Miami International Film Festival Day 9 Wrap ~ Day 10 Highlights

Chinese Take-Away star Ricardo Darín charming the audience at the Gusman Center with producer Ben Odell, director Sebastián Borensztein and Jaie Laplante at MIFF 2012’s Awards Night Gala screeningDay 9:  The last Saturday of the Festival quenched the public’s thirst for cinematic brilliance, resulting in a single-day record of 13 sold-out screenings in theaters from Little Havana to South Beach:  USA’s double header Beyond Assignment and Poetry of Resilience; an exotic Colombian love story Speechless (Sin palabras); a modern-day Latin American thriller The Cat Vanishes (El gato desaparece); a wellspring of untapped emotions in Madrid, 1987; Guatemala’s heart-wrenching drama Distance (Distancia); a touching cross-cultural comedy starring Argentina’s Ricardo Darín Chinese Take-Away (El cuento chino); a rough ‘n’ tumble coming-of-age drama set in Florida’s panhandle Born & Raised; a hilarious 24-hour Broadway Musical project One Night Stand; the persecution of Catholic clerics by the Mexican government The Last Christeros (Los últimos cristeros); the mysterious tale of an American writer cracking up in Paris The Woman in the Fifth; a defiant gaze at beauty culture About Face: The Supermodels Then and Now; the tale of a Buenos Aires actor gunning for a major role in a big-budget Hollywood film Vaquero; a sensual fable of an impending Persian wedding of A Cube of Sugar (Ye Habbeh Ghand).

Following the screening of Chinese Take-Away, more than 1,500 Festival-goers paraded into the glowing red MDC Freedom Tower for the Ultimat Social Life Awards Night Party. The glamorous affair came complete with an Ultimat Vodka photo booth, social life auditors and a spectacular array of food and beverage provided by: Stella Artois, Attitude by Pascal Jollivet (Frederick Wildman + Sons), Quely, Tuyo, La Estancia Argentina, Clos Café, Meat Market, Altamare, First & First Bakery, 5 Napkin Burger, Hard Rock Café.

AND THE ENVELOPE please…
Winners of the 2012 Miami International Film Festival from Award’s Night Ceremony were announced last night at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts:

KNIGHT IBERO-AMERICANCOMPETITION AWARD:
Knight Foundation Grand Jury Prize: Bonsái by Cristián Jiménez (Chile, Argentina, Portugal, France, 2011)
A $30,000 USD cash prize awarded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which will be split with US distributor Strand Releasing

Grand Jury Discretionary Prize: Blood of My Blood (Sangue do meu Sangue) by João Canijo (Portugal, 2011)
A $5,000 USD cash prize awarded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Grand Jury Discretionary Prize: Violeta Went to Heaven (Violeta se fue a los cielos) by Andrés Wood (Chile, Argentina, Brazil, 2011)
A $5,000 USD cash prize awarded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

KNIGHT DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION:
Knight Foundation Grand Jury Prize: The Imposter by Bart Layton (United Kingdom, 2011)
A $10,000 USD cash prize awarded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Honorable Mention: Unfinished Spaces by Alysa Nahmias & Benjamin Murray (USA, 2011)
Honorable Mention: The Strawberry Tree (El árbol de las fresas) by Simone Rapisarda Casanova (Canada, 2011)

THE JORDAN ALEXANDER RESSLER SCREENWRITING AWARD:
Bonsái by Cristián Jiménez (Argentina, Portugal, France, 2011) based on the novel by Alejandro Zambra
A $5,000 USD cash prize awarded by the Jordan Alexander Ressler Charitable Fund; open to films in the Knight Ibero-American Competition

LEXUS IBERO-AMERICAN OPERA PRIMA COMPETITION AWARD:
Expiration Date (Fecha de caducidad) by Kenya Márquez (Mexico, 2011)
A $5,000 USD cash prize sponsored by Lexus, official automotive sponsor of MIFF

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SHORTS COMPETITION:
University of Miami Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film: Catharsis by Cédric Prévost (France, 2011)
A $2,500 USD cash prize awarded by the University of Miami

LEXUS AUDIENCE AWARD
Juan of the Dead (Juan de los muertos) by Alejandro Brugués, the first Cuban zombie comedy satirizing life in post-revolution Cuba, was the grand winner of the Lexus Audience Award, voted on by festivalgoers throughout the Festival.

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