2023. Awards and closing ceremony
Don't miss the last weekend of the festival!
Tonight, during the festival's Closing Gala, were presented the Best Film Award to the feature film How to Have Sex by Molly Manning Walker and the Best Spanish Film Award to El mestre que va prometre el mar by Patricia Font. This edition has already attained 9 SOLD OUTS
Today, Friday, November 3rd, the Closing Gala of the Sixth Madrid Films by Women Festival took place at the Palacio de la Prensa in Madrid. It was hosted by the journalist Sol Alonso, and was attended by many film directors, actresses and prominent authorities.
During the evening, the national jury, made up of the journalists from the Asociación Premios Globos de Oro, María Cabal, Diego Dacosta and Verónica Dávila, granted the 2023 Award for Best Spanish Film to director Patricia Font for her film El mestre que va prometre el mar. The award consisted of €3,000 in discounts on the rental of film equipment courtesy of the company RC Service and a mobile phone, model 13 Lite, courtesy of Xiaomi Iberia.
The national jury has granted the 2023 Best Spanish Film award to El mestre que va prometre el mar for “bringing together many significant elements: inspiration, strength, teachings, and a magnificent cast. Although it has undoubtedly been a difficult choice to make, we also want to congratulate all the participants for continuing to make films on unforgettable stories".
Afterwards, the Panamanian director Ana Endara, the actress Natalia de Molina and the director and writer Vicente Molina Foix, members of the Jury of the Official Section of the International Competition presented the 2023 Best Film Award of the Madrid Films by Women Festival. The award consisted in the 4K colour correction for 3 weeks in the Místika digital cinema room of Free Your Mind, valued at €30,000, for the next feature film by the winning director; the creation of a DCP in original version subtitled in Spanish by the company Subtitula’m, valued at €1,000; and a 13 Lite model mobile phone, courtesy of Xiaomi Iberia.
Before announcing the winning film of the Official Selection of the International Competition, the international jury of the 2023 Madrid Films by Women Festival gave a special mention to the film El Eco by Tatiana Huezo (Mexico/Germany), "for its refined way of merging real lives with documentary chronicles".
Then, the international jury presented the 2023 Best Film of the Films by Women Award to the British feature film How to have Sex by Molly Manning Walker "for its enveloping energy, which leaves no escape, by talking about urgent issues such as power dynamics and consensus in the women's universe. And for being an uncomfortable, close and empathetic portrait of the concerns of adolescence."
The winning films of the Competition will be screened next Sunday, November 5th in a special double screening at the Cine Estudio of the Círculo de Bellas Artes: How to have Sex by Molly Manning Walker at 7:00 p.m. and El mestre que va prometre el mar by Patricia Font at 9:00 p.m.
After the awards ceremony, the audience attending the Closing Gala could enjoy the premiere in Madrid of Teresa, Paula Ortiz's latest feature film, starring Blanca Portillo and Asier Etxeandia, which was presented by its director.
During the weekend, the public will be able to continue enjoying the programme, which includes the films in the Official Selection of the International Competition La memoria infinita by Maite Alberdi and Slow by Marija Kavtaradze, which will take place, respectively, on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. at the Cine Estudio of the Círculo de Bellas Artes.
Also two Chinese films screened from the International Panorama Section will be screened at Cineteca Madrid: 脐带 (The Cord of Life) by Qiao Sixue and 我们不能白头偕老 (Till love do us part) by Li Ran, as well as a part of the LGBTIQ+ selection at the Cinemateca Pedro Zerolo; Memoria y sexualidad de las mujeres bajo el franquismo by Cecilia Montagut and Yo Imposible by Patricia Ortega. After the screening of the latter the film directors will have a colloquium.
In addition, on Saturday, November 4th, a special session of El Eco by Tatiana Huezo will be held at the Fundación Casa de México en España. The director will attend to present her film and to talk to the audience after the screening. The activity has been possible thanks to the collaboration of the Centro de Estudios Mexicanos UNAM-España and the Fundación Casa de México en España.