FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Valerie Menard
press@cinelasamericas.org
512-926-1369
CLAIFF20 ANNOUNCES WINNERS IN NINE CATEGORIES
AUSTIN, TX (May 9, 2017) — Cine Las Americas announced the award winners of the 20th annual Cine Las Americas International Film Festival (CLAIFF20), Sunday, May 7, bringing an end to five film and event-filled days celebrating the work of Latino and Indigenous filmmakers. CLAIFF20 concluded with announcements of the winners, presented by festival director Jean Anne Lauer, film program associate Elena Bessire, and jury members Celeste Quesada, Tracy Rector, Alex Barron, Alan McLane-Alejos, and Iliana Sosa. The evening’s ceremony was followed by a screening of the closing night film Sueño en Otro Idioma / I Dream in Another Language (Mexico/Netherlands), directed by Ernesto Contreras and with actor Eligio Meléndez in attendance.
“The closing night ceremonies are always a special time for us to come together to honor the winners and celebrate the festival as a whole. This year was no exception, as it marked the twentieth festival wrap for Cine Las Americas. The films in competitive categories are a sample of an extensive 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 invited guests and filmmakers, to the special programs, all of which are representative of the voices of amazing talent emanating from all over the Americas and beyond” stated Lauer.
The festival showcased contemporary films from the US, Canada, Latin America, and the Iberian Peninsula. The selection was comprised of 172 films and videos representing 28 countries in production or co-production of the titles. All films were presented in English and/or subtitled. The festival granted jury and audience awards in nine categories, including the annual Hecho en Tejas competition, and the Emergencia Youth Film competition. Please join us in congratulating the following winners.
Narrative Feature Competition
Jury Awards
Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature
EL TECHO / ON THE ROOF
Dir. Patricia Ramos, Cuba/Nicaragua
Jury Honorable Mention
EL SUEÑO DEL MARA’AKAME / MARA’AKAME’S DREAM
Dir. Federico Cecchetti, Mexico
Audience Award
Audience Award for Narrative Feature
EL SUEÑO DEL MARA’AKAME / MARA’AKAME’S DREAM
Dir. Federico Cecchetti, Mexico
EL TECHO (ON THE ROOF) and EL SUEÑO DEL MARA’AKAME (MARA’AKAME’S DREAM) 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 Awards
Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature
FRÁGIL EQUILIBRIO / DELICATE BALANCE
Dir. Guillermo García López, Spain/Uruguay/USA/Morocco/Mexico/Jordan/Japan/Hong Kong/Chile
Jury Honorable Mention
JONAS E O CIRCO SEM LONA / JONAS AND THE BACKYARD CIRCUS
Dir. Paula Gomes, Brazil
Audience Award
Audience Award for Documentary Feature
FRÁGIL EQUILIBRIO / DELICATE BALANCE
Dir. Guillermo García López, Spain/Uruguay/USA/Morocco/Mexico/Jordan/Japan/Hong Kong/Chile
Narrative Short Film Competition
Jury Award for Best Narrative Short
PISCINA / POOL
Dir. Leandro Goddinho, Brazil
Jury Honorable Mention
SHINAAB
Dir. Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr., USA
Documentary Short Competition
Jury Award for Best Documentary Short
EL BUZO / THE DIVER
Dir. Esteban Arrangoiz, Mexico
Jury Honorable Mention for Celebrating Underrepresented Voices in Film
EVEN WITH THEIR NAILS: WOMEN FILMMAKERS IN NICARAGUA
Dir. Tania Romero, Nicaragua/USA
Jury Honorable Mention for Cinematography
DAS ÁGUAS QUE PASSAM / RUNNING WATERS
Dir. Diego Zon, Brazil
Hecho en Tejas Competition
Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) Award
THE HISTORY OF MAGIC: ENSUEÑO
Dir. Jose Luis Gonzalez, USA
Hecho en Tejas Audience Award
AFTER FIRE
Dir. Brittany Huckabee, USA
Music Video Competition
Audience Award for Best Music Video
QUEMAYAMAYA
Dir. Javier Garcia, Mexico
Emergencia Youth Film Competition
Audience Award for Best Youth Film (tie)
THE FRUIT LEATHER GANG & THE CASE OF THE HAUNTED DOUGHNUT
Dir. Zinnia, Ramon, Alina, Javier
Austin Film School, Austin, TX, USA
SOVEREIGN’S WATER
Dir. Verel Moon
On Native Ground, Forestville, CA, USA
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THE JURY FOR CLAIFF20: The Feature Film Jury was comprised of Alex Barron (Professor, St. Edward’s University; Board Member, OUTsider), Tracy Rector (E.D. and Co-founder of Longhouse Media; City of Seattle Arts Commissioner), and María Inés Roqué (Director of Production and Training at Ambulante Más Allá). The Hecho en Tejas juror was Celeste Quesada, a co-founder of Cine Las Americas. The Short Film Jury was comprised of Cine Las Americas Film Selection Committee members Alan McLane-Alejos, Iliana Sosa, and Joan Tuttle Vargas.
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 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.