Costa Rica Entertainment – Tatiana Huezo’s Mexican documentary Tempestad topped the international competition at the fifth edition of the Costa Rica Film Festival. Jurgen Urena’s Abrazame Como Antes won both the Central American and Costa Rican competitions.
The competition and audience award winners in each of the festival’s three categories were announced Sunday at a closing ceremony at the Magaly Theater, in San Jose
Premiered at Berlinale, Tempestad is Salvadorian Tatiana Huezo’s follow-up to The Tiniest Place and addresses the topic of human trafficking in Mexico through the experiences of two young women.
Jurgen Urena’s second feature and follow-up to Munecas Rusas, Abrazame Como Puedas is a docudrama about two transgender sex workers, played by nonprofessional actors.
The jury of the Central American Competition – comprising Maximiliano Cruz (Mexico), Gustavo Beck (Brazil) and Maricarmen Merino (Costa Rica) – also gave a special jury prize to Ariel Escalante’s El Sonido de las Cosas (Costa Rica), and a special mention to Ana Endara’s La Felicidad del Sonido from Panama.
The international competition jury, formed by Julio Hernandez Cordon (Guatemala/Mexico), Erick Gonzalez (Chile) and Nicolas Wong (Costa Rica) also awarded Nele Wohlatz’s The Future Perfect (Argentina) with a Special Jury Prize.
“After 10 intense days, the 2016 edition of the CRFIC comes to an end having firmly established that it is committed not just to national and Central American cinema, but to strengthening its ties with audiences, whose numbers swelled this year compared to the 2015 edition. With each passing year, CRFIC has gained increasing recognition as a showcase for contemporary cinema in all its diversity,” said CRFIC Artistic Director Marcelo Quesada.
An initiative of the Ministry of Culture and Youth’s Centro de Cine (Film Center), the 2016 edition of the festival was held in San Jose, Costa Rica, Dec. 8 -17.
The full awards are listed below.
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM COMPETITION
Best International Feature Film: Tempestad (Mexico) by Tatiana Huezo.
Special Jury Prize: The Future Perfect (Argentina) by Nele Wohlatz.
CENTRAL AMERICAN COMPETITION
Best Central American Feature Film and Best National Feature Film: Abrázame Como Antes (Costa Rica) by Jurgen Ureña.
Special Jury Prize: El Sonido de las Cosas (Costa Rica) by Ariel Escalante.
Special Mention: La Felicidad del Sonido (Panama) by Ana Endara.
NATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION
Best National Short Film: El Árbol (Costa Rica-Cuba) by Roya Eshraghi.
Special Jury Prize: Los Konceptualez (Costa Rica) by Juan Pablo Castillo.
Special Mention: Cabeza de Orquídea (Costa Rica-Spain) by Angélica Sánchez and Filip (Costa Rica) by Nathalie Álvarez.
AUDIENCE AWARDS
International Feature Film Competition: The Land of the Enlightened (Belgium/Ireland/Holland/Germany/ Afghanistan) by Pieter-Jan De Pue.
National Short Film Competition: Belleza, Vlentía y Fortaleza en la Ocupada Cisjordania (Costa Rica) by Glorianna Ximendaz.
Central American Feature Film Competition: Los Ofendidos (El Salvador) by Marcela Zamora.
