The Mexican film “El Eco”, by the Salvadoran filmmaker who lives in our country, Tatiana Huezo, won the prize for Best Documentary at the Berlinale yesterday, while the Argentine film “I’m Dancing Inside Myself”, by Paloma Schachmann and Leandro Koch, won the Best First Feature award.
The jury awarded this “profoundly tender film that shows the passage of time and a world that opens up” and highlighted that “El Eco” is “a fascinating new piece in this already distinguished work” by the director, whom they thanked for “this beautiful movie”. In “El Eco”, Huezo accompanies three families on their daily lives in a remote town, where the women take care of the home and the men are almost always absent for work.
In a talk with the media after the awards gala, Huezo spoke of “a night to celebrate the documentary”, a genre of which he said that “it is a path of love and faith.” During the awards ceremony, Huezo thanked “this incredible recognition” and the jury “for embracing this film” and for “their beautiful words.”
He also thanked the artistic director of the Berlinale, Carlo Chatrian, and his entire team “for having brought ‘El Eco’ and the enormous light of these peasant children and their families, who showed us with enormous tenderness and enormous dignity that care for the another is also an act of resistance.”
The filmmaker dedicated the award to the inspiration of her life —her daughter— and to all the women who make movies in Mexico and to all the women directors who paved the way.
“El Eco” also won the Best Director award from the Encounters jury, a section created to support new voices in cinema and give more space to the various narrative and documentary forms in the official program.
Argentina also stands out
Within that same section of Encounters was screened “Inside me I am dancing”, which won the award for Best First Film. It is a journey between documentary and fiction and from Buenos Aires to Eastern Europe, to the border triangle of Ukraine, Romania and Moldova, in search of the roots of klezmer music and what remains of Yiddish culture.
At a press conference, Schachmann assured that for them “it was definitely a trip too” to make this film.
The directors do not believe that their film can contribute to preserving Yiddish culture, but they do bring to the surface a theme, a story, and make the viewer wonder how a people can leave their own culture behind.
fresh faces
Mexico had several reasons to celebrate this weekend. And it is that he was awarded as Best film with the Crystal Bear from the Generation 14Plus section, dedicated to youth cinema, the Mexican film “Adolfo”, by Sofía Auza.
The Brazilian film “Infantaria”, by Laís Santos Araújo, received the special award for best short from the international jury of the Generation 14Plus section, which also gave a special mention to the film “Mutt”, by Serbo-Chilean filmmaker Vuk Lungulov-Klotz .
Another Mexican film, “Tótem”, by Lila Avilés, which was among the contenders for the Golden Bear, was honored with the Ecumenical Jury Award, while the Argentine film “El rostro de la medusa”, by Melisa Liebenthal, won the CICAE Award in the Forum section, dedicated to experimental cinema.
Nicholas Philibert. The director won the Golden Bear, the Festival’s highest award, for Best Film with his work “Sur l’Adamant”. AP/M. Schreiber
The main winners of the contest
Golden Bear: “Sur l’Adamant”, by Nicholas Philibert (France, Japan) Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize: “Roter Himmel”, by Christian Petzold (Germany) Silver Bear Jury Prize: “Mal viver”, Joao Canijo (Portugal) Silver Bear for Best Director: Philippe Garrel, for “Le grand Chariot” (France) Encounters Best Director Award: “El eco”, by Tatiana Huezo (Mexico) Best Documentary Award: “ El eco”, by Tatiana Huezo (Mexico) Award for Best First Film: “Inside me I am dancing”, by Leandro Koch and Paloma Schachmann (Argentina) Golden Bear for Best Short Film: “Les chinilles”, Michelle and Noel Keserwany ( France) Crystal Bear from the Generation 14Plus section: “Adolfo”, by Sofía Auza (Mexico) Ecumenical Jury Award: “Tótem”, by Lila Avilés (Mexico)
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