CFF2017

Joe Yanick from Visit Films holding the Pieza Ritual

New York, Marzo 27, 2017— The Colombian Film Festival announced the winners of its 5th year. X500 by Juan Andrés Arango won the Best Fiction Award. The award for Best Documentary goes to Noche Herida by director Nicolás Rincón Guille and the Best Short Film corresponds to Madre by Simón Mesa. The trophy was designed by the artist Nadín Ospina.

The Audience Award, by Univision, was given to La Mujer del Animal by legendary director Victor Gaviria and El paseo 4 by Juan Camilo Pinzón, who obtained a Special Mention from the Audience.

The following films received Special Mentions from the jurors. Oscuro Animal by Felipe Guerrero, the documentary Pizarro by Simón Hernandez and the Short Film 7ÚN3l by Klych López. El Cañamo by Rafael Loayza received a Special Mention for Best Cinematography in the Short Film selection.

The jury of the fiction category is composed of Director and Screenwriter Sean Baker, the critic and programmer Niclas Goldberg of the Göteberg International Film Festival and filmmaker Esy Casey.

For the documentary selection the following jurors were assigned: director and producer Kim Snyder; director, producer, and curator of the Museum of the Moving Image in New York, Shola Lynch; last but not least, the director , editor, and NYU Film professor Sam D. Pollard. Together, the short film curator Linda O and film journalist Marc Tió chose this year’s Short Film winners.

Throughout the festival, which lasted 4 days, 28 films were in exhibition, the majority were a national premiere in the categories of fiction and documentary.

After a long deliberation of the eight films in competition for the Best Fiction Award, the jurors announced X500 as the award winner for “A poignant and moving depiction of loneliness and separation with an undercurrent of tension, X500 achieves the impressive feat of interweaving three global perspectives on migrant struggles in the assimilation and rejection of their adopted cultures. Intimately engaged cinematography and telling interactions communicate the trials of the individuals in a manner that can be felt on a universal level. ”

In regards to the Special Mention of Oscuro Animal, the jurors define the film as an “A multilayered, original narrative that boldly erases dialogue and heavy drama in favor of sustained, unflinching shots make the viewer present in the everyday and unseen horrors that these women endure. Stunning, spacious cinematography and rich, natural sound design add to a deeply profound and visceral experience.”

As for the documentary jury, the winner Noche Herida is “An observational film of enormous power and emotion. And it unfolded in such a beautiful and contemplative way that I am proud along with the other members of the jury to honor it as the best documentary of the festival.”

The Colombian Film Festival New York

The Colombian Film Festival was founded by Juan Carvajal in 2012 after noticing the lack of Colombian cinema in the United States, this happened while he worked in several festivals and cinema. He then decided to unify the diaspora of the existing Colombian community in the tri-state area, by creating a festival dedicated to the exposure of the roots and talent of Colombia through cinematographic images.

Colombian Film Festival New York is presented by Delta Air Lines and sponsored by The Colombian Consulate of New York, Univision (Official Network of COLFILMNY), Prexco, and Caracol Cine. For more information regarding the winners of The Colombian Film Festival New York visit www.colfilmny.com