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19TH ANNUAL CINE LAS AMERICAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL AWARD WINNERS

AUSTIN, Texas (May 10, 2016) — Cine Las Americas is honored to announce the award winners of the 19th annual Cine Las Americas International Film Festival. The five day festival concluded on Sunday, May 8th with announcements of the winners, presented by Festival Director Jean Anne Lauer, Film Program Associate Elena Bessire, and jury members Sterlin Harjo, Curran Nault, Ivete Lucas, and Chale Nafus. The evening’s ceremonies were followed by a screening of the closing night film VIAJE (Costa Rica), with director Paz Fábrega in attendance.

“As we take time to honor the winners, and enjoy the closing night film with attendees, we also reflect on the festival as a whole. The films in competitive categories sample the best of the best of our program, through which we aim to showcase the diversity and excellence of contemporary Ibero-American and American Indigenous films and videos. We hope that audience members have enjoyed this year’s festival experience, from the film screenings to discussions with filmmakers to the music videos, all of which are representative of the voices of amazing talent emanating from Spain, Portugal, and the Americas” stated Festival Director Jean Lauer. The festival granted jury and audience awards in nine categories, including the annual Hecho en Tejas competition, and the Emergencia Youth Film competition. The festival also featured a Best Music Video category, eligible for an Audience Award.

Narrative Feature Competition

Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature
ROSA CHUMBE
Dir. Jonatan Relayze Chiang, Peru

Honorable Mention for Best Ensemble
AMORES URBANOS (RESTLESS LOVE)
Dir. Vera Egito, Brazil

ROSA CHUMBE and AMORES URBANOS (RESTLESS LOVE) are also winners of an InkTip Script Listing. InkTip Script Listings provide writers/filmmakers with the opportunity to get their scripts read by InkTip’s extensive network of producers, reps, manager, agents, and other qualified industry professionals.

Documentary Feature Competition

Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature
JUANICAS
Dir. Karina García Casanova, Canada/Mexico

Honorable Mention for Cinematography
TÚ Y YO (YOU AND ME)
Dir. Natalia Cabral, Oriol Estrada, Dominican Republic

Narrative Short Film Competition

Jury Award for Best Narrative Short
OS MENINOS DO RIO (CHILDREN OF THE RIVER)
Dir. Javier Macipe, Portugal/Spain

Documentary Short Competition

Jury Award for Best Documentary Short
LIBERTAD
Dir. Brenda Avila-Hanna, USA

Hecho en Tejas Competition

Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) Award
ANA CON ELISIO
Dir. Lizette Barrera, USA

Hecho en Tejas Honorable Mention for Directing
DEAD SITES
Dir. Jason Outenreath, USA

Hecho en Tejas Honorable Mention for Screenwriting
GET THE HELL OUT
Dir. Comedia A Go-Go [CAGG], Jess Castro, Regan Arevalos, Larry Garza, USA

Hecho en Tejas Honorable Mention for Cinematography and Effects
SQUEEZEBOX
Dir. Sam Lerma, USA

Audience Award for Best Hecho en Tejas Film
DEAD SITES
Dir. Jason Outenreath, USA

Audience Award for Narrative Feature

H.O.M.E.
Dir. Daniel Maldonado, USA

Audience Award for Documentary Feature

JUANICAS
Dir. Karina García Casanova, Canada/Mexico

Audience Award for Best Music Video

MEL GE’ GI’ NUT EPIT (STRONG WOMAN SONG)
Dir. Naomi Condo, Canada

Audience Award for Best “Emergencia” Youth Film (Tie)

CAMPING TRIP
Dir. Audrey Larson, MA, USA

TREES COUNT
Dir. Maximilian Shatan, New York City, NY, USA

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Jury for the 19th Cine Las Americas IFF

The Feature Film Jury was comprised of Sterlin Harjo (Filmmaker), Ivete Lucas (Filmmaker), and Curran Nault (Founder/Artistic Director, OUTsider). The Hecho en Tejas juror was Caroline Frick, founder and Executive Director of the Texas Archive of the Moving Image. The Short Film Jury was comprised of Samantha Rae López, Esteban (Steve) Mines, and Chale Nafus.

For the 19th consecutive year, Austin served as host to a wide range of local, national, and international films and filmmakers. The festival showcased contemporary films from the US, Canada, Latin America, and the Iberian Peninsula. The selection was comprised of 115 films and videos representing 24 countries’ participation in production or co-production. All films were presented in English and/or subtitled.

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ABOUT CINE LAS AMERICAS: Cine Las Americas is a multi-cultural, 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Austin Texas, offering theatrical screenings of films made by and/or about Latinos or indigenous peoples of the Americas. Films from Spain and Portugal are also included, enhancing a truly Pan-American cinematic experience. The mission of Cine Las Americas is to promote cross-cultural understanding and growth by educating, entertaining and challenging the diverse Central Texas community through film and media arts.

Press Contact: Melinda Gonzales Boe | 512.535.0765 | press@cinelasamericas.org