Thursday, June 22, 2017

MEXICO'S "THE NIGHT GUARD" WINS LA FILM FESTIVAL

By José Alberto Hermosillo
El Vigilante Team  Photo by Jose Hermosillo © 2017 FESTIVAL IN LA
Los Angeles, California, June 22, 2017. The organizers of Los Angeles Film Festival produced by Film Independent announced the winners in all the categories. 
LA Film Festival. Photo by Jose Hermosillo © 2017 FESTIVAL IN LA
The most prominent surprise was The World Fiction Award which went to Mexico's "The Night Guard," ("El Vigilante") directed by Diego Ros. 
 El Vigilante Q&A Photo by Jose Hermosillo © 2017 FESTIVAL IN LA
"The Night Guard" or "El Vigilante" is an unpretentiously beautiful film, set in one location, in one night. The intense thriller had the spectators on the edge of their seats wanting to know what happens next, with all of those unexpected twists and turns that make this minimalist and yet a hunting story, hard to forget.
El Vigilante producer  Yossy Zagha, dir Diego Ros and actor Ari Gallegos. Photo by Jose Hermosillo © 2017 FESTIVAL IN LA
This film has a very subtle expressionistic reflection of today's Mexican reality. The story is told from a much more optimistic and brave generation of Mexican actors and filmmakers.
El Vigilante, actors Ari Gallegos and Leonardo Alonso, Photo by Jose Hermosillo © 2017 FESTIVAL IN LA
The performance of the young actor Leonardo Alonso ("Sin Nombre," "Espiral") is terrific. He plays a naive and responsible security man on a construction site. He is finishing his shift and wants to go home with his family, but some strange circumstances keep him in there for the rest of the night. Almost like in Luis Buñuel's "The Exterminating Angel." Newcomer Ari Gallegos is great in a supporting role. 
Nocturne (l.) music composer Carlos Ayhllón and his brother (r.) director Luis Ayhllón
This year, the presence of Mexican films at the LA Film Festival was strong with two other excellent projects such as "Nocturne/Norturno" by Luis Ayhllón. With the compelling performances of Juan Carlos Colombo ("Cantinflas," "Nora's Will") and Irela De Villers, whose performance was sublime.
El Vecino (The Neighbor). Photo by Jose Hermosillo © 2017 FESTIVAL IN LA
Also in the Nightfall Competition premiered 'El Vecino/The Neighbor.'
El Vecino (The Neighbor) actor Paco Mifote and director Giancarlo Ruiz. Photo by Jose Hermosillo © 2017 FESTIVAL IN LA
"El  Vecino" is a mind-blowing experimental film, directed by Giancarlo Ruiz with the extraordinary performance of Paco Mifote ("Northless/Norteado"). The entire project was shot in Tijuana pretending it was an island in the middle of nowhere. Highly-recommended!
Actress Auden Thornton won a special mention Breakout Performance award for her amazing interpretation of Angie in 'Beauty Mark.' She plays a young single mother who has to take care of her alcoholic mother and her three-year-old son, and who was abused when she a child. Auden Thornton's performance is fantastic. 
El Vigilante Team  Photo by Jose Hermosillo © 2017 FESTIVAL IN LA
THE LA FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS:
LA Film Fest Posters. Photo by Jose Hermosillo © 2017 FESTIVAL IN LA
U.S. Fiction Award: “Becks” by Elizabeth Rohrbaugh and Daniel Powell. 

U.S. Fiction Cinematography Award presented by Aputere:  Cinematographers Christian Sorensen Hansen and Pete Ohs for “Everything Beautiful is Far Away.”
Everything Beautiful is Far Away. Photo by Jose Hermosillo © 2017 FESTIVAL IN LA 
World Fiction Award: “The Night Guard  (El Vigilante) by Diego Ros.
Documentary Award: Amanda Kopp and Aaron Kopp for “Liyana.”
"And Then There Was Eve." Photo by Jose Hermosillo © 2017 FESTIVAL IN LA
LA Muse Awards Fiction: Savannah Bloch for “And Then There Was Eve.”

LA Muse Documentary Award: Mark Hayes for “Skid Row Marathon.”

Nightfall Award: "Serpent" directed by Amanda Evans.

Award for Short Fiction: “A Funeral for Lightning, directed by Emily Kai Bock. 
Award for Short Documentary: “Black America Again" by Bradford Young. 

Audience Award for Documentary Feature Film: "Skid Row Marathon," directed by Mark Hayes.

Audience Award for Fiction Feature Film: "The Keeping Hours," directed by Karen Moncrieff.

Audience Award for Short Film: "Swim," directed by Mari Walker. 
Audience Award for Web Series: "High & Mighty," directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada.

A special prize was given to this year's Guest Director, Miguel Arteta (“Chuck & Buck,” “The Good Girl,” “Beatriz at Dinner”), with "The Spirit of Independence Award Festival." 

 Congratulations to all the winners and participants.
Replace. Photo by Jose Hermosillo © 2017 FESTIVAL IN LA
Desolation, cast & crew. Photo by Jose Hermosillo © 2017 FESTIVAL IN LA
Counterpunch Cast. Photo by Jose Hermosillo © 2017 FESTIVAL IN LA
 "And Then I Go." Photo by Jose Hermosillo © 2017 FESTIVAL IN LA

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Copyright © 2017 Festival in LA 

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Sunday, May 28, 2017

70th Festival de Cannes Award Winners

By Jose Alberto Hermosillo
Palm d'Or Winner The Square by Ruben Östlund, Photo Jose Hermosillo © Festival in LA 2017
The 70th Festival de Cannes Award Winners had many surprises, here is the complete list:   

COMPETITION
Palme d’Or:
“The Square” (Ruben Östlund)
70th Anniversary Award: Nicole Kidman
Grand Prix: “BPM (Beats Per Minute)” (Robin Campillo)
Director: Sofia Coppola, “The Beguiled”
Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, “You Were Never Really Here”
Actress: Diane Kruger, “In the Fade”
Jury Prize: “Loveless” (Andrey Zvyagintsev)
Screenplay — TIE: 
“The Killing of a Sacred Deer” (Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthimis Filippou) and
“You Were Never Really Here” (Lynne Ramsay).
© Bronx (Paris).Photo: Claudia Cardinale © Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche/Getty Images
Camera d’Or: 
“Jeune femme” (Montparnasse-Bienvenüe) (Léonor Serraille)
Short Films Palme d’Or: “Xiao Cheng Er Yue” (Qiu Yang)
Short Films Special Mention: “Katto” (Teppo Airaksinen)
Golden Eye Documentary Prize: “Faces Places” (Visages Villages) (Agnès Varda, JR)
Ecumenical Jury Prize: “Radiance” (Naomi Kawase)
UN CERTAIN REGARD
Un Certain Regard Award: 
“A Man of Integrity,” Mohammad Rasoulof
Best Director: Taylor Sheridan, “Wind River”
Jury Prize: Michel Franco, “April’s Daughter”
Best Performance: Jasmine Trinca, “Fortunata”
Award for Poetry of Cinema: Mathieu Amalric, “Barbara”
DIRECTORS’ FORTNIGHT
Art Cinema Award: “The Rider” (Chloe Zhao)
Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers Prize — TIE: 
“Lover for a Day” (Philippe Garrel) and
“Let the Sunshine In” (Claire Denis)
Europa Cinemas Label: “A Ciambra” (Jonas Carpignano)

CRITICS’ WEEK
Grand Prize: “Makala” (Emmanuel Gras)
Visionary Prize: “Gabriel and the Mountain” (Felipe Barbosa)
Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers Prize: “Ava” (Léa Mysius)

FIPRESCI
Competition: “BPM (Beats Per Minute)”
Un Certain Regard: “Closeness” (Kantemir Balagov)
Directors’ Fortnight: “The Nothing Factory” (Pedro Pinho).

CINEFONDATION

FIRST PRIZE

PAUL EST LÀ (Paul Is Here) directed by Valentina MAUREL
INSAS, Belgium
SECOND PRIZE
HEYVAN (AniMal) directed by Bahram & Bahman ARK
Iranian National School of Cinema, Iran
THIRD PRIZE
DEUX ÉGARÉS SONT MORTS (Two Youths Died) directed by Tommaso USBERTI
La Fémis, France
The CST Jury decided to award the VULCAIN PRIZE FOR ARTIST-TECHNICIAN to: 
Josefin ASBERG for her remarkable artistic contribution to match the inventiveness of the film 
THE SQUARE.
Palme d’Or: “The Square” (Ruben Östlund)
Best Screenplay — TIE: 
“The Killing of a Sacred Deer” (Yorgos Lanthimos).
Jury Prize:“April’s Daughters” (Michel Franco).

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Mexico Wins Jury Prize Award Un Certain Regard in Cannes 2017

By Jose Alberto Hermosillo
Jury and Winners of  Un Certain Regard © Christophe Bouillon/FDC Cannes, 2017
The members of the Jury awarded the Un Certain Regard prizes on May 27, 2017. The films competing in this section were 18 from 22 countries, including some co-productions.

 The Awards in this section are a preamble to what will be honored at the big ceremony for the Official Selection Awards, Sunday evening.

American actress Uma Thurman, the president of the jury, and the prestigious members were internationally represented by director Mohamed Diab from Egypt, French actor Reda Kateb, Belgium director Joachim Lafosse, and the artistic director of Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Karel Och from the Czech Republic.

The Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section was awarded to the Mexican production "Las Hijas de Abril (APRIL’S DAUGHTERS)," directed by Michel Franco ("Chronic"), produced by Gabriel Ripstein ("600 Miles") and Lorenzo Vigas ("Desde Allá). The cast includes Spanish actress Emma Suárez from "Julieta," Enrique Arrizon, and Joanna Larequi. The film was shot in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Director Michel Franco and film critic Jose A. Hermosillo © Festival in LA

Michel Franco previously won the best screenplay award in the Official Selection of the Festival in 2015 for "Chronic" and the Un Certain Regard award for "After Lucia" in 2012.

© Bronx (Paris). Photo: Claudia Cardinale © Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche/Getty Images
THE UNCERTAIN REGARD AWARDS WERE:

“UN CERTAIN REGARD” PRIZE

PRIZE FOR BEST ACTRESS
Jasmine Trinca for "Fortunata" by Sergio Castellitto, ITALY.
PRIZE FOR THE BEST POETIC NARRATIVE
Barbara de Mathieu Amalric, FRANCE.
PRIZE FOR BEST DIRECTION
Taylor Sheridan for "Wind River," UNITED STATES.
JURY PRIZE
"Las Hijas de Abril (APRIL’S DAUGHTER)" by Michel Franco, MEXICO.
Mexican Actors and Filmmakers © Alberto Rizzo, Getty Images, Cannes 2017
During the 70th Anniversary celebration, the Mexican representation caused a big commotion on Social Media when filmmakers and actors came together for a photo opportunity on the red carpet. Variety magazine called them "Mexico's Dream Team!" 

 All of them have won and were nominated for many awards, including Oscars, Golden Globes, Palm d’Or, BAFTAS, and more.

 These artists are the most famous Mexicans in the film industry, Salma Hayek, who was a jury member a few years back, actor and director Diego Luna, actor and producer Gael Garcia Bernal, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, cinematographer Emmanuel 'Chivo' Lubezki, Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuarón.

 The afterparty was phenomenal, the Mariachi Band was provided by Salma Hayek, and everybody sang, drank tequila, and partied Mexican style.
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