The film “Raticida”, by Portuguese director João Niza Ribeiro, was one of the winners at the Huesca International Film Festival in Spain, and will automatically enter the shortlist for the Oscars, the organization announced today.
This year’s short film festival put 79 films from 29 countries in competition for three Danzante awards (Ibero-American, International and Documentary).
“Raticida” won the Ibero-American Danzante prize “for its high cinematographic quality” and for being a “gripping portrait of a marginal universe where the current socio-political context of the migration issue in Europe is integrated in an organic and necessary way”, according to a press release from the festival organization.
The other Danzante prizes went to “Le Point de Reprise” by French director Nicolas Panay in the international category, and to “Liturgy of Anti-Tank Obstacles” by Ukrainian director Dmytro Stukholytkyy-Sobchuk in the documentary category.
According to the jury, the film “Le Point de Reprise” “fantastically conveys the struggle of working men and women for their jobs, highlighting the problems of life in a capitalist system”.
As for “Liturgy of Anti-Tank Obstacles”, a co-production between the USA and Ukraine, it is a “powerful and elegant tale of how different materials become symbols of war and peace, thanks to the resilience and hard work of people living in conflict”, reads the same press release issued today by the Huesca Film Festival.
The three winning films receive 5,000 euros each and are shortlisted for the Oscars, as the festival is one of six in Spain to qualify directly for the awards handed out by the North American film academy.
Last year, “Raticida” was awarded the Grand Prize in the International Competition at the Cork Film Festival in Ireland.
The film was also selected for competition at this year’s Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) and Curtas Vila do Conde International Film Festivals.
In addition to “Raticida”, João Gonzalez’s “Ice Marchants”, nominated for this year’s Oscars in the best animated short category, was also in competition at the 51st edition of the Huesca festival.