Estíbaliz Urresola’s 20,000 Species Of Bees and Kattia G. Zúñiga’s Sister & Sister won top awards at 2023 Málaga Film Festival, taking best Spanish film and best Latin American film, respectively, as the Andalusian event closed on Sunday.
In other key awards at the festival’s 26th edition, Gerardo Herrero’s Under Therapy earned a special jury prize director and Matías Bize claimed the best director prize for The Punishment.
20,000 Species Of Bees won the Berlin Silver Bear for best leading performance for young Sofía Otero last month and added the Golden Biznaga for best Spanish film and a Silver Biznaga for best supporting actress for Patricia López Arnaiz. This coming-of-age story centres on a gender identity trip undertaken by an eight-year-old child and is produced by Gariza Films, Sirimiri Films and Inicia Films.
Luxbox handles international sales and recently licensed UK & Ireland rights to Curzon following previous deals for Denmark, Benelux, Poland, and Taiwan among others.
The Golden Biznaga for best Latin American film went to Sister & Sister, about two sibling teens travelling from Costa Rica to Panama in search of their father. It is a production of Panama’s Mente Pública and Chile’s Ceibita Films and is sold by Germany’s Pluto Film.
Under Therapy is a comedy about a singular group therapy practice involving three couples. It’s produced by Herrero and Mariela Besuievsky’s production outfit Tornasol Films. The film and remake rights are sold by Latido.
A veteran producer in the Spanish panorama, Herrero has produced 175 films since Tornasol’s foundation in 1987, among them Juan José Campanella’s Oscar winner The Secret In Your Eyes.
The Punishment tells of a desperate search for the son of a couple, which tests the strength of their bond. It’s a production of Chile’s Ceneca Producciones and Argentina’s Leyenda Films and is sold by thriving sales company Bendita Films.
A production of Coming Soon Films and A Contracorriente Films, Els Encantats won the best original screenplay award for Miguel Ibáñez and director Elena Trapé, Latido Films handles sales on the drama focused on the inner fears of a mother.
Acting prizes went to Alberto Ammann and María Vázquez for their works in Alejandro Rojas and Juan Sebastián Vásquez’s Upon Entry and Álvaro Gago’s Matria. They are sold by Charades and New Europe Film Sales, respectively.
A portrait of a formerly world-famous tango couple who evoke their old passion, Empieza El Baile, took the audience award. It’s directed by Argentine Marina Seresesky.
In the Zonazine section devoted to most daring and up-and-coming cineastes, Omar Al Abdul Razzak’s coming-of-age story Killing Crabs took the best Spanish film award, while Leonardo Barbuy La Torre’s Peruvian drama Diogenes received the best Ibero-American film award. Killing Crabs is sold by Filmax.
As for the industry prizes, La Nit No Fa Vigilia – directed by a collective of young filmmakers including Laura Corominas Espelt, Laura Serra Solé, Clara Serrano Llorens, Gerard Simó Gimeno, Ariadna Ulldemolins Abad and Pau Vall Capdet – took the WIP España award, while the WIP Ibero-America award went to Francisco Bouza’s Ciudad Oculta.
Another title getting a cash prize for completion funds was Víctor Iriarte’s Foremost By Night, which took the Aracne Digital Cinema and Latido Films awards.
Malaga 2023 winners
Golden Biznaga for best Spanish film
20,000 Species Of Bees, dir. Estíbaliz Urresola Solaguren
Golden Biznaga for best Latin American film
Sister & Sister, dir. Kattia G. Zúñiga (Panama)
Silver Biznaga, Special Jury Prize
Under Therapy, dir. Gerardo Herrero
Silver Biznaga for best director
Matías Bize, The Punishment
Silver Biznaga for best actress
María Vázquez, Matria
Silver Biznaga for best actor
Alberto Ammann, Upon Entry
Silver Biznaga for best supporting actress
Patricia López Arnaiz, 20,000 Species Of Bees
Silver Biznaga for best supporting actor
Jorge Marrale, Empieza El Baile
Best Original Screenplay
Miguel Ibáñez and Elena Trapé, Els Encantats
Best Original Score
Pablo Mondragón, Rebelión
Best Cinematography
Serguei Saldívar Tanaka, Red Shoes
Best Edition
Haroldo Borges and Juliano Castro. Saudade Fez Morada Aquí Dentro
Critics Award
I Woke Up With A Dream, dir. Pablo Solarz,
Audience Award
Empieza El Baile, dir Marina Seresesky
ZONAZINE AWARDS
Best Spanish Film
Killing Crabs, dir. Omar Al Abdul Razzak
Best Ibero-American Film
Diógenes, dir. Leonardo Barbuy La Torre
Best Director
Leonardo Barbuy La Torre, Diógenes
Best Actress
Paula Campos, Killing Crabs
Best Actor
Saturnino García, Tierra De Nuestras Madres
Audience Award
Tierra De Nuestras Madres, dir. Liz Lobato
DOCUMENTAL AWARDS
Documental Feature
El Matadero, dir: Fernando Fraguela Fosado
Best Documentary Direction
Guapo’y, dir. Sofía Paoli Thorne
MOSAICO PANORAMA INTERNATIONAL
Audience Award
En Corps, dir. Cédric Klapisch
SUPPORTING WOMEN RIGHTS – AWARDS
Supporting Women’s Rights
Por Magda, dir. Carla Larrea
Supporting Women’s Rights Jury Award
Mujeres Sin Censura, dir. Eva Vizcarra Chamero
Supporting Women’s Rights Documentary
Women In The Studio, dir. Marina Espinach
Supporting Women’s Rights Documentary Audience Award
Insisten, dir. Elías Federico Domínguez
Supporting Women’s Rights Fiction Feature
La Butaca de la Puta, dir. Mar Navarro
INDUSTRY AWARDS
Festival De Málaga – Wip España Award
La Nit No Fa Vigilia, dir: Laura Corominas Espelt, Laura Serra Solé, Clara Serrano Llorens, Gerard Simó Gimeno, Ariadna Ulldemolins Abad and Pau Vall Capdet.
Festival De Málaga – WIP Iberoamérica Award
Ciudad Oculta, dir Francisco Bouza.
Aracne Digital Cinema Award
Foremost By Night, dir. Víctor Iriarte
Latido Films Award
Foremost By Night, dir. Víctor Iriarte.
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