Chilean Film LAS PLANTAS Wins Two Prizes at the Berlinale

Plants / Las plantas, the debut feature film by Chilean filmmaker Roberto Doveris (pictured left; photo credit: CinemaChile) was the winner of two prizes at the Berlin Film Festival, it was announced today. The film was the winner of the Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus International Jury for the Best Film, endowed with €7,500.

"We were strongly pulled towards a movie that sank into our subconscious. The director managed in a profound and extremely cinematic way to convey the sexual awakening of a young woman against a background of family under duress. The central performance is at once strikingly brave and also wonderfully vulnerable. The whole film announces a filmmaker not afraid of extending the boundaries of cinematic language and storytelling. This film is an unforgettable sui generis," said the jury in a statement."

The film received also a Special Jury Mention from the Youth Jury in the competition Generation 14plus. Las plantas (pictured right) follows 17-year-old Florencia who has to look after her brother -trapped in a persistent vegetative state- for a whole summer. She washes him, changes his nappies, and cuddles up to him in bed. From time to time she reads to him from a comic called Las Plantas, which is about plant souls that take control of human bodies at full moon. At night, Florencia makes contact with men on the internet. Images of her monotonous daily routine and a vibrant fantasy world merge to create a fascinating tale of a young woman as she self-determines her own sexual awakening.

The 66th edition of the Berlin Film Festival runs through Sunday, February 21.

Lubezki Makes History at the ASC Awards With Fifth Win

Emmanuel Lubezki made history last night at the 30th annual edition of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Awards, becoming the first Director of Photography to ever win the award five times, as well as the first one to receive the award in three consecutive years.

Lubezki won his fifth ASC Theatrical Release Award for his work in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s The Revenant. He had previously won for Birdman, also by Iñárritu, in 2015, Gravity by Alfonso Cuarón in 2014, The Tree of Life by Terrence Malick in 2011, and for Children of Men, also by Cuarón, in 2006.

"Its a tremendous honor to be here with all of you and to be nominated amongst this incredible group," Lubezki said in his acceptance speech. "People talk about how brutal the movie is, the conditions. From my perspective, it was an amazing experience (...) I think the most important thing was to have Alejandro—his passion, his incredibly energy. I think that’s what I’m going to remember most about the film. I share a big chunk of this award with him for taking me on this incredible journey and for being a great teacher and friend."

The winners of the 30th annual ASC Awards were announced at the Century Plaza hotel in Los Angeles, CA.

Iñárritu, Szifron, and Lubezki Win at the BAFTAS

The Revenant directed by Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu was the big winner at the 69th edition of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards taking home five awards out of its eight nominations including for Best Picture.

González Iñárritu (pictured left with actors Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio) won his first BAFTA for Best Director -after two previous nominations- and second BAFTA win ever after having won the award for Best Film Not in the English Language for Amores Perros in 2001. Mexican DP Emmanuel Lubezki won his fourth -and third consecutive- BAFTA Award for Best Cinematographer for The Revenant.

Damián Szifron’s Wild Tales / Relatos salvajes from Argentina was the winner of the BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language. In his acceptance speech the Argentinean filmmaker dedicated the award to his daughters, to Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar and his production company El Deseo, his actors, and to his father.

The winners of the BAFTA Awards were announced this evening in a ceremony at the Royal Opera House in London.

30 Latin American Films Headed to the Miami Film Fest

Miami Dade College’s Miami International Film Festival announced its 33rd edition’s showcase last week. The Festival gives world cinema center stage in Miami for the week with 129 feature-length and short films. There is no shortage of Latin American titles, with a grand total of 30 feature-films and 3 shorts representing the region.  

The Knight competition considers films made by filmmakers who have directed at least one previous Official Selection (feature) of the Festival. Films are eligible for Achievement awards totaling up to $40,000 in cash. In the fiction section of the Knight competition three films will see their U.S. premiere; the Argentine-Spanish Truman by Cesc Gay, Mexican Te prometo anarquía / I Promise You Anarchy by Julio Hernández Cordón and Spanish-Uruguayan El apóstata / The Apostate by Federico Veiroj. Also in the fiction showcase is La patota / Paulina by Santiago Mitre from Argentina, La memoria del agua / The Memory of Water by Matias Bize from Chile, Aquí no ha pasado nada / Much Ado About Nothing (pictured left) by Alejandro Fernandez-Almendras from Chile, The Companion by Pavel Giroud from Cuba and Argentina by Spanish director Carlos Saura from Argentina.

In the documentary section of the Knight competition come three films from Latin America; from Chile and Mexico, Allende mi abuelo Allende / Beyond My Grandfather Allende by Marcia Tambutti Allende, from Argentina and Germany, Our Last Tango by German Kral and from the U.S., Queen of Thursdays by Orlando Rojas.

The Lexus Ibero American Feature Film Competition focuses on Ibero-American films that will compete for at jury-selected $10,000 prize. This showcase includes seven North American premieres and one U.S. premiere. The North American premieres are Cien años de perdón / One Hundred Years of Forgiveness from Argentina by Daniel Calparsoro, Espejuelos oscuros / Dark Glasses, from Cuba by Jessica Rodriguez, Sin hijos / No Kids (pictured right) from Argentina by Ariel Winograd, Siembra from Colombia by Angela Osorio Rojas and Santiago Lozano Alvarez, Maquinaria panamericana / Panamerican Machinery from Mexico by Joaquín del Paso, Noche de perros / Dogs’ Night from Argentina by Nacho Sesma and The King of Havana from the Dominican Republic and Spain by Agustí Villaronga. Mexican The Heirs by Jorge Hernandez will receive its U.S. premiere.

Also featured in Ibero American competition is Venezuelan Desde allá / From Afar by Lorenzo Vigas, Puerto Rican La granja / The Farm by Angel Manuel Soto, Peruvian Magallanes by Salvador del Solar, Argentine-Uruguayan Mi amiga del parque by Ana Katz, Costa Rican Viaje by Paz Fabrega and Argentine Abzurdah by Daniela Goggi.

Competing in the Shorts section for a $2,500 cash prize is The 100 Years Show from the U.S. by Alison Klayman, Land Tides from Chile by Manuela Martelli and Amirah Tajdin, North American premiere, La nube from Cuba by Marcel Beltrán and world premiere, Doble 9 from the U.S. by Aisha Schliessler.

The Miami Film 2016 section features the winners of the Latin American film market, Ventana Sur. The films are Absent from Argentina by Marco Berger, Refugiado from Argentina, Colombia, France, Germany and Poland by Diego Lerman and Villegas from Argentina, France and the Netherlands by Gonzalo Tobal.

And, especially curated for younger film fans, the MIFFecito section will feature a world premiere from Chile, Colombia and Mexico by Andrés Waissbluth, entitled Elephant: The Horse.

The 33rd edition of Miami International Film Festival will take place March 4-13, 2016 in Miami, Florida.

Trapero and Darín Win at the Goya Awards

Two Argentinean productions were the big winners at the 30th edition of the Goya Awards -Spain’s national film prize- it was announced at the awards ceremony last night in Madrid.

The Spanish-Argentinean co-production Truman by Cesc Gay won in five of the six categories in which was nominated including for Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor. Argentinean actor Ricardo Darín (pictured left) won the Goya for Best Actor for his role of Julián in the film. This was Darín's first win after four Goya Award nominations.

The comedy tells the story of two friends, Julián and Tomás, who go on an emotional journey together accompanied by Julián's faithful dog, Truman.

Additionally, Pablo Trapero’s The Clan / El clan was the winner of Best Ibero-American film. The crime drama, which was Argentina’s official candidate to this year’s Academy Awards, tells the true story of a middle-class family pulled into a world of kidnapping, ransom and murder by the family’s patriarch.

Iñárritu Repeats Last Year’s Win at the DGA Awards

Alejandro González Iñárritu became the first director to ever win the Directors Guild of America’s for Outstanding Directing Feature Film in two consecutive years. The Mexican filmmaker won the top prize at the 68th Annual DGA Awards for The Revenant last night, which also raises his chances of a second consecutive win at the Academy Awards.

"I never expected to win this award, truly. “I’m… paralyzed. Tough men don’t cry, that’s what Ridley Scott said today," Iñárritu said in his acceptance speech.

He added: "There was more than 120 Mexicans in the kitchen that served your hot food, and that was the best party I’ve had had. Like a Viva Mexico kind of thing. That’s not the people Donald Trump has described at all… they contribute a lot to this country. And this hug, and this embrace that you’re giving me today goes to a whole country, goes to a Latin American community in this country."

This was Iñárritu’s third DGA Award win and fourth nomination. He won the award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film last year for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). He was also nominated in the same category for Babel in 2006, and won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials for “Best Job” (Procter & Gamble) in 2012.

Additionally filmmaker Matthew Heineman won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary for the US-Mexico coproduction film Cartel Land.

The 68th Annual DGA Awards were presented the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, last night.