Queer Lisboa 13 Award Winners

From September 18 to 26 the fest run in Lisbon and here are the award winners.

Best Feature Film: Ander, Roberto Castón, Spain, 2009
According to the jury, the film “defies youth- and urban-centred fashion and challenges stereotypes of rural life, offering instead a hopeful and courageous alternative to traditional patterns of behaviour.” Ander, which portrays the sexual tension and desire between a solitary middle-aged Basque farmer and a younger Peruvian immigrant, was also referenced for the way it explores “the growing solidarity between its well-developed characters, weaving together their stories in touching, poignant and subtle ways.”

Special Mention: Rabioso Sol, Rabioso Cielo, Julián Hernández, Mexico, 2009
“for offering the viewer a 3-hour experience of pure cinema, in which strong emotions are generated by the movement of the images and the actors, like in a dance”.

Best Actress: Mina Orfanou in Strella, Panos H. Koutras, Greece, 2009
“for her intense and touching performance.” Highlighting that “the energy and physical commitment she puts into her role brings this modern Greek tragedy to life. She goes from joy to desperation, evidencing a wide range of emotion and offering the audience a brilliant portrayal of a transsexual woman with deep emotional conflicts.”

Best Actor: Josean Bengoetxa in Ander, Roberto Castón, Spain, 2009
“for his truthful, intense and always convincing performance” in Ander, by Roberto Castón, in which by “bravely exposing his body, he brings to the screen the vulnerability of a person painstakingly trying to find himself".

Best Documentary: Fig Trees, John Greyson, Canada 2009
“HIV/AIDS and access to treatment is important for everyone, and not least our community; an issue which nowadays has become unfashionable. The jury chose Fig Trees because it gives visibility to this important subject. The rich and complex filmmaking demands the audience’s involvement with its clever combination of classical formal elements, which come together in a very impressive way.”

Special Mention: Verliebt, Verzopft, Verwegen, Katharina Lampert and Cordula Thym, Austria, 2009
“a well-crafted first film offering a glimpse of our past via an optimistic portrait of older lesbians and their lives.”

Best Short Film: Yo Solo Miro, Gorka Cornejo, Spain, 2008

If you feel like checking all the movies, documentaries and shorts in the festival please go here.