The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival closes its 9th edition with an award ceremony and the Gabi prize to Ricardo Montalban

The 9th edition of the Los Angeles Latino Internacional Film Festival concluded tonight with a gala ceremony at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.

The festival awarded its prizes to the winners in several categories. The Best Documentary prize went to the Spanish filmmaker Javier Corcuera for INVIERNO EN BAGDAD. LA CAÑADA, directed by Carlos Corea, from Mexico, received the Best Short film award; and LAS MANTENIDAS SIN SUEÑOS, an Argentine picture by Vera Fogwill and Martín Desalvo received the prize for Best First Film.

The audience award went to HABANA BLUES by Benito Zambrano and O CASAMENTO DE ROMEU E JULIETA by Bruno Barreto.

The Jury for the feature films in competition fulfilled a double duty this year. Besides awarding the festival prizes it also selected three films, to be submitted by Laliff to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, as candidates for nominations as Best Foreign Film for the Golden Globes. The chosen films were LAS MANTENIDAS SIN SUEÑOS by Vera Fogwill and Martín Desalvo from Argentina, LA ULTIMA LUNA, directed by Chilean filmmaker Miguel Littin, and HABANA BLUES, by Benito Zambrano from Spain.

The remaing prizes were given to Benito Zambrano and Ernesto Chao for HABANA BLUES, and Sergio Machado and Karin Ainouz for CIDADE BAIXA, in the category of Best Screenplay. Miguel Littin received the award for Best Director for LA ULTIMA LUNA. And finally, the Rita prize for the Best Film went to LAS MANTENIDAS SIN SUEÑOS, by Vera Fogwill and Martín Desalvo.

After the awards, the audience enjoyed the screening of the Brazilian comedy, O CASAMENTO DE ROMEU E JULIETA, directed by Bruno Barreto, and a lively party with a Brazilian flavor, which brought to a close this 9th edition of Laliff at the Egyptian Theater.
Photograph 01: Jorge Sanchez (Jury), Martín Desalvo, Vera Fogwill, Marlene Dermer and Edward James Olmos
Photograph 02: Jorge Sánchez (Jury), Marlene Dermer and Benito Zambrano
Photograph 03: Edward James Olmos, Javier Corcuera, Juan Fernández (Jury) and Marlene Dermer