The festival awarded the best works in different categories, including Best Feature Film, Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Actor. Among the winners were Ilona Bachelier and Omar Sy, both from France, who received Best Actress and Best Actor awards for their performances in «The Story of Annette Zelman» and «Father and Soldier» respectively.
The award for Best Director went to Chilean Sebastián Moreno for his documentary «Sergio Larraín, el instante eterno», which explores the life of the Chilean photographer who became part of the Magnum agency. In addition, the award for Best Screenplay went to Pedro de Echave and Felip Solé for their work on the documentary «Urraca, cazador de rojos», which tells the story of Pedro Urraca, a Spanish policeman who led the persecution of exiled Republicans in France during the Nazi occupation.
Portuguese actor Joaquim de Almeida received the Saraqusta 2023 Award, which recognizes his career linked to historical audiovisuals. Other prizes were also awarded, such as the Young Jury Prize, which went to «The Annette Zelman Story».
The president of the jury, Steve Miller, highlighted the quality of the works presented and the difficulty for the jury to choose the winners. War was a recurring theme in this year’s historical fiction, proving that it continues to be a source of inspiration for filmmakers.
The festival closed with the screening of «Il Boemo», directed by Petr Vaclav, which won the Golden Dragon for Best Feature Film. The film tells the story of Josef Myslivecek, one of the most prolific opera composers of 18th century Italy, who inspired great musical figures such as Mozart.
All in all, the Saraqusta Film Festival 2023 was a great success, demonstrating once again the quality and diversity of contemporary cinema. The prizes awarded reflect the passion and commitment of the filmmakers and their ability to excite and surprise audiences.
