A Wolf at the Door Still - H 2013
MIAMI — Fernando Coimbra’s A Wolf at the Door topped the Miami Film Fest at the awards night ceremony held Saturday at the Olympia Theater, in the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts.
The Brazilian film, a dark thriller that premiered in Toronto last year, was the big winner of the fest’s Knight Competition, with Grand Jury prizes for Best Film and Best Director for Coimbra. The film is being distributed by Paul Hudson‘s Outsider Pictures, which is aiming for a July release date in the U.S.
Spanish actress Nora Navas picked the Grand Jury Best Performance for her work in Mar Coll’s We All Want What’s Best For Her (Spain). The Jordan Alexander Ressler Screenwriting Award went to Maria Gamboa’s Mateo (Colombia/France).
The Knight Competition’s Best Documentary award was shared between Charlie Siskel and John Maloof ‘s Finding Vivian Maier (USA) and Jesse Moss’ The Overnighters (USA).
The VeoMiami sidebar ENCUENTROS, presented by Moviecity, brought in 5 WIPs from Latin America to be pitched at producers and distributors. A pre-sale contract offer worth $35,000 was awarded to Rodrigo Sepulveda’s Aurora, produced by Florencia Larrea.
The festival, which closes Sunday, screened 141 films from 39 countries. “We are humbled by the community’s overwhelming response to this year’s film festival,” said Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón, president of the Miami Dade College, which runs the event. “It serves to strengthen the college’s commitment to providing quality cultural arts programming for all to enjoy.”
Full awards list:
KNIGHT COMPETITION ($40,000 in prizes courtesy of James L. & John S. Knight Foundation)
FICTION
Knight Grand Jury Prize: A Wolf at the Door (Brazil, directed by Fernando Coimbra).
Grand Jury Best Performance: Nora Navas, for We All Want What’s Best For Her (Spain, directed by Mar Coll).
Grand Jury Best Director: Fernando Coimbra, forA Wolf at the Door (Brazil).
Jordan Alexander Ressler Screenwriting Award:Mateo, written by Maria Gamboa (Colombia/France).
Jury:
Enrique Lopez Lavigne- Producer, Apaches Entertainment
Augustine Chiarino- Producer, Control Z Films
Alejandro Brugues – Director, Juan of the Dead
DOCUMENTARY
Knight Grand Jury Prize (ex aequo):
Finding Vivian Maier, directed by Charlie Siskel and John Maloof (USA); and
The Overnighters, directed by Jesse Moss (USA).
Jury:
Ross Kaufman – Filmmaker, Red Light Films (USA)
Adrian Bausch – Filmmaker (USA)
Laura Kim – Founder, Inside Job
LEXUS IBERO-AMERICAN OPERA PRIMA COMPETITION:
Winner: Mateo directed by Maria Gamboa (Colombia/France)
Honorable Mention:We are Mari Pepa, directed by Samuel Kishi Leopo (Mexico).
PAPI SHORTS COMPETITION, PRESENTED BY MACY’S:
Best Short Film: A Big Deal, directed by Yoyo Yao (China)
Honorable Mention:Skin directed by Cédric Prévost (France).
MIAMI ENCUENTROS presented by Moviecity
Aurora (Chile, produced by Florencia Larrea, directed by Rodrigo Sepulveda)
MIAMI FUTURE CINEMA CRITICS AWARD
To Kill A Man (Chile / France, directed by Alejandro Fernández Almendras).
REEL MUSIC VIDEO ART COMPETITION PRESENTED BY MTV Latin America and Tr3s
Winner: ‘Around the Lake’ (“Autour Du Lac”) directed by Noémie Marsily & Carl Roosens of Belgium. The music video was performed by Carl et les hommes-boîtes.
SIGNIS AWARD
Belle, directed by Amma Asante, “for its multi-layered depiction of the challenges to the value of human life and dignity wherever a profit-driven system makes commodification of persons acceptable. Masterly crafted, the film lifts up a variety of issues of conscience which still confront us today.”
