Following its audience award won in Berlin, Eva Libertad’s Deaf added four more prizes at the 2025 Malaga Film Festival (March 14-23) including best Spanish film and the audience award.
Libertad’s debut follows the relationship between a deaf woman and her hearing boyfriend, which is put under strain by a new baby, and stars the director’s sister, Miriam Garlo, and Álvaro Cervantes. They both won Malaga’s acting prizes ex aequo alongside Ángela Cervantes for Fury and Mario Casas for Away, respectively.
Latido Films is handling international sales for Deaf, which has already sold to the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, and Italy, among others.
Best Latin American film was won by The Dog Thief, the first solo feature by Chilean-Bolivian director Vinko Tomičić, who previously co-directed Cockroach with Francisco Hevia.
The film premiered at Tribeca and follows an orphaned shoeshine boy from La Paz who steals the dog of his best client—a lonely tailor he sees as a father figure. Luxbox is handling international sales.
Another debut feature Fury by Gemma Blasco won best supporting actor for 2021 Screen Star of Tomorrow Àlex Monner, best editing and the previously mentioned best actress prize. Sold by Filmax, it follows a young actress who, after experiencing sexual assault at a New Year’s Eve party, processes her trauma through theatre.
The special jury prize went to The Exiles (formerly The Turtle), the second feature by Belén Funes, whose credits include A Thief’s Daughter. Funes also won best director and the best screenplay award alongside co-writer Marçal Cebrian. Sold internationally by Film Factory, The Exiles is a portrait of Andalusian immigrant working-class life in Catalonia.
Industry awards
Mafiz, the festival’s industry programme for work in progress projects Santiago Esteves’ The Reborn win the Málaga festival prize for best Spanish production. Produced by Spain’s Zabriskie Films and Argentina’s Le Tiro, it follows two estranged brothers who run a business helping people fake their deaths to cross the border under new identities.
The best Ibero-American work in progress award went to Carlos Sánchez Giraldo’s No Journey Without Return, produced by Peru’s Rima Rima Cine. The film, about a man who returns to the Amazon jungle to seek answers from his grandparents, is Giraldo’s first fiction feature.
A big winner was Carlos Saiz’s father-son road movie Lionel, which took home four prizes: Cine y Tele, Sideral, Yagán, and REC Festival awards.
After the Mafiz ceremony, it was announced that Panama will be the focus country in Málaga’s industry section next year.
Malaga 2025 official competition winners
Best Spanish film
Deaf
Dir: Eva Libertad
Best Latin American film
The Dog Thief
Dir: Vinko Tomičić
Special Jury Prize
The Exiles
Dir: Belén Funes
Best director
Belén Funes for The Exiles
Special Mention, Director
Celia Rico Clavellino for La buena letra
Sara Fantova for Jone, Batzuetan
Best actress (ex aequo)
Ángela Cervantes for Fury
Miriam Garlo for Deaf
Best actor (ex aequo)
Álvaro Cervantes for Deaf
Mario Casas for Away
Best supporting actress
María Elena Pérez for Dogs
Best supporting actor
Àlex Monner for Fury
Best screenplay
Belén Funes, Marçal Cebrián for The Exiles
Best original score
Felipe Raposo for Remnants of You
Best cinematography
Alván Prado for Sugar Island
Best editing
Didac Palou, Tomás López for Fury
Critics’ award
Away
Dir: Gerard Oms
Audience award
Deaf
Dir: Eva Libertad
Zonazine awards
Best Spanish Film
Esmorza amb mi
Dir: Iván Morales
Best Ibero-American Film
Olivia y las nubes
Dir: Tomás Pichardo
Best director
Matías Szulanski for Buenas Noches
Mafiz Awards - Málaga Work In Progress
Málaga festival prize (Spain)
The Reborn
Dir: Santiago Esteves
Málaga Festival Prize (Ibero-America)
No Journey Without Return (Peru)
Dir: Carlos Sánchez Giraldo
No comments yet