Valladolid International Film Festival Announces Prizes

The 71st Valladolid International Film Festival (Seminci) has announced its prizes, with Alain Gomis' "Dao taking home the Golden Spike for best film.

Lisandro Alonso received the award for best director, while Alba Rohrwacher and Swann Arlaud were honored as leading actors. Another notable discovery at the festival was Claudia Estrada Tarascó's film Salen las lobas".

Gomis' "Dao is a sprawling family saga that spans Europe and Africa, blurring the lines between fiction and documentary. The three-hour film features a large cast of professional and non-professional actors, exploring themes of family ties, migration, and inherited traditions.

The international jury praised Dao for its unique cinematic form, noting its use of rhythm, duration, and movement to create an immersive atmosphere. This is Gomis' return to fiction films after his 2017 Berlinale Grand Jury Prize-winning film Félicité.

The Valladolid Festival has awarded its top prizes to Alain Gomis' Dao" and Lisandro Alonso's "Double Freedom. Set in Naples and Pompeii during a French school trip, Dao is a poignant portrayal of adolescence, navigating desire, insecurity, and the last moments of youth. Critics have praised the film as seismically sensitive and deeply moving.

International sales for Dao are represented by MK2 Films, which has secured rights to distribute the movie worldwide. Meanwhile, Argentine filmmaker Lisandro Alonso took home the Ribera del Duero best director award for Double Freedom, a sequel to his 2001 debut Freedom. The film was widely well-received and is now being sold by Luxbox.

The festival's acting honors went to Alba Rohrwacher for her role in Stéphane Brizé's A Good Little Soldier, as well as Swann Arlaud for Emmanuel Marre's A Man of His Time. In the latter film, Arlaud plays a French engineer drawn into the Vichy regime. The cinematography award also went to Olivier Boonjing, who worked on Marre's film.

In addition to the main competition prizes, Austrian filmmaker Sandra Wollner won the Miguel Delibes screenplay prize for Everytime, a drama that explores grief and memory through digital technology. The official competition jury gave a special mention to Tiago Guedes' Aquí. Other winners included Sompot Chidgasornpongse's 9 Temples to Heaven in the Meeting Point category.

Marc Ferrer's Cinemanía" received the Fundos Award, while Manon Coubia won the ESCAC directing prize for "Forest High. The awards recognize outstanding work in filmmaking and demonstrate the diversity of talent showcased at the festival.

The Valladolid International Film Festival has announced its prize winners in various categories. Spanish debut Salen las lobas stood out as a crowd-pleaser, claiming both the Meeting Point Audience Award and the Seminci Youth Prize. Directed by Claudia Estrada Tarascó, the film tells the story of girls in a juvenile justice facility who form bonds over music and share dreams of competing in a Barcelona trap competition.

The Alchemies section saw Ivan Marković's Promised Spaces take home the Grand Prize, offering a poignant portrayal of Cambodia's rapidly changing urban landscape. Meanwhile, David Baute's Benigno" received a special mention and the environmental Green Spike for its depiction of an elderly man preserving a disappearing way of life in the Canary Islands.

Other notable winners include Hassen Ferhani's Algeria-France production "Alea Jacarandas, which claimed the Time of History Grand Prize. Mariano Llinás' Life of Jorge Luis Borges received a special award, while Isabelle Stever's I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming won the FIPRESCI critics' prize.

In addition to these awards, Markus Schleinzer's Rose was recognized as the main competition Audience Award winner. The winners were announced on Saturday morning in Valladolid after organizers cancelled the traditional closing gala due to a recent train accident in Toledo province.

The 71st edition of the festival, held from October 23-31, was led by interim co-directors Mariona Viader and Javier H. Estrada following the passing of José Luis Cienfuegos last December.

The Valladolid Festival has wrapped up its latest edition with a significant audience turnout and notable film discussions. According to organizers, around 100,000 viewers attended the festival, which is a provisional tally that highlights the event's ongoing popularity.

More than 120 film discussions took place during the festival, showcasing a diverse range of films from various sections. A substantial majority, over 90%, of directors represented in the official sections participated in these discussions, underscoring the collaborative spirit at the heart of the festival.

The festival closed with a Spanish premiere: Gael García Bernal's Hombre al agua" drew a significant audience on its final day.