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Vicente I. Sánchez | @Snchez1Godotx
The irreverent and provocative Mercyfrom French Alain Guiraudiehas won the Golden Spike in the 69th edition of the Seminci of Valladolid. The director of films like The stranger of the lake, Vertical Rester either An anonymous hero This time it presents a black comedy with a marked homosexual component, set in a small rural area of France. The story follows Jérémie (Félix Kysyl), a young man full of secrets who returns to his hometown to attend the funeral of a former boss. Starting point for a plot of conflicting loves and passions, where homosexuality and the search for freedom are once again central themes, as was already the case in The stranger of the lake (possibly his best work to date).
The Silver Spike was awarded ex aequo to Stranger Eyes by Yeo Siew Hua and Dust will be by Carlos Marquet-Marcet, two correct films, but not surprising
The jury in charge of awarding the Golden Spike, made up of the Greek director Sofia Exarchou, the Spanish actress Aida Folch, the critic and editor Devika Girish, the German producer Ingmar Trost and the Spanish director and writer Luis López Carrasco, stood out during the reading of the record the great intelligence of the movie. According to the jury, it is “a film that hides a complex balance of genres and tones, and under its appearance as a provincial thriller-comedy, offers a deep reflection on how desire and guilt make us predictable and incomprehensible to others.”.
Mercywhich also won the award for best script, is a strange work that seeks to provoke the viewer, playing a large part of its cards on political and religious irreverence. An essential element is the character played by Jacques Develay, a village priest capable of loving in silence and sacrificing himself without losing his faith. He is, without a doubt, a central character full of “mercy”, dedicated to helping others in an unconventional way in the context of the Catholic Church. Starting from its essence as a rural thriller, Guiraudie builds a work that is difficult to define, which navigates between drama, voluntary and involuntary comedy, and the shame of others.
Although it was not the best film in the Official Section, it is fair to recognize that Mercy It is a deliciously cynical film, which enjoys provocation and absurdity, and which jumps from one genre to another without losing strength. His discourse on buried and repressed passions is magnificently embodied by Félix Kysyl, whose character becomes a kind of parasite who imposes himself on a town unable to escape his charm. By the way, Mercy It is a production of Albert Serrawinner of the Golden Shell in San Sebastián for Lonely afternoons, who seems to be experiencing a year of great successes.
The award for best director appropriately went to the Chinese Guan Hu for Black Dogpossibly the most rounded and successful film of this edition
The Silver Spike was awarded ex aequo to Stranger Eyes by Yeo Siew Hua and Dust will be by Carlos Marquet-Marcet, two correct films, but not surprising. The award for best director appropriately went to the Chinese Guan Hu for Black Dogpossibly the most rounded and accomplished film of this edition, which undoubtedly deserved greater recognition. Laura Weissmahr won best actress for her performance in Hail Mary, while the award for best actor was awarded ex aequo to Jann Gunner Roise and Thorbjorn Harr for their performance in sex. Curiously, the jury left out a film as outstanding as The Brutalistwhich, although it came with the Silver Lion for best direction in Venice, far surpassed what was seen at Seminci. Time will have to talk about this masterpiece.
This concludes an interesting edition in terms of cinema, in which the new director, José Luis Cienfuegos, has left his personal stamp. This is reflected in the renewal of the festival’s image, including its logo, posters and musical introduction to each film, as well as in a selection highly oriented towards auteur films that have won awards at other festivals. A high thumbs up can be given to this edition; However, it is necessary to work on improving respect for the press. There were unkind details towards journalists, including a significant lack of courtesy at the closing party, where access to some media was restricted. The atmosphere that was breathed was, if the expression is allowed, one of unprofessional provincial nonsense, something that should not be allowed in a festival that seeks to lead culture. It’s a shame to have to point it out, but Cienfuegos should remember that festivals like the Seminci They depend on the selfless work of hundreds of journalists who cover each edition.
SEMINCI 2024 honors
Golden Spike for Best Film: ‘Mercy’, by Alain Guiraudie.
Silver Spike for Best Direction: ‘Stranger Eyes’, by Yeo Siew Hua and ‘Dust They Will’, by Carlos Marques-Marcet.
“Ribera de Duero” Award for Best Direction: ‘Black Dog’, by Guan Hu.
Best Actress Award: Laura Weissmahr, for ‘Hail Mary’.
Best Actor Award: Jan Gunnar Roise and Thorbjorn Harr, for ‘Sex’. And special mention for Ángela Molina and Alfredo Castro, for ‘Polvo estar’.
Award for Best Cinematography: Weizhe Gao for ‘Black Dog’.
‘Miguel Delibes’ Award for Best Screenplay: Alain Guiraudie for ‘Mercy’.
‘José Salcedo’ Award for Best Editing: Telmo Churro and Pedro Filipe Marques, for ‘Grand Tour’.
Meeting Point Award: ‘Holy Cow’, by Louise Courvoisier.
Funds Special Award: ‘Familiar touch’, by Sarah Friedland.
Alchemy Grand Prize: ‘The vine’, by Alberto Graciad. And special mention for ‘Bluish’, by Milena Czernovsky and Lilith Kraxner.
History Time Grand Prize: ‘Youth (Hard Times)’, by Wang Bing.
History Time Special Award: ‘Henry Fonda for president’, by Alexander Horwath. Special mention for ‘Savanna and the Mountains’, by Paulo Carneiro.
“Pilar Miró” Award for Best Spanish Director: Elena Manrique, for ‘Final de fiesta’.
DOC Award. Spain: ‘Box of resistance’, by Concha Barquero and Alejandro Alvarado.
Seminci Young Award: ‘Daughter of the Volcano’, by Jenifer de la Rosa.
Young Jury Award Official Section: ‘The Tutoring (Armand)’ by Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel.
Golden Spike for Best Short Film: ‘Baldilocks’, by Marthe Peters.
Silver Spike for Best Short Film: ‘Punter’, by Jason Adam Maselle and ‘Lluna de sal’, by Mariona Martínez.
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