The HORIZONTES Jury at the 52nd Donostia-San Sebastian
Intenational Film Festival, consisting of the members:
Has decided to award two special mentions to:
- FERNANDA MONTENEGRO and DAMIAN ALCAZAR for their sensitive
performances in the films “O
OUTRO LADO DA RUA ” (Brazil) and “CRÓNICAS”
(Ecuador)
and the HORIZONTES AWARD, carrying €18,000 for the director
of the winning film, to:
Donostia-San Sebastian, 24 September 2004
The Donostia-San Sebastián International Film Festival
has created a new award named “Horizontes”, aimed
at increasing knowledge of feature films produced totally or partially
in Latin America, directed by filmmakers of Latin origin, set
around or dealing with Latin communities in the rest of the world.
Eligible for this award are all of the feature films selected
to form part of the “Horizontes” selection which
have neither been previously presented at other Spanish Festivals
nor commercially released in Spain.
This award carries a cash prize of Euros 18,000 for the director
of the winning film.
Rules (2004). . Horizontes
Award
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RUY GUERRA
President |
| He was born in
1931 in Lourenço Marques, which is now called Maputo,
in Mozambique, which was then a Portuguese colony. He took
an active part in the political struggle in anti-racist
and pro-independence movements before he left his native
land when he was 19 years old. From 1952 to 1954, he studied
cinema at the IDHEC in Paris where he began to work as an
assistant cameraman and director’s assistant. Although
he is better known as a director, Ruy Guerra is also an
editor, director of photography, producer and actor (Werner
Herzog’s Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes, 1972). Despite
employing various styles, his films describe oppression
and socio-economic exploitation in an aesthetically innovative
way. Guerra has filmed in many places, but his name is associated
with Brazilian cinema, as he is one of the pioneers of what
was known as Cinema Novo. His first full-length film, Os
Cafajestes (1963) was one of the movement’s rare commercial
hits. Another two of his films, Os Fuzis (1964) and Os Deuses
e os Mortos (1970), are considered to be seminal works in
Brazilian cinema. In the late seventies, after Mozambique’s
independence, he went back to his country to take part in
setting up the Mozambican National Film Institute. In the
eighties, he abandoned his radical treatment of political
subjects and directed three aesthetically beautiful commercial
films: Ópera do Malandro (1985), a musical comedy
adapted from Chico Buarque’s work; A Fábula
da Bela Palomera (1987), a period film narrating a love
story based on a story by Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García
Márquez; and Kuarup (1988), one of the very few super-productions
in Brazilian cinema, which was a stunning interpretation
of Antonio Callado’s novel. As well as making films,
Ruy Guerra also directs and writes plays and composes lyrics
for popular songs. At the present time he is Director of
the Film School at Gama Filho University in Río de
Janeiro. His most recent project is the feature film Mala
hora, which will be shown at the San Sebastián Festival
this year in the Films in Progress section. |
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JORGE
SÁNCHEZ |
| He was born in
Córdoba, Veracruz (Mexico) on the 31st of May 1950.
He began his film activities at the Film Club in the Faculty
of Politics and Social Science. He dropped out of his Sociology
degree and set up the Mobile Film Club (screenings for trade
unions, peasants’ organisations, etc). He began to
study Directing at the Film Training Centre, but he gave
it up when he realised that he didn’t have the makings
of a director, which is a profession he especially admires.
With some friends he founded the distribution company Zafra-Cine
Difusión. Later he would found Zafra Video and Cinematográfica
Macondo, which are both still active. Through these he has
distributed Latin American films, as well as what is known
as art-house cinema ranging from Patricio Guzmán’s
La Batalla de Chile to Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood
for Love. He has produced seventeen films, six of which
have taken part in various sections at the Cannes Film Festival,
from María Novaro’s Danzón, (Directors’
Fortnight 1991) to Arturo Ripstein’s Así es
la Vida (Official Selection at Cannes 2000). He produced
Arturo Ripstein’s La perdición de los hombres,
which won the Golden Shell at the San Sebastián Festival
in the year 2000, and he has also worked with Paul Leduc
and the much-missed Tomás Gutiérrez Alea.
He founded and was president of the Mexican Association
of Independent Producers and the Latin American Audiovisual
and Film Producers Federation. He has taken part as a jury
member at Festivals in Sundance, Toronto, and Havana and
in 1994 he formed part of the New Directors’ Jury
at the San Sebastián Film Festival. He is a member
of the Board of Directors of the new Latin American Cinema
Foundation chaired by Gabriel García Márquez
and the Cinemart Board in Rotterdam. He is currently Mexican
Consul General in Río de Janeiro. |
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DENIS
W. DELAROCA |
Denis W. DeLaRoca.
Born in El Salvador and living in Los Angeles, California.
Studies in Computer Science and Latin American Film History.
Works in film journalism, film programming, film promotion
and small magazine publishing. In the 80's, member Documentary
Selection Committee and Programming Delegate for Latin America
for the Los Angeles International Film Exposition -- FILMEX.
In the 80's and 90's, Programming Delegate for the US for
the International Film Festival of New Latin American Cinema
in Habana, Cuba. In 1990, Programming Delegate for the US
for the
International San Sebastian Film Festival. In 1993, Curator
of Chicano and Latino Film and Video Retrospective for the
International San Sebastian Film Festival. Since mid 80's,
Programming Consultant on Latin American Cinema for various
film festivals and cinematheques: San Francisco Film Festival,
Sundance Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival,
Guadalajara International Mexican Cinema Muestra, University
of California Los Angeles Film and Television Archives,
University of California Berkeley Pacific Film Archives,
French Cinematheque and others. Presently, Programming Delegate
for Latin America for the Palm Springs International Film
Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, the Seattle
International Film Festival, Member of the Selection Committee
of the Biarritz Festival of Latin American Cinemas and Cultures
as well as Honorary Board Member of the Los Angeles Latino
International Film Festival. |
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