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MATEO directed by María Gamboa

Cine Las Americas announced  the award winners for the 17th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, which took place April 22 to 27 in Austin, Texas. The festival grants jury awards in the categories of Narrative Feature Film, Documentary Feature Film, Narrative Short Film, and Documentary Short Film. The Hecho en Tejas Jury Award is presented in partnership with the Texas Archive for the Moving Image (TAMI). In addition, four audience awards are recognized: Audience Award for Narrative Feature, Audience Award for Documentary Feature, Audience Award for Best Hecho en Tejas Film and the Emergencia Audience Award, granted to the most popular youth film.  MATEO directed by María Gamboa swept the major awards winning both the Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature and the Audience Award for Narrative Feature.

17th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival Award Winners

Narrative Feature Competition

Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature
MATEO
Dir. María Gamboa, Colombia/France

Mateo, 16, collects extortion money on behalf of his uncle and uses his pay to help out his mother, who grudgingly accepts the ill-gotten money out of need. They live by themselves in the poor, violent neighborhoods alongside the Magdalena River valley in Colombia. To prove his worth, Mateo agrees to infiltrate a local theater group in order to uncover its members’ political activities. As he becomes enthralled with the free-flowing creative lifestyle of the troupe, his uncle escalates demands on him to produce incriminating information on the actors. Under pressure, Mateo must make difficult choices. At the Miami International Film Festival, where MATEO had its world premiere, the film won Best First Feature and Best Screenplay.

http://youtu.be/tYYStTWt76M

Special Jury Award for Best Comedy
LA DESPEDIDA (The Goodbye)
Dir. Alvaro Diaz Lorenzo, Spain/USA

Documentary Feature Competition

Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature
ROQUE DALTON, ¡FUSILEMOS LA NOCHE! (Roque Dalton, Let’s Shoot the Night!)
Dir. Tina Leish, Austria/El Salvador/Cuba

ROQUE DALTON, ¡FUSILEMOS LA NOCHE! is a poetic documentary, a manifesto both for reading poetry and for living a life that takes responsibility for the state of the world. Roque Dalton (1935-1975) is El Salvador’s most important poet. His life is an adventure, his poetry an exciting shower of sparks between political utopia and sensuality, revolutionary beliefs and lust for heresy. As playful as Roque Dalton’s poetry, this film interweaves interviews with his family, friends, lovers and contemporaries with touching readings of his works by students, actors, prostitutes, prisoners, famous friends and the children of the underprivileged protagonists of his works. The film has screened to great success on the festival circuit, including important stops at the Havana Film Festival and MiradasDOC.

Statement from the Jury: “We appreciated seeing a complex political figure like Roque Dalton integrated into a poetic narrative. It also included the complexity found in any human story, because everything is not black and white.”

Narrative Short Competition

Jury Award for Best Narrative Short
PADRE (Father)
Dir. Santiago ‘Bou’ Grasso, Argentina/France

Honorable Mention for Narrative Short
ROJO (Red)
Dir. Carlos Alejandro Molina M., Venezuela

Documentary Short Competition

Jury Award for Best Documentary Short
TRAZOS EN LA CUMBRE (Drawing on the Heights)
Dir. Alejandro Victorero, Carlos Alejandro Molina, Venezuela

Honorable Mention for Cinematography
NADIE ESPECIAL (Nobody Special)
Dir. Juan Alejandro Ramírez, Peru

Hecho en Tejas Competition

Texas Archive of the Moving Image Hecho en Tejas Jury Award
LADONNA HARRIS: INDIAN 101
Dir. Julianna Brannum, USA

Audience Awards

Audience Award for Narrative Feature
MATEO
Dir. María Gamboa, Colombia/France

Audience Award for Documentary Feature
SIGO SIENDO (I’m Still)
Dir. Javier Corcuera, Peru/Spain

Although the film is about music and musicians, it is not strictly a musical film. Rather, it is a reflection of seemingly disparate stories searching to find one another in a Perú struggling to find its own identity. SIGO SIENDO was nominated for the Platino Prizes, and chosen to screen at Iberodocs in Edinburgh, where director Javier Corcuera was honored for his career achievements as a documentary filmmaker.

Hecho en Tejas Audience Award
MICHA
Dir. Eugene Martin, USA

Audience Award for Emergencia Youth Film Competition
THE HEARING
Dir. Russell Ratt Brascoupe, Canada

Wapikoni Mobile

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Chateles del campo (Country Kids)

Following an announcement earlier this week of their official Opening/Closing night films, Cine Las Americas announced today the list of titles selected for participation in the Hecho en Tejas program at the 17th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, which runs April 22-27, 2014.

For this year, the Hecho en Tejas program showcases 14 films representing work by filmmakers from around the state, including Austin, Arlington, Corinth, Edinburg, El Paso, Houston, San Antonio, and San Marcos. While some of these films are indeed made by upcoming talent, bringing diverse content and maturing, local voices that can reach universal audiences, the selection also includes the works of veteran filmmakers. As a whole, these films add to Cine Las America’s level of diversity and artistic excellence, and compliment the festival’s international lineup, which includes more than 140 films from over 30 different countries.

“This year has been amazing for Texas films and filmmakers, and with 5 features and 9 shorts, our Hecho en Tejas program is bigger than ever! I think that audiences will be surprised by the level of diversity within this Hecho en Tejas lineup. Both in terms of places in Texas being represented, and Texas filmmakers traveling outside of the state to tell stories of local, national and international interest,” Jean Lauer, Programming Director, Cine Las Americas.

Other sections of the festival also feature Texas-ties, including films in the Emergencia Youth Film Competition, the Cine Joven: Mundos Diferentes telenovela from Austin School of Film, and a retrospective of early Chicano films directed by San Antonio native, Efraín Gutiérrez. More details to come about these programs.

About the ‘Hecho en Tejas’ program

Cine Las Americas presents “Hecho en Tejas,” a series of films shot and/or produced in Texas, to showcase the wide variety of work being produced in the state by filmmakers with varied backgrounds. This year’s Hecho en Tejas film presentations will take place during the festival on Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27 at the Marchesa Hall and Theater, Austin Film Society’s new home for classic, independent and art house film programming. For a fifth consecutive year, Cine Las Americas is pleased to count on a partnership with the Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI), to present a jury award to the best “Hecho en Tejas” film.

About the films

Features

Chateles del campo (Country Kids)
Dir. Jason Outenreath Nicaragua/USA, Documentary, 2013

CHATELES DEL CAMPO is a playful and deeply personal documentary about growing up in rural Nicaragua. Connecting educators, parents, and kids, the film explores crucial issues facing the country through the lighthearted tone of its youthful protagonists. Following the students and teachers of two rural elementary schools over the course of an academic year, school is revealed not just as a place of reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also a place to learn the responsibilities of adulthood that loom large over many children’s daily lives. CHATELES DEL CAMPO explores the space where the forces of education, environment, and childhood collide, and celebrates the fact that no matter the country, culture, or language, kids will be kids.

LaDonna Harris: Indian 101
Dir. Julianna Brannum USA/ New Zealand, Biographical Documentary, 2013

The film is the first documentary about Native activist and national civil rights leader, LaDonna Harris. After moving from Walters, OK to Washington DC with her US Senator husband, Harris began an extensive and public life of Indian political and social activism. One of her first assignments was to educate the executive branch of the US government on the unique role of American Indian Tribes and their relationship with the federal government. This course was called “Indian 101” and was taught for over 35 years. The film explores her achievements, the personal struggles that led her to become a voice for Native peoples, and her contemporary work to reshape Indian Country in America and abroad.

Las Marthas
Dir. Cristina Ibarra USA/ Mexico, Documentary/History, 2013

The annual debutante ball in Laredo, Texas is unlike any other. Part of the largest celebration of George Washington’s birthday in the world, a select group of mostly Mexican-American girls is chosen each year to dress in elaborate gowns representing iconic figures from America’s colonial history. Their goal: to recreate a party hosted by Martha Washington, but this time set along the US/Mexico border. A year in the making, each girl’s dress can weigh 100 lbs and cost up to $30,000 — nearly the median family income of Laredo. Las Marthas follows two of the girls — Laurita Garza Hovel and Rosario Reyes — as they prepare for this extraordinary rite of passage. The theatrical release of this film, which we are pleased to present, features footage and delves more into complexities not included in the broadcast version.

Micha
Dir. Eugene Martin USA, Drama/Coming of Age, 2013

The death eight years ago of Micha’s Lebanese father left he and his Mexican mother destitute. When his mother dies suddenly, it leaves Micha no choice but to leave Mexico and seek work and a future in the United States. Micha attempts to navigate the northern route of migrant and service workers to build a life for himself in Texas. After staying on the streets in Brownsville and Dallas, Micha lands in the small town of Denton, Texas where he meets a homeless young woman, Penny, who helps him learn how to survive and find community. 

Waiting for Sandoval
Dir. David B. Carren USA, Thriller/Fantasy, 2014

Daniel Ortiz lost the only thing that mattered to him when his fiancé was murdered in the jungles of Central America ten years ago. When he attends a stage play about that painful era, Daniel is suddenly pulled into the production itself, and finds himself trapped in a Central American prison the woman he loves. Will he save her? Will they get a second chance? Or will they die together in a place with no name or hope?

Shorts

Almost Crimes Dir. Diego Vega Peru/USA, Drama, 2013
Ex-Votos Dir. Ivete Lucas Mexico/USA, Drama, 2013
Gift of Gab Dir. Diego Rico USA, Comedy, 2013
Hinojosa Dir. Juan Pablo González USA/Mexico, Biographical Documentary, 2013
La cuesta: Worlding a Sidewalk Dir. Alvaro Torres, Daniel Perera Costa Rica/Guatemala/USA, Experimental Documentary, 2013
Life of Giorgio Dir. Sergio Carvajal-Leoni USA/Italy, Comedy, 2013
La dama y el caballo (The Horse Bride) Dir. Simon Quiroz USA, Drama/Fantasy, 2012
The Good Kind Dir. Ofelia Yanez USA, Drama/Coming of Age, 2013
The Book of Joe Dir. Mario Pena USA, Action/Sci-Fi, 2013

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 TERCERA LLAMADA (LAST CALL)

The 17th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, which runs April 22-27, 2014, will open with Francisco Franco’s TERCERA LLAMADA (LAST CALL), Winner of Audience Awards in Lima and Guadalajara, Best Editing at the Havana Film Festival and the award for the entire female cast at the Guadalajara International Film Festival in 2013. TERCERA LLAMADA stars Irene Azuela, Ricardo Blume, Anabel Ferreira, Kristyan Ferrer, Karina Gidi, Rebecca Jones, Fernando Luján, Jorge Poza, Cecilia Suárez, Mariana Treviño, and Silvia Pinal in her first film role in 20 years.

PELO MALO (BAD HAIR)

Closing the festival is PELO MALO (BAD HAIR), directed by Mariana Rondón, PELO MALO, which has enjoyed great international success, including acclaimed premieres in Toronto and Cartagena, and the prestigious Concha de Oro award for best film at the 2013 San Sebastián International Film Festival.  

The story of TERCERA LLAMADA is based on a play written by director Francisco Franco in which a theater group goes through a challenging process in trying to bring to stage the play Caligula for an international theater festival.The incredible cast of the film provide moments of great humor and drama, and the film offers subtle and fresh points of view on contemporary Mexican society. TERCERA LLAMADA is a Habanero Films release.

In PELO MALO (BAD HAIR) from Venezuela, nine year old Junior is fed up with his “bad hair,” and wants to straighten it for his yearbook picture so he can look like a fashionable pop singer. This elicits a tidal wave of homophobic panic in his hard-working mother, who finds it increasingly difficult to tolerate Junior’s fixation with his looks. The film portrays contemporary life in Caracas from the perspective of regular citizens who try day by day to get ahead in their lives. PELO MALO is a FiGa Films release.

ABOUT THE FILMS

Tercera llamada (Last Call)
A film by Francisco Franco
Mexico, Comedy/Drama, 2013
In Spanish with English subtitles

Starring: Irene Azuela, Ricardo Blume, Anabel Ferreira, Kristyan Ferrer, Karina Gidi, Rebecca Jones, Fernando Luján, Jorge Poza, Cecilia Suárez, Mariana Treviño, and Silvia Pinal

In one and a half months, a theater company will premiere “Caligula,” the play by Albert Camus. The neurotic director is constantly disagreeing with his cast. The diva is offended, the old actor cannot remember his lines, the producer is only sober when asleep, the assistant director believes the ghost of Pedro Infante appears in the theater, and the main actress is in panic. Will they be ready for Last Call?

A Habanero Release

http://youtu.be/w_fTLl6DYVs

Pelo malo (Bad Hair)
A film by Mariana Rondón
Starrring: Samuel Lange, Samantha Castillo, Nelly Ramos
Venezuela, Drama, 2013
Spanish with English subtitles

Junior is nine years old and has “bad hair.” He wants to straighten his hair for his yearbook picture so he can look like a fashionable pop singer. This elicits a tidal wave of homophobic panic in his hard-working mother, who finds it increasingly difficult to tolerate Junior’s fixation with his looks. The more he tries to look sharp to make his mother love him, the more she rejects him. Eventually, he is cornered, faced with a painful decision.

A FiGa Films Release

http://youtu.be/mIN-DuZ416k

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Cine Las Americas announced the 17th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, to take place from April 22 to 27, 2014 in Austin, Texas. The festival brings a selection of the newest Ibero-American cinema and American Indigenous films, showcasing films and filmmakers through its world-renowned programs. The deadline for filmmakers to submit entries is December 13, 2013.

Cine Las Americas invites filmmakers, producers and distributors to participate in the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, now in its seventeenth consecutive year. The festival showcases contemporary films from Latin America (North, Central, South America, and the Caribbean) and the Iberian Peninsula. Films made by or about Latinos in the U.S. or the rest of the world, and films by or about indigenous groups of the Americas, are also invited to participate.   

To be submitted for consideration, projects must have been completed after January 1, 2012. For all works where the spoken language is not English, English subtitles and/or narration are required. Preference is given to regional or national premieres, as well as to films that have not screened theatrically in Austin or on national television in the USA prior to the festival.

Deadline: December 13, 2013 at 5:00pm (Non-refundable entry fee US$25)
Late Deadline: January 17, 2014 at 5:00pm (Late entry fee US$50)
Emergencia Youth Films Deadline: January 17, 2014 at 5:00PM (Youth Films pay no entry fee)

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[caption id="attachment_3709" align="alignnone" width="550"]MEJOR NO HABLAR DE CIERTAS COSAS (PORCELAIN HORSE)[/caption]

Cine Las Americas announced the award winners for the 16th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, which took place on April 16 to 21, 2013, in Austin, Texas. The Ecuadorian film MEJOR NO HABLAR DE CIERTAS COSAS (PORCELAIN HORSE) won the Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature and YOUNG LAKOTA won the Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature. YOUNG LAKOTA also won the Audience Award for Documentary Feature.

16th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival Award Winners:

Narrative Feature Competition

Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature
MEJOR NO HABLAR DE CIERTAS COSAS (PORCELAIN HORSE)
Dir. Javier Andrade, Ecuador

Special Jury Award for Cinematography
LA JUBILADA (THE RETIREE)
Dir. Jairo Boisier, Chile

Special Jury Award for Performance
Cecilia Suárez – NOS VEMOS, PAPA (SEE YOU, DAD)
Dir. Lucía Carreras, Mexico

Special Jury Mention for Experimental Approach to Narrative
EL EFECTO K. EL MONTADOR DE STALIN (THE K EFFECT. STALIN’S EDITOR)
Dir. Valentí Figueres, Spain 

Documentary Feature Competition

Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature
YOUNG LAKOTA
Dir. Marion Lipschutz & Rose Rosenblatt, USA

Honorable Mention for Documentary Feature
EL ALCALDE (THE MAYOR)
Dir. Emiliano Altuna, Diego Enrique Osorno, Carlos Rossini, Mexico

Honorable Mention for Documentary Feature
HABANA MUDA
Dir. Eric Brach, France/Cuba

Texas Archive of the Moving Image Hecho en Tejas Award
SOUTHMOST U.S.A.
Dir. Trish Dalton, USA 

Short Film Competition

Jury Award for Best Narrative Short
ZOMBI (ZOMBIE)
Dir. David Moreno, Spain

Special Jury Award for Visual Storytelling
LA NOCHE ANUNCIA LA AURORA (NIGHT ANNOUNCES DAWN)
Dir. Gerard Uzcategui, Venezuela

Special Jury Award for Animated Narrative
LA NORIA (THE WATERWHEEL)
Dir. Karla Castañeda, Mexico

Jury Award for Best Documentary Short
UNA HISTORIA PARA LOS MODLIN (A STORY FOR THE MODLINS)
Dir. Sergio Oksman, Spain

Audience Awards

Audience Award for Narrative Feature
DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR
Dir. Iris Almaraz, Guest Dir. Gustavo Ramos, USA

Audience Award for Documentary Feature
YOUNG LAKOTA
Dir. Marion Lipschutz & Rose Rosenblatt, USA

Audience Award for Emergencia Youth Film Competition
SIBLINGS
Dir. Leo Aguirre, Aruba

WHITE WASHED
Dir. Caytlyn Isham
In Progress, St. Paul, MN

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