardo Ruiz, declared the following about García’s opera prima: "With remarkably assured direction, especially from a first-time filmmaker, Kings of Nowhere delivers artful and thoughtfully paced storytelling. Though Kings of Nowhere on its face appears to be a local story, in fact it speaks to universal themes confronting humanity worldwide: people abandoned by their governments, facing unimaginable violence, and enduring neglect. Kings of Nowhere represents its characters with dignity and depth and it does so at the highest levels of our craft."

Among the thirty-eight feature films nominated for the awards is Cartel Land, Matthew Heineman’s account of violence and vigilantes on both sides of the US-Mexico border, which leads all film with five nomination, including Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature, Direction, Production, Cinematography, and Original Music Score.

Founded in late 2007, Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking “recognize and honor exemplary craft and innovation in nonfiction film,” as per Cinema Eye’s website. Winners will be announced at the 9th Annual Honors Ceremony on January 13, 2016 at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City.

Bernardo Ruiz's KINGDOM OF SHADOWS Opens November 20

Participant Media has announced the U.S. theatrical release and North American tour of the documentary film Kingdom of Shadows by Bernardo Ruiz (pictured left). The film premiered at the SXSW Film Festival this year, and will screen throughout the United States and Mexico this fall leading up to its video-on-demand and theatrical releases November 20 in Los Angeles, New York, and select cities.

Ruiz is previously known for directing the Emmy-nominated Reportero, and hailed by New York Magazine as "a powerful reminder of how journalism often requires immense amounts of physical and psychological bravery."

In Kingdom of Shadows, Ruiz takes an unflinching look at the human cost of the U.S.-Mexico drug war through the perspectives of three unlikely individuals. Sister Consuelo Morales, based in the devastated city of Monterrey, prods government officials to take action against the drug cartels on behalf of grieving families whose loved ones have gone missing. Texan
rancher Don Henry Ford Jr. offers historical context for the evolution to the hyper-violent state of drug trafficking today, as he recounts his career as a smuggler during the 1980s, before he served time for importing marijuana.

And undercover agent-turned-senior Homeland Security officer, Oscar Hagelsieb, recounts his own remarkable journey and offers a unique perspective on the U.S.’ role in the drug war. As the child of undocumented parents, Oscar grew up in an impoverished neighborhood where many of his peers gave in to the temptations of the drug economy.

Ruiz has spent his entire professional life exploring the relationship between the United States and Mexico and sees this film as a continuation of the work he has done throughout his career: "I believe this crisis has been underreported until recently... what I wanted to do in Kingdom of Shadows is to make a stealth human-rights film. It’s an exploration of the root causes behind this unacceptable level of violence in Mexico."

The film opens November 20 at Cinema Village in New York City, at the Downtown Independent in Los Angeles, the Media Arts Center in San Diego, and the St. Anthony Main Theater in Minneapolis. It will also have special screenings in numerous cities across the U.S. and Mexico including Austin, Dallas, and San Francisco.

Top photo courtesy of IMCINE.

EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT Tops Mar del Plata

Latin American cinema was the big winner at the 30th edition of the Mar del Plata Film Festival as many films from the region took the top honors. The Colombian film El abrazo de la serpiente / Embrace of the Serpent (pictured left) by Ciro Guerra was the presented the Golden Astor for Best Film in the international competition.

The Silver Astor for Best Screenplay was awarded to the Chilean film El club / The Club by Pablo Larraín. The ensemble cast of the film composed by Alfredo Castro, Roberto Farías, Jaime Vadell y Alejandro Goic was presented the Silver Astor for Best Actor, while Erica Rivas received the Silver Astor for Best Actress for her role in Ariel Rotter’s La luz incidente / Incidental Light from Argentina.

In the Latin American competition, the Mexican-Dominican co-production Santa Teresa y otras historias / Santa Teresa and Other Stories by Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias was awarded Best Film. The Argentinean-Paraguayan co-production Princesas / Princess by Natural Arpajou was awarded for Best Short Film.

Benjamín Naishtat’s El movimiento / The Movement (pictured right) was the winner of the Best Argentinean Film of the Festival, while Fernando Salem was awarded for Best Director for his feature film Como funcionan casi todas las cosas / How Most Things Work.

The 30th edition of the Mar del Plata Film Festival took place October 30 - November 7, in Argentina.

Latin American Films Awarded at Chicago

The Chicago International Film Festival announced the winners of its 51st edition, which included several Latin American selections.

In the international competition, the Silver Hugo, Special Jury Prize was presented to the Argentinean film Paulina (pictured left) by Santiago Mitre. "A beautifully realized film from Argentina which poses complex political questions that sidestep easy moralizing, causing us to stop and consider how far we would go to preserve our own sense of moral justice" said the jury.

The Silver Hugo for Best Director was awarded to Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín for his film The Club / El club (pictured right) "for masterful direction of actors and assured handling of suspense which stares into the abyss of human depravity." The film was also presented with Silver Plaque, Best Ensemble, "for this incredibly powerful assemblage of great Chilean actors," and the Silver Plaque for Best Screenplay “for delivering a truly profound reality of revenge and compassion."

In the documentary competition, the Mexican film Time Suspended / Tiempo suspendido by Argentinean-born Natalia Bruschtein won a Gold Plaque Special Mention, “a film that combines archival with vérité footage to explore the tension between trauma and memory through the experience of a compelling individual who confronted political dictatorship and memory loss.”

The Gold Hugo, top prize for live action short film was presented to the Colombian film Leidi by Simón Mesa Soto. “A character study set in a broad urban landscape framed by mountains, this portrait of a day in the life of a teenage mother in Medellin, Colombia immerses the audience in its heroine’s concerns and yearnings. Simón Mesa Soto’s sensitive direction gives weight to the subtle and meaning to the unspoken,” said the jury.

The Silver Hugo, Documentary was awarded to the American-Colombian film Santa Cruz del Islote by Luke Lorentzen, while the Gold Plaque, Documentary was awarded to the Chilean short film A Tale of Love, Madness and Death by Mijael Bustos Gutiérrez.

The 51st edition of the Chicago Film Festival took place October 15-29.