19/03/2007

Under The Stars [+see also:
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film profile] by Félix Viscarret was the big winner of the Malaga Spanish Film Festival, which closed its 10th edition last Saturday night, picking up the Biznaga de Oro for Best Feature Film as well as awards for Best Director, Best Actor (Alberto San Juan) and Best Emerging Screenwriter (Viscarret).

Adapted from Fernando Aralburu's novel El trompetista del Utopía and produced by Fernando Trueba P.C., Under The Stars is the feature debut by the Pamplona-born Viscarret, whose short films Los que sueñan despiertos and El álbum blanco previously won prizes in Malaga.

However, Viscarret’s was not the only directorial debut to make a splash. Four other first films received recognition in a showcase that has taken on an increasingly larger role in unveiling Spain's up-and-coming talent (see news).

The Special Jury Award went to Jaime Marques' debut Thieves while Elvira Mínguez was chosen Best Actress for her performance in Pudor [+see also:
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film profile], directed by David and Tristán Ulloa.

The Audience Award went to Café solo con ellas by Álvaro Díaz Lorenzo while the jury decided to give a Special Mention to Rafa Cortés' Me for "its originality".

The debut feature by Rodrigo Cortés, The Contestant [+see also:
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film profile], which opened locally last Friday (see news), conquered the Critics Prize and the Best Cinematography award for DOP David Azcano.

Established director Antonio Hernández saw his film El menor de los males pick up awards for Best Supporting Actress (Verónica Echegui), Best Screenplay (Antonio Hernández and Antonio Galeano) and Best Costume Design (Ruth Díaz). Tuya Siempre [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Manuel Lombarderà won in the Best Supporting Actor category (Nancho Novo), as well as for Best Music and Best Makeup.

Malaga's 10th edition attracted over 105,000 moviegoers – a 22% rise over the previous edition. This increase in participants was also felt in the parallel Malaga Screenings Market, with 68 buyers from 30 countries (65 from 27 countries in 2006) and 53 sales agents (against 44 in 2006). The market awarded Dutch distributor Paradiso Film Entertainment for its commitment to the diffusion of Spanish cinema abroad.