“Yellow Line” wins Feature, Audience Award at Spain’s Lleida

PanARMENIAN.Net - One of the two major winners at Mexico’s 2015 Guadalajara Festival, Celso García’s debut “The Thin Yellow Line” scooped both Best Feature and the Audience Award at the 22nd Lleida Catalonia Latin America Festival, Variety reveals.

“Line” is sold by Madrid-based Latido Films, which informed Variety that they’re near to closing negotiations for a U.S. distribution deal and other sales pacts in Latin America.

Mentored and produced by Guillermo del Toro and his partner at Mexico’s Tequila Gang, Bertha Navarro, as well as Alejandro Springall, Celso Garcia’s double win in Spain adds to a slew of some 20 fest plaudits including the Jury Prize and Audience Award for best Mexican feature at Mexico’s 2015 Guadalajara fest, best screenplay and Jury Award at Spain’s Gijón Fest, and Glauber Rocha and Bronze Zenith kudos at Montreal.

Starring Damián Alcazar, Joaquín Cosío, Silveiro Palacios, Gustavo Sánchez Parra, Fernando Becerril and newcomer Américo Hollande, “Line” is a mencentric road movie: Five men are hired to paint the dividing line along a 200-kilometer (124 miles) stretch of narrow road that links lost villages in old Mexico.

As announced by Garcia in Variety at this year’s Guadalajara Fest, the Mexican helmer is developing a sophomore feature, “Velvet,” portraying Mexican Julia Pastrana, the so-called “the ugliest woman in the world,” born in 1834 with a rare illness, hypertrichosis consisting of, disproportionate hair growth over the entire body.

The Lleida Awards were granted by a jury formed by president Osvaldo Montes, Marcelo Aparicio, Elisabet Cabeza, Tabita Peralta and Cristina Rius.

Helmed by the veteran actor-turned-director Salvador del Solar, political thriller “Magallanes,” took actress (Magaly Solier), actor (Alcázar) and new director prizes.

“Magallanes” weaves the moral crisis of an aged Lima (Peru) cab driver into a thriller narrative which analyzes the state of Peru.

“Magallanes” garnered 11 Platino Awards nominations last Thursday at a long-list announcement made in Santo Domingo.

A gateway to the Pyrenees famed for its snails, Lleida has hosted the Latin America Mostra since 1994. Working on a subsistence budget, fest is one of Europe’s higher-profile events dedicated to cinema from Spanish, Portuguese and Latin America. Juan Ferrer directs the event.