Ciro Guerra & Cristina Gallegos’ “Birds of Passage” Wins Audience Award at Los Cabos International Film Festival

The people have spoken, and they’re all about Ciro Guerra’s latest project.

The awards have been handed out at the Los Cabos International Film Festival, with the 37-year-old Colombian film director’s Birds of Passage, co-directed by Cristina Gallegos, taking home the Cinemex Audience Award.

Ciro Guerra & Cristina Gallego

Meanwhile, Andrés Kaiser proved to be the night’s big winner, taking home three prizes for the Mexican filmmaker’s thriller/mockumentary sweeping the Mexico Primero categories.

The black-and-white film, set somewhere in Mexico’s Oaxacan mountains, won the Cinemex Prize, the Premio FIPRESCI and the Art Kingdom Award.

The film, selected as Colombia’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film race at the 91st Academy Awards, chronicles the early days of illegal drug trading in Colombia.

The crafted 1970s tribal mobster epic depicts how a Wayuu family is torn apart by Colombia’s early drug trade.

Here’s a look at all the prize winners

LOS CABOS COMPETITION
“Genesis,” (Philippe Lesage, France)

LOS CABOS COMPETITION SPECIAL MENTION
“We the Animals,” (Jeremiah Zagar, U.S.)

CINEMEX AUDIENCE AWARD
“Birds of Passage,” (Cristina Gallegos, Ciro Guerra, Mexico, Colombia)

MEXICO PRIMERO

CINEMEX PRIZE
“Feral,” (Andrés Kaiser, Mexico)

PREMIO FIPRESCI
“Feral,” (Andrés Kaiser, Mexico)

ART KINGDOM AWARD
“Feral,” (Andrés Kaiser, Mexico)

GABRIEL FIGUEROA FILM FUND AWARDS

WORK IN PROGRESS
“Labor,” (David Zonana)

CHEMISTRY AWARD
“Labor,” (David Zonana)

CINECOLOR MEXICO AWARD
“I’m No Longer Here,” (Fernando Frias)

FILM IN DEVELOPMENT AWARD
“Neza,” (Julio Hernández Cordón)

CTT EXP & RENTALS AWARD
“Estado del imperio,” (Amat Escalante)

CTT EXP & RENTALS + CHEMISTRY AWARD
“The Hole in the Fence,” (Joaquín del Paso)

TALENT ON THE ROAD /WORLD TALENT HOUSE AWARD
“Viaje al país de los Tarahumaras,” (Federico Cecchetti)

BOBO AWARD
“The Devil’s Advocates”

PROMO TRAILER ART KINGDOM AWARD
“The Devil’s Advocates”

OUTSTANDING WORK IN CINEMA AWARD
Adam Driver

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Spike Lee, Terry Gilliam

Gabriel Mariño Wins Two Awards at the Los Cabos Intl. Film Festival

Gabriel Mariño is the man of the hour in Mexico…

The Mexican director’s “Yesterday Wonder I Was” was a big winner at the 6th Los Cabos Intl. Film Festival on Saturday night.

Gabriel Mariño

Mariño’s black & white low-fi fantasy tale won the Premio FIPRESCI in the Mexico Primero category, as well as the Cinemex Prize.

The film is a body-swapping tale of a solitary soul in one of the world’s most populated cities. The entity, completely unintentionally and unexplained, occasionally wakes up in a new body for an unknown period of time. Gender, age and physical features are all lost, the only thing remaining is the entity’s consciousness. The film follows the entity through parks, parties, rooftops and its beloved courtyard garden as it tries to make a connection with someone who will love it in return, in spite of its condition. That possible connection comes in the form of Luisa, a beautiful hairdresser who cuts the entity’s hair after each swap. When finally it wakes up in a body young and attractive enough to instill the necessary confidence, the entity makes its move and begins a relationship with Luisa, not knowing how she will respond to the next swap.

Mariño’s second feature film hit Los Cabos off Mexico’s Morelia Festival last month, where it won the awards for best first/second Mexican film and actress (Sonia Franco).

Sean Baker’s “The Florida Project,” which was shot with an eye for eye-popping color by ace Mexican cinematographer Alexis Zabe, took home the top prize at the festival.

Baker’s latest take on America’s margins – here a hooker mother and six-year-old scam-artist daughter struggling to get by at roadside motel flophouse in the shadow of Disney World – was always a frontrunner in main competition.

David Pablos’ “Dive” took was given the Los Cabos Goes to Cannes Award.

To be directed by Pablos, the project is inspired by a real case of sexual abuse by a trainer of his young female divers in Mexico’s high-board diving team. Winningly, the film looks set to present both the power dynamics, which facilitated the abuse and the protagonist’s psychological battle to recognize that she has even been the victim.

Meanwhile, Nicole Kidman accepted an Outstanding Cinema Award at the beginning of Los Cabos’ awards gala ceremony.

Here’s a look at the night’s big winners:

LOS CABOS COMPETITION: “The Florida Project,” (Sean Baker, U.S.) 

MEXICO PRIMERO

PREMIO FIPRESCI: “Yesterday Wonder I Was,” (Gabriel Mariño, Mexico)
CINEMEX PRIZE: “Yesterday Wonder I Was”
CINEMEX AUDIENCE AWARD: “Road to Mars,” (Humberto Hinojosa)
ART KINGDOM AWARD: “Morir a los desiertos,” (Marta Ferrer, Mexico)

GABRIEL FIGUEROA FILM FUND AWARDS

LOS CABOS GOES TO CANNES AWARD: “Dive,” (David Pablos)
WORKS IN PROGRESS: “History Lessons,” (Marcelino Islas Hernández)
FILM IN DEVELOPMENT: Noche de fuego,” (Tatiana Huezo); “Israela & Talleen,” (Trisha Ziff)
LABO AWARD: “Bayoneta,” (Kizza Terrazas); “The Chambermaid,” (Lila Avilés)
CTT EXP & RENTALS AWARD: “Dive”
CHEMISTRY AWARD: Penumbra, by Pablo Barrera
TALENT ON THE ROAD / WORLD TALENT HOUSE AWARD: “My Tender Matador,” (Rodrigo Sepúlveda, Chile)
LCI AWARD: “Temple,” (Lucia Gaja)

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Nicole Kidman