Carlos Marques-Marcet Wins Platform Competition Award at Toronto Film Festival for “They Will Be Dust”

Carlos Marques-Marcet is celebrating a special international prize…

The 41-year-old Spanish film director, screenwriter and film editor, best known for his first fictional film 10,000 km, picked up the Platform Competition Award at the just-wrapped 2024 Toronto Film Festival.

Carlos Marques-Marcet Marquez-Marcet won for his unequal parts contemporary dance-musical and ensemble drama They Will Be Dust.

In addition to directing the film, he co-wrote the film with Clara Roquet and Coral Cruz.

Starring Ángela MolinaAlfredo Castro and Mònica Almiral, the woman centers on a woman with an incurable disease who decides to end her life. Her significant other Flavio sets in motion a plan to die together in Switzerland, while their daughter Violeta ends up as an unmeant middle woman.

Heres the list of this year’s TIFF awards winners:

People’s Choice Award
The Life of Chuck, dir. Mike Flanagan | USA
The first runner-up: Emilia Pérez, dir. Jacques Audiard | France/USA/Mexico
The second runner-up: Anora, dir. Sean Baker | USA

People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award
The Substance, dir. Coralie Fargeat | United Kingdom/USA/France
The first runner-up: Dead Talents Society, dir. John Hsu | Taiwan
The second runner-up: Friendship, dir. Andrew DeYoung | USA

People’s Choice Documentary Award
The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal, dir. Mike Downie | Canada
The first runner-up: Will & Harper, dir. Josh Greenbaum | USA
The second runner-up: Your Tomorrow, dir. Ali Weinstein | Canada

SHORT CUTS AWARDS

Best International Film
Deck 5B, dir. Malin Ingrid Johansson | Sweden
Honourable mention: Quota, dir. Job Roggeveen, Joris Oprins, Marieke Blaauw | Netherlands

Best Canadian Film:
Are You Scared To Be Yourself Because You Think That You Might Fail?, dir. Bec Pecaut | Canada

FIPRESCI AWARD
Mother Mother, dir. K’naan Warsame | Somalia

NETPAC AWARD
The Last of the Sea Women, dir. Sue Kim | USA

BEST CANADIAN DISCOVERY AWARD
Universal Language, dir. Matthew Rankin | Canada
Honourable mention: You Are Not Alone, dirs. Marie-Hélène Viens, Philippe Lupien | Canada 

BEST CANADIAN FEATURE FILM AWARD
Shepherds, dir. Sophie Deraspe | Canada

PLATFORM COMPETITION AWARD
They Will Be Dust, dir. Carlos Marques-Marcet | Spain, Italy, Switzerland
Honourable mention: Sylvia Chang in Daughter’s Daughter, dir. Huang Xi | Taiwan

Marques-Marcet Named to Variety’s “10 Europeans to Watch” List

It could turn out to be Carlos Marques-Marcet’s breakout year…

The 31-year-old Spanish filmmaker has been named to Variety’s “10 Europeans to Watch” list.

Carlos Marques-Marcet

Marques-Marcet’s feature directorial debut 10.000 km won a long list of prizes at several international festivals, including Best Film at the Málaga Spanish Film Festival, as well as awards at the Sant Jordi Awards and the Seattle International Film Festival.

The group, which consists of exciting new talents across various disciplines, will be honored February 7 at a reception hosted by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg during the Berlin International Film Festival. Best First Week by

Here’s a look at the complete list:

The 10 Europeans to Watch:

Yann Demange, director
The Londoner’s film “’71,” above, stars Jack O’Connell and was a prize-winner at the 2014 Berlinale and is rolling out in the U.S. this month via Roadside Attractions.

Cara Delevingne, actress
The British supermodel and Vogue staple is making a successful transition to acting; she landed the lead in the next John Green adaptation, “Paper Towns,” among other plum roles.

Mara Eibl-Eibesfeldt, director-writer
With “Spiderwebhouse,” the German filmmaker makes her debut; pic plays in Berlin’s German Film Perspective.

Ginevra Elkann, producer
The Italian producer has landed two films in Berlin’s Generation section: Duccio Chiarini’s “Short Skin” and Lamberto Sanfelice’s “Chlorine.”

Veronika Franz, screenwriter/director
She co-directed (with Severin Fiala) Venice festival hit “Goodnight Mommy,” and in her role as a screenwriter, the Austrian has collaborated with Ulrich Seidl on his “Paradise” trilogy.

Ole Giaever, director/writer
The Norwegian filmmaker returns to Berlin with his latest feature, “Out of Nature,” one of the first pics selected for Berlin’s Panorama section.

Helene Hegemann, novelist, filmmakerThe German writer staged her first play at 15, published a sensational novel at 17 and now at 23 is embarking on an adaptation of her novel “Axolotl Roadkill.”

Carlos Marques-Marcet, director
The Spanish director’s feature directorial debut “10.000 KM” won a slew of prizes at several international festivals.

Gian-Piero Ringel, producer
With his Neue Road Movies, the German producer has been behind Jim Jarmusch’s “Only Lovers Left Alive,” and produced Wim Wenders’ groundbreaking “Pina” and “Everything Will Be Fine,” among other pics.

Tom Sommerlatte, director
The actor (“Inglourious Basterds,” “Belle and Sebastian”) makes his feature debut with “Summer Downstairs,” which plays in Berlin’s German Film Perspective.

Tena Earns Best Actress Honors at the Malaga Spanish Film Festival

Natalia Tena has gone the distance at the Malaga Spanish Film Festival

The 29-year-old Spanish actress – born and raised in England – tied Elena Anaya (Todos Estan Muertos) for best actress honors at the fest over the weekend.

Natalia Tena in Long Distance

Tena, best known for her role as wildling Osha in the HBO’s Game of Thrones, earned the honors for her performance in Carlos Marques-Marcet’s directorial debut Long Distance, which also won the top award, the Gold Biznaga, and the best director prize.

Marques-Marcet also landed the best new scriptwriter award with co-writer Clara Roquet for penning the long-distance romance with a production budget less than $690,000 (€500,000).

Distance is a Spanish-U.S. co-production between L.A based Panda Productions and Spain’s Lastor Media and will be released in Spain on May 16.

“The awards mean a huge chance for this independent movie to have success at the box office,” producer Pau Brunet said. “It’s also a triumph for a kind of independent cinema done with untraditional budgets but financed with international vision and the artistic bravery that has characterized the European art house.”

Beatriz SanchisTodos Estan Muertos, about a woman who lives with her agoraphobic daughter, also took the Silver Biznaga with a Special Jury Mention.

Other key awards included Juan Diego’s best actor honor for Anochece en la India, Yolanda Ramos’ for supporting actress in Carmina y Amen, Salva Reina and Hector Medina’s tie for supporting actor in 321 Days in Michigan and Paco Leon for screenplay for Carmina y Amen.