Clara Cullen’s Manuela and Gisela Delgadillo’s Kenya Win Top Prizes at Cine Las Americas Film Festival 2023

Clara Cullen’s Manuela won Best Narrative Feature and Gisela Delgadillo’s Kenya won Best Documentary Feature at the 25th Anniversary edition of the Cine Las Americas International Film Festival (CLAIFF).

Regarding the selection of Clara Cullen’s Manuela for the Best Narrative Feature Jury Prize, Jury member Paula Heredia (Director of Africa Rising), cited the film for the skill in which the film explores the relationship of a woman and a child in desperate need of each other without fancy devices.

On the documentary side, Jury member Anäis Tracena (Director of El Silencio del Topo) described Gisela Delgadillo’s winner Kenya as “an intimate and affectionate portrait of Kenya, a human rights activist for the transgender community in Mexico City. With respect and sincerity, the director takes us into Kenya’s story and the reality of her other companions, with an insider’s view of the impact of violence experienced by the transgender community and the bonds of solidarity that are built. A fully realized story filled with sensitivity and humanism.”

Films taking the Audience Awards were topped by Marie Clements’ Bones of Crows (Narrative Feature), and Miwene, directed by Keith Heyward, Jennifer Berglund, Gange Anita Yeti Enomenga, Obe Beatriz Nenquimo Nihua (Documentary Feature).

Cine Las Americas Board of Directors President John Estrada, said, “We could not have asked for more enthusiasm, larger audiences, local media attention, and of course happy filmmakers enjoying the genuine connection that is made between film-loving audiences and the people who create those films so vital here in Austin. It is wonderful to be able to both look at the amazing history of this film festival and the filmmakers who have crossed our path, while also seeing how we continue to grow into the beacon CLAIFF has become worldwide as well as an important part of the cultural fabric in a city that continues to be a central hub for filmmaking here in Texas and the Southwest.”

Jury prize winners in the Shorts Competition included Faustino Alanis’ Llueven las flores, Los Pirates Y El Tesoro De La Bruja (Rain of Flowers, The Pirates and the Witch’s Treasure) (Best Narrative Short), and Paula Heredia’s Imelda Is Not Alone (Best Documentary Short), with Honorable Mentions on the Narrative side going to Daniel Guarda’s Naquele Dia Escuro (That Dark Day), and Carlos Novella’s La Torta (The Cake). In the Hecho En Tejas Competition, Luis Fernando Puente’s Sin Lágrimas Para Llorar (I Have No Tears, and I Must Cry) took the Jury Prize, with Anne Lewis and Laura Varela’s Raúl R Salinas and the Poetry of Liberation: Un Trip winning the Audience Award. There was a tie for the Audience awards for Best Music Video with Orca Videos’ Almacén de Datos with Sara Hebe, featuring Anita Tijoux, and Fran Grenada’s Perra with Samantha Hudson and La Dani sharing the award. Isabella Wren Tealey’s Spiral took both the Jury prize and the Audience Award in the Emergencia Youth Film Competition.

Cine Las Americas International Film Festival 2023 Filmmaker Award Winners

NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION

JURY AWARD FOR BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
Manuela
Director: Clara Cullen
Countries: Argentina/United States

AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
Bones of Crows
Director: Marie Clements
Country: Canada

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION

JURY AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Kenya
Director: Gisela Delgadillo
Country: Mexico

AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Miwene
Directors: Keith Heyward, Jennifer Berglund, Gange Anita Yeti Enomenga, Obe Beatriz Nenquimo Nihua
Country: Ecuador

SHORTS COMPETITION

JURY AWARD FOR BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
Llueven las flores, Los Pirates Y El Tesoro De La Bruja (Rain of Flowers, The Pirates and the Witch’s Treasure)
Director: Faustino Alanis
Country: Mexico

HONORABLE MENTION
Naquele Dia Escuro (That Dark Day)
Director: Daniel Guarda
Country: Brazil

HONORABLE MENTION
La Torta (The Cake)
Director: Carlos Novella
Country: Venezuela

JURY AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Imelda Is Not Alone
Director: Paula Heredia
Countries: El Salvador, United States

HECHO EN TEJAS COMPETITION

JURY AWARD FOR BEST HECHO EN TEJAS FILM
Sin Lágrimas Para Llorar (I Have No Tears, and I Must Cry)
Director: Luis Fernando Puente
Country: United States

AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST HECHO EN TEJAS FILM
Raúl R Salinas and the Poetry of Liberation: Un Trip
Directors: Anne Lewis, Laura Varela
Country: United States