La Llorona [+lee también:
crítica
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entrevista: Jayro Bustamante
ficha de la película] is the winner of the GdA Director’s Award at the 16th edition of the Giornate degli Autori, held as part of the Venice International Film Festival. The work by Guatemalan director Jayro Bustamante was named the victor by a jury presided over by Brazilian filmmaker Karim Ainouz and composed of 28 young viewers from the 28 Times Cinema project, each of them hailing from a differerent country of the European Union (read the blog). La Llorona triumphed over the other ten titles in the competition, notably the two finalists Only the Animals [+lee también:
crítica
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entrevista: Dominik Moll
ficha de la película] by Dominik Moll (shortlisted “for its precise and profound portrait of solitude”) and Corpus Christi [+lee también:
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entrevista: Bartosz Bielenia
entrevista: Jan Komasa
ficha de la película] by Jan Komasa (“for its irreverent outlook on religion”).

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The reasoning of the jury reads as follows: “Bustamante, one of the most singular voices in Latin American cinema, paints a portrait of the tragic history of Guatemala and its open wounds, based upon the homonymous popular legend. Its combination of poetry and politics works to create a troubling and perceptive tale which speaks not only to the past but also to the present. La Llorona is an intimate story about ghosts told through a vivid female character, taking in the themes of loss, denial and acceptance.”

“I needed to capture the international imagination,” the director explained, “but especially that of my people. And so I began this journey, starting with my childhood fears, which ultimately led me towards those of my adulthood, and my interest in storytelling. It’s a denunciation that I’ve made through film as a form of entertainment, but without ever losing sight of what is universally described as auteur cinema.”

The GdA Director’s Award is worth €20,000, half of which will go to the director, while the remaining 50% will be transferred to the international sales agent, Film Factory Entertainment, to help with the international distribution of the film. 

Meanwhile, of the 11 films in competition, the Giornate degli Autori audience plumped for Arab Blues [+lee también:
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entrevista: Manele Labidi
ficha de la película], the feature debut by Manele Labidi, toplined by star of Middle Eastern cinema Golshifteh Farahani. The movie thus picked up the award provided by BNL Gruppo BNP Paribas.

Lastly, the Europa Cinemas Label went to Corpus Christi, the third film by Poland’s Jan Komasa. The jury statement was as follows: “Corpus Christi by Jan Komasa is an enticing mix of the tragic and the funny – sometimes violent, sometimes highly emotional. It is driven by a truly striking central performance by Bartosz Bielenia as the charismatic Daniel, a young offender who sees priesthood as a route out of his criminal ways […] A film to be seen by audiences across Europe.” The Label consists of a cash prize earmarked for distribution and production, and also promotes the exhibition lifespan of the winning film in the cinemas belonging to the network.

Here is the full list of awards handed out in the 2019 Giornate degli Autori:

GdA Director’s Award
La Llorona [+lee también:
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tráiler
entrevista: Jayro Bustamante
ficha de la película] - Jayro Bustamante (Guatemala/France)

BNL Audience Award
Arab Blues [+lee también:
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entrevista: Manele Labidi
ficha de la película] - Manele Labidi (France)

Europa Cinemas Label
Corpus Christi [+lee también:
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tráiler
entrevista: Bartosz Bielenia
entrevista: Jan Komasa
ficha de la película] - Jan Komasa (Poland/France)