03/04/2015 - António-Pedro Vasconcelos’ film clinched nine awards, including Film, Director, Actress, Actor and Original Script

Os gatos não têm vertigens [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by António-Pedro Vasconcelos made a splash last night at the 2015 Sophia Awards winning in 9 out of the 15 categories it was nominated for.

The story of the unlikely bond between a lonely widow and a young man with literary talent made it into the main categories including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress (the veteran Maria do Céu Guerra) and actor (newcomer João Jesus).

Guerra, one of Portugal’s greatest performers whose career was forged off the silver screen, was thrilled on stage as she accepted the Sophia: “I haven’t done many films in my life; so this prize is a great reward. When I got the script I realised it was a gift for any actress.”

Indeed the script, written by talented Tiago Santos, was also awarded a prize last night in the Best Original Script category. Os Gatos also dominated in the following categories: Best Original Score, Best Song, Best Editing, Best Sound.

The most widely seen Portuguese film from last year, João Botelho’s Os Maias [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], won in seven categories, including Best Supporting Actress for the fabulous Maria João Pinho and Best Supporing Actor for the veteran João Perry.

Best Documentary went to What Now? Remind Me [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Joaquim Pinto, who said on stage that his feature had been done with a “positive pessimistic tone”.

The ceremony honoured late director Manoel de Oliveira (read more) by showcasing a selection of the director’s vast array of work. “He was a master and an example to follow, we want to remember him today and always”, underlined the Academy of Portuguese Cinema.

Luís Miguel Cintra, one of Oliveira’s regular actors who was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Sophia, did not attend the ceremony but sent a message to be read by actress and politician Inês de Medeiros, in which he praised Oliveira: “When I was younger, I saw his film Acto de Primavera and I understood what cinema was all about. Cinema is an art, not a profession. I tried to make only films that do that.”

The next Sophia Awards will be held on 13 May 2016.

LIST OF WINNERS

Best Film
Os Gatos não têm Vertigens

Best Director
António-Pedro Vasconcelos - Os Gatos não têm Vertigens

Best Actor
João Jesus - Os Gatos não têm Vertigens

Best Actress
Maria do Céu Guerra - Os Gatos não têm Vertigens

Best Supporting Actor
João Perry - Os Maias

Best Supporting Actress
Maria João Pinho - Os Maias

Best Original Script
Tiago Santos - Os Gatos não têm Vertigens

Best Cinematography
João Ribeiro - Os Maias

Best Artistic Direction
Silvia Grabowski - Os Maias

Best Special Effects
Sano de Perpessac - Os Maias

Best Wardrobe
Tânia Franco - Os Maias

Best Hair and Makeup
Sano de Perpessac - Os Maias

Best Editing
Pedro Ribeir - Os Gatos não têm Vertigens

Best Sound
Vasco Pedroso, Branko Neskov and Elsa Ferreira - Os Gatos não têm Vertigens

Best Original Score
Luís Cília - Os Gatos não têm Vertigens

Best Original Song
Clandestinos do Amor - Ana Moura – Os Gatos não têm Vertigens

Best Documentary Feature
What Now? Remind Me - Joaquim Pinto

Best Short Film (Fiction)
Encontradouro - Afonso Pimentel

Best Short Film (Documentary)
O Meu Outro País - Solveig Nordlund

Best Short Film (Animation)
Fuligem - David Doutel and Vasco Sá

Lifetime Achievement
Luís Miguel Cintra
Eunice Muñoz