Las Palmas De Gran Canaria (EFE).- The 22nd Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival has presented its highest award this Saturday, the Lady Harimaguada de Oro, which has gone to the diptych considered as a single work “Viver mal / Mal Viver” (Portugal, France, respectively), by João Canijo Bui.
The jury has decided between ten feature films and thirteen short films from the official competition section and has positioned itself in favor of the French-Portuguese co-production because it is a film that “stands out for its depth and intensity, especially at filmmaking levels”.
“It shows a seasoned but relentlessly ambitious filmmaker working with a cast and crew dedicated to creating kaleidoscopic paintings of female angst, repression, suffering, desire and love. With a devastating effect, but deeply empathetic, it is reminiscent of the sad naturalistic novels of the 19th century”, affirms the ruling released by the organization of the contest.
The second prize of this 22nd edition, the Silver Lady Harimaguada, went to the film “The Bride” (Rwanda, 2023), by Myriam U. Birara, a title for which the jury highlighted “the precision of the writing, with an exceptional performance and a magnificent effective cinematography in which the historical background of the Rwandan genocide appears without crushing the narrative of oppression of the female protagonist, portrayed honestly and without blushing”.
From the feature film “Arturo at 30” (Argentina, 2023), the jury highlighted the protagonist and also director of the film, Martín Shanly, for his performance, awarding him the Best Performance Award, a decision that he argued for “the inexpressive humor and the self-mockery that appears in every scene, in a beautiful portrait of a generation of confused millennials who may try to stunt, but can’t escape the painful facts that are inevitably a part of it.”
The jury of the official section, made up of Ildikó Enyedi, Gerwin Tamsma and Fatou Jupiter Touré, has also awarded a special mention, among the ten proposals presented in the feature film category, to the Argentine film “Inside me I am dancing” ( Austria, Argentina, 2023), by Leandro Koch and Paloma Schachmann “for the bold honesty of a self-investigation through their own cultural heritage and for the humorous but true criticism of a current in the current support system of documentary cinema that endangers the very meaning of the documentary”.
The French-Portuguese co-production “Viver mal / Mal Viver”, by João Canijo, also won the Audience Award at this twenty-second edition of the festival.
In the short film category, the award went to the work of director Sebastián Valencia Mūnoz “Zarzal” (Colombia, 2022).
Judges Cristina Aparicio, Doris Bauer and Per Fikse “have been moved by a tender father/son relationship. A story about a child’s feeling of security in the world in the context of systemic violence. A matter of life and death shot in beautiful and saturated close-ups”.
Likewise, he thought it appropriate to give a special mention to the short film by Ágata de Pinho “Azul” (Portugal, 2022).
PALMARÉS
– Lady Harimaguada de Oro
(Portugal, France, 2023, 125 min. and 127 min. respectively)
– Lady Harimaguada de Plata
The Bride (Ruanda, 2023, 73 min.).
– Award for Best Performance
Martín Shanly for his performance in Arturo at 30 (Argentina, 2023, 92 min.)
– Special Mention of the Jury
Inside I am dancing (Austria, Argentina, 2023, 117 min.)
– Best Short Film Award
Zarzal (Colombia, 2022, 18 min.)
– Special Mention to the Short Film
Blue (Portugal, 2022, 20 min.)
– Audience Award
Viver mal / Mal Viver by João Canijo (Portugal, France, 2023, 125 min.). EFE