Dominican “Perejil” Wins Audience Award at Miami Film Festival

Miami, 14 Mar The Dominican feature film “Perejil”, by José María Cabral, won the first audience prize for best film at the Miami Film Festival, while the Spanish film “Mediterraneo”, by Marcel Barrena, came in second place, announced this Monday the organization of the event. The audience vote for the 39th edition of this festival organized by Miami Dade College (MDC), which ended on Sunday, placed third place in the Dominican “Absences Dossier”, film by director Rolando Díaz. The presence of two films from the Dominican Republic among the favorites of the public confirms the good moment that the cinematography of that Caribbean nation is experiencing, to which this year the festival dedicated the section “Dominican Quinteto”. Cabral pointed out a few days ago in an interview with Efe that the current “boom” in national and international cinema being shot in his country has its origin in a 2010 film law to stimulate audiovisual production, and that it has allowed the jump from an average of two features a year to almost the twenty that are being shot today. In the documentary category, the festival's audience has chosen, in this order: “South Beach Shark Club: Legends and Lore of the South Florida Shark Hunters”, by Miami director Robert Requejo Ramos; “Strangers to Peace” by Laura Rengifo and Noah DeBonis; and “Keep the Cameras Rolling: The Pedro Zamora Way” by William T. Horner and Stacey Woelfel. In addition to this group of films, some of which have had their world premiere at the Miami festival, is “Cariño”, a romantic comedy by Mexican director Fernanda Lamuño, which won the first audience prize for best short film, as it was announced on Saturday night during the awards gala. This year's edition of this film event crowned “Freda”, the feature debut by Haitian director Géssica Généus, with the main prize, the Knight Marimbas award, for its “strong narrative centered on women”, supported by “exceptional performances by emerging actors”, as noted by the jury. “Carajita”, by Argentinian filmmakers Silvina Schnicer and Ulises Porra Guardiola, won the HBO Prize for Ibero-American Feature Film, while the documentary-style family drama “You Resemble Me”, by filmmaker and journalist Dina Amer, won the award for the debut film Jordan Ressler. Hatzín Navarrete, the protagonist of the film “The Box”, and Mari Oliveira, from “Medusa”, both in competition, won the awards for best actor and actress, respectively, for their “magnetic performances”, stressed the jury. Spaniard Penelope Cruz received the Precious Gem Icon award, in recognition of her entire career. In a message recorded and screened at the ceremony, the actress shared the award with her compatriot Pedro Almodóvar, for whose feature film “Parallel Mothers” the performer has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress. Between March 4 and 13, more than 120 features, shorts and documentaries from 35 countries were part of the festival's programme this year, in which Spanish-language films from both sides of the Atlantic have had a significant share. The Spanish “El buen patron”, by Fernando León de Aranoa, and the Panamanian “Plaza Catedral”, by Abner Benaim, officially opened and closed, respectively, this year's edition, and in both cases with the presence of their directors. CHIEF lce/lll