08/04/2019 - Jaime Rosales’ film has taken home the top prize from the 29th Nantes Spanish Film Festival, while the audience plumped for Iciar Bollain’s Yuli

Jaime Rosales at the 29th Nantes Spanish Film Festival (© Jorge Fuembuena/Camille Dillmann)

The 29^th edition of the Nantes Spanish Film Festival, which was brought to a close on Sunday 7 April by a screening of The Realm [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rodrigo Sorogoyen
interview: Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Isabel P…
film profile] (set to be released in France on 17 April), in the presence of director Rodrigo Sorogoyen, crowned Jaime Rosales’ Petra [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaime Rosales
film profile] as the overall winner, with the jury handing the movie the Jules Verne Award for Best Film. The jury justified its decision as follows: “A film that combines strength and intelligence in its telling of a tragic tale. The winning work is a form of poetry that evokes the quest for identity and the cruelty of personal and family relations, where the unspoken and the unshown are at least as important as what is said and shown – and this is only enhanced by the actors’ remarkable performances.” Interestingly, the feature, which was first unveiled in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight last year and will be distributed in France from 8 May onwards by Condor Films, also scooped the trophy handed out by the Youth Jury in Nantes.

The Nantes audience, meanwhile, singled out Yuli – The Carlos Acosta Story [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Icíar Bollaín
film profile] by Iciar Bollain, which will be out in French theatres on 17 July, courtesy of ARP Sélection, whereas the Best Debut Film Award went to Journey to a Mother’s Room [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Celia Rico Clavellino
film profile] by Celia Rico, and the documentary category saw the victory of Notes for a Heist Film [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: León Siminiani
film profile] by Elías León Siminiani.

The 29^th Nantes Spanish Film Festival presented a total of 62 films (47 features and 15 shorts), organised 25 meetings (including debates, round-tables, dedications and so on) with 60 guests (filmmakers, actors, critics and authors, among others), and rustled up a sidebar dedicated to flamenco in addition to a tribute to actor Javier Bardem, who was in attendance. 

Here is the complete list of winners: 

Jules Verne Award for Best Film
Petra [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jaime Rosales
film profile] – Jaime Rosales (Spain/France/Denmark)

Audience Award 
Yuli – The Carlos Acosta Story [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Icíar Bollaín
film profile] - Iciar Bollain (Spain/Cuba/UK/Germany)

Youth Jury Award
Petra – Jaime Rosales

Best Documentary Award
Notes for a Heist Film [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: León Siminiani
film profile] - Elías León Siminiani (Spain)

Best Debut Film Award
Journey to a Mother’s Room [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Celia Rico Clavellino
film profile] - Celia Rico (Spain/France)

Best Short Film Award
Un cuento familiar - José Corral (Spain)

Schoolchildren’s Jury Award
The Silence of Others [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Almudena Carracedo, Esther …
film profile] - Almudena Carracedo, Robert Bahar (USA/Spain)

(Translated from French)