MAFIZ, the industry area of the Malaga Film Festival which took place between 4 and 8 March, held its closing ceremony and awards ceremony last Friday at the NH Hotel. Annabelle Aramburu, its general coordinator, kicked off the event which was hosted by Romina Zace. Here the winners of Malaga WIP, MAFF and Malaga Short Corner were revealed (the list of all the winners can be found below). During the event, it was also announced that the Dominican Republic will take over from Paraguay as guest of honour at Latin American Focus in 2025.

In the Malaga Work in Progress (WIP) section, Juan Gautier's The Aspirant received the Malaga Festival Award (Malaga WIP Spain), worth €5,000. It is a psychological thriller about the initiation into a masculine universe that glorifies command, sexism and obedience during the hazing of a high school, starring Jorge Motos, Lucas Nabor, Eduardo Rosa, Catalina Sopelana, Pedro Rubio and Felipe Pirazán. It is produced by Smiz and Pixel, the Italian company Kabiria Films, La Bestia Produce and Featurent with distribution and international sales managed by Begin Again Films.

The Malaga Festival Award (Malaga WIP Ibero-America), also worth €5,000, went to Suçuarana, by Sérgio Borges and Clarissa Campolina, from Brazil. The Aracne Digital Cinema Award, consisting of image post-production and valued at €20,000, was won by Jone, Sometimes by Sara Fantova (Spain).

The Chemistry Award, with image post-production for a Latin American film and valued at $15,000, went to Los caminantes de la calle, a co-production between Peru and Argentina by Juan Martín Hsu, which also won the Sideral Award, worth €5,000 for international distribution. And the E-28 Award, consisting of the composition and production of a soundtrack and valued at $10,000, went to Per què no vas fer res? by Bàrbara Mestanza and Marc Pujolar, a film that also received the Río Bravo Award: production of a trailer, promo or teaser, worth €5,000.

Other outstanding awards in this section were: the Yagán Films Award (Spain), with sound post-production, valued at €13,000 for Still Life with Ghosts, by Enrique Buleo from La Mancha (read more); and the Yagán Films Award (Ibero-America), with sound post-production, valued at €13,000, for Kaye, by Chilean Juan Cáceres.

Several collaborating festivals (Abycine Lanza, Fidba Doc, Rec Tarragona and Santic Latam) also agreed to select Malaga WIP projects to participate in their industry labs (details below), while Malaga Festival Fund Co-production (MAFF) also presented several awards. These included 1st Prize Cántico Producciones (ten minutes of original music, valued at €6,400) for Resistencia, by Yanillys Pérez (Dominican Republic); 2nd Prize Cántico Producciones (with original music and audio post-production for a trailer or teaser of up to two minutes, valued at €3,400) for El niño y el tiburón, by Lucía Flórez (Peru/Spain); and 3rd Prize Cántico Producciones (production of a teaser, original music and post-production for a project, valued at €3,400) for An Amputee, by Ignacio Pávez. Meanwhile, the Sideral Award of €5,000 for international distribution went to Pedro Gumao's La carne dócil.

This was the culmination of five intense days in which 1,632 professionals were accredited. In addition, 220 buyers from 61 countries and for the first time from Panama, Slovakia and South Africa came to Malaga. During the event, both the Canary Islands Community (protagonist of the Territorios MAFIZ section) and the Abycine festival (Albacete) received Silver Biznagas: the former for its audiovisual support policies and the latter in recognition of its promotion of Spanish independent cinema.

Awards:

Malaga Work in Progress (WIP)

Malaga Film Festival WIP Spain Award
The Aspirant - Juan Gautier Sansalvador (Spain)

Malaga Film Festival WIP Ibero-American Award
Suçuarana - Sérgio Borges and Clarissa Campolina (Brazil)

Aracne Digital Cinema Award
Jone, Sometimes - Sara Fantova (Spain)

Chemistry Award
Los caminantes de la calle - Juan Martín Hsu (Peru/Argentina)

Film and Television Award
The Aspirant - Juan Gautier Sansalvador

E-28 Award
Los caminantes de la calle - Juan Martín Hsu
Per què no vas fer res? - Bàrbara Mestanza and Marc Pujolar (Spain)

IAFFM - Miami Award
Jone batzuetan - Sara Fantova

Latamcinema.com Award
Los caminantes de la calle - Juan Martín Hsu

Music Library Award
Still Life with Ghosts - Enrique Buleo (Spain)

Music Library Award (Malaga WIP Ibero-America)
No puedo tener sexo - Bel Gatti (Argentina)

Río Bravo Award
Per què no vas fer res? - Bàrbara Mestanza and Marc Pujolar

Sideral Award
Los caminantes de la calle - Juan Martín Hsu

Yagán Films Award (Spain)
Still Life with Ghosts - Enrique Buleo

Yagán Films Award (Ibero-America)
Kaye - Juan Cáceres (Chile)

Abycine Lanza
Per què no vas fer res? - Bàrbara Mestanza and Marc Pujolar

FIDBA Doc
Bajo las banderas, el sol - Juanjo Pereira (Paraguay)

REC Festival
Jone batzuetan - Sara Fantova
Surfing Einstein - Meritxell Campos Olivé (Spain)

SANFIC Latam
Cuerpo criminal - Martín Boulocq (Bolivia)

Malaga Festival Fund Co-Production (MAFF)

Music Library Award (Latin America)
An Amputee - Ignacio Pávez (Chile)

Music Library Women Screen Industry Award
La pérdida de la magia - Silvia Rey (Spain)

Bolivia Lab Award
El milagro del Surubí - Lorenzo Tocco (Uruguay)

1st Prize Cántico Producciones
Resistencia - Yanillys Pérez (Dominican Republic)

2nd Prize Cántico Producciones
El niño y el tiburón - Lucía Flórez (Peru/Spain)

3rd Prize Cántico Producciones
An Amputee - Ignacio Pávez

Impulso ECAM Award
El milagro del Surubí - Lorenzo Tocco

SANFIC Santiago Lab Award
Allq’u - Teo Belton (Peru)

Sideral Award
La carne dócil - Pedro Gumao (Spain)

FIDBA Award
La pérdida de la magia - Silvia Rey

Spanish Screenings Content – Malaga Short Corner

Festhome Best Short Film Award
Campolivar - Alicia Moncholí (Spain)