24/03/2025 - Eva Libertad’s movie has scooped the Gold Biznaga for Best Spanish Film, while Vinko Tomičić’s The Dog Thief took home the equivalent prize for Best Ibero-American Film

The 28th Málaga Film Festival came to a close on Saturday 22 March with the obligatory awards gala, which saw Deaf [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Eva Libertad
film profile], the feature debut by Eva Libertad (which previously won the Audience Award in the Berlinale Panorama), emerge victorious, as it took home the Gold Biznaga for Best Spanish Film (which comes with prize money of €8,000) in the gathering’s official section. What’s more, its lead actors picked up their respective trophies: Miriam Garlo scooped Best Lead Actress, split with Ángela Cervantes (for Fury [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gemma Blasco
film profile]), and the latter’s brother, Álvaro Cervantes, pocketed Best Lead Actor, tied with Mario Casas (for Molt lluny).

The latter movie, directed by Gerard Oms, was also deemed deserving of the Critics’ Jury Award, but the other most-lauded filmmaker of the night was Belén Funes, as she came up on stage a total of three times, thanks to her latest opus, The Exiles [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (world-premiered at the most recent Toronto Film Festival), which snagged the Special Jury Prize, Best Director and Best Screenplay for the script, which was penned by the director together with Marçal Cebrián.

The official section jury, chaired by Argentinian actress Mercedes Morán, and also made up of Pucho (a singer from the band Vetusta Morla), Spanish filmmakers Pilar Palomero and Carlos Marqués-Marcet, director of the Guadalajara Film Festival (Mexico) Estrella Araiza, Chilean artist Daniela Vega, and Spanish actresses Irene Escolar and Belén Cuesta, decided that the Gold Biznaga for Best Ibero-American Film (also endowed with €8,000) should go to The Dog Thief [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vinko Tomičić Salinas
film profile] by Vinko Tomičić (premiered at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival).

The Silver Biznaga for Best Supporting Actress was bestowed upon Uruguayan actress María Elena Pérez for her turn in Perros by Gerardo Minutti, while Best Supporting Actor went to Catalonian thesp Álex Monner for Fury, a film fresh off its world premiere at SXSW, which also picked up the Silver Biznaga for Best Editing, courtesy of Didac Palou and Tomás López.

The Silver Biznaga for Best Score was presented to Lisbon-born composer Filipe Raposo for The Remnants of You [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Gala Gracia, and the equivalent for Best Cinematography was won by Alván Prado for the Spanish-Dominican co-production Sugar Island [+see also:
film review
interview: Johanné Gómez Terrero
film profile].

Lastly, the festival audience plumped for 8 [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Julio Medem (Official Section Audience Award Out of Competition), which was released in Spanish theatres last Friday, as well as Deaf (El País Audience Award).

As for the Zonazine Official Section, the big winner was Join Me for Breakfast by Iván Morales, which earned itself four trophies: the Silver Biznaga for Best Spanish Film (to the tune of €4,000), Best Actress (for Anna Alarcón), Best Actor (Iván Massagué) and the Audience Award. The Silver Biznaga for Best Ibero-American Film (also worth €4,000) went to Olivia & the Clouds by Tomás Pichardo (Dominican Republic), while the Silver Biznaga for Best Director was granted to Matías Szulanski, for Buenas noches (Argentina).

With this barrage of awards (listed below), the Málaga Film Festival thus bids farewell until its next edition, which will unspool from 6-15 March 2026.

Here is the full list of award winners:

Fiction Features Competition

Gold Biznaga for Best Spanish Film
Deaf [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Eva Libertad
film profile] - Eva Libertad (Spain)

Gold Biznaga for Best Ibero-American Film
The Dog Thief [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vinko Tomičić Salinas
film profile] - Vinko Tomičić (Bolivia/Chile/Mexico/Ecuador/France/Italy)

Silver Biznaga Special Jury Award
The Exiles [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Belén Funes (Spain/Chile)

Silver Biznaga for Best Director
Belén Funes – The Exiles

Jury’s Special Mentions for Best Director
Celia Rico Clavellino - La buena letra [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Spain)
Sara Fantova - Jone, Sometimes (Spain)

Silver Biznaga for Best Actress in a Leading Role (ex aequo)
Ángela Cervantes - Fury [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gemma Blasco
film profile] (Spain)
Miriam Garlo - Deaf

Silver Biznaga for Best Actor in a Leading Role (ex aequo)
Álvaro Cervantes - Deaf
Mario Casas - Molt lluny (Spain/Netherlands)

Silver Biznaga for Best Supporting Actress
María Elena Pérez – Perros (Uruguay/Argentina)

Silver Biznaga for Best Supporting Actor
Àlex Monner - Fury

Silver Biznaga for Best Screenplay
Belén Funes, Marçal Cebrián – The Exiles

Silver Biznaga for Best Original Score
Filipe Raposo – The Remnants of You [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Spain/Italy/Portugal)

Silver Biznaga for Best Cinematography
Alván Prado - Sugar Island [+see also:
film review
interview: Johanné Gómez Terrero
film profile] (Spain/ Dominican Republic)

Silver Biznaga for Best Editing
Didac Palou, Tomás López - Fury

Zonazine Competition

Siler Biznaga for Best Spanish Film
Join Me for Breakfast - Iván Morales (Spain)

Silver Biznaga for Best Ibero-American Film
Olivia & the Clouds - Tomás Pichardo (Dominican Republic)

Silver Biznaga for Best Director
Matías Szulanski - Buenas noches (Argentina)

Silver Biznaga for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Anna Alarcón – Join Me for Breakfast

Silver Biznaga for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Iván Massagué – Join Me for Breakfast

Silver Biznaga Audience Award for Best Film
Join Me for Breakfast - Iván Morales

Documentary Competition

Silver Biznaga for Best Documentary
Loss Adjustment - Miguel Calderón (Mexico/Uruguay)

Silver Biznaga for Best Director
Paolo Tizón – Night Has Come [+see also:
film review
interview: Paolo Tizón
film profile] (Peru/Spain/Mexico)

Jury’s Special Mention
Mi pecho está lleno de centellas - Gal S Castellanos (Mexico)

Fiction Short Films Competition

Silver Biznaga for Best Short Film
Solo Kim - Javier Prieto de Paula, Diego Herrero (Spain)

Jury’s Special Mention
On no hi ha llum - Júlia García (Spain)

Silver Biznaga for Best Director (ex aequo)
Daniel Sánchez Arévalo – Pipiolos (Spain)
José Luis Lázaro – Cólera (Spain)

Silver Biznaga for Best Actress in a Leading Role
Miriam Iscla - Vida o teatre (Spain)

Silver Biznaga for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nacho Sánchez - Una cabeza en la pared (Spain)

Documentary Short Films Competition

Silver Biznaga for Best Documentary Short
Recuerdos para el que por mi pregunte - Fernando Vílchez (Spain)

Jury’s Special Mention
Portals - Elena Duque (Spain)

Animazine Short-film Competition

Silver Biznaga for Best Animated Short
Buffet Paraíso - Santi Amézqueta, Héctor Zafra (Spain/France)

Jury’s Special Mention
When It Comes (It Will Have Your Eyes) - Izibene Oñederra (Spain)

Málaga Short Films Competition

Silver Biznaga for Best Short Film
Discordia - Álvaro Amate (Spain)

Asserting Women’s Rights Awards

Silver Biznaga First Prize
El peso de la ausencia - Alberto Gómez Uriol (Spain)

Silver Biznaga Special Jury Award
Metacíclica - Lydia Zimmermann (Spain) (short film)

Silver Biznaga Málaga Women on Stage
The Band - Delia Márquez, Leonor Jiménez (Spain)

Silver Biznaga Women on Stage for Best Work of Fiction
Mentiste, Amanda - Eva Libertad, Nuria Muñoz (Spain)

Silver Biznaga Women on Stage for Best Documentary
Let It Be Known - Erika González Ramírez, Matthieu Liataert (Spain)

Cinema Cocina Competition

Silver Biznaga for Best Feature
El mago del vino - David Moncasi (Spain)

Silver Biznaga for Best Short Film
Percebes - Alexandra Ramires, Laura Gonçalves (France/Portugal)

Production Support
A pesar de las ruinas - Raquel Quintana Martín (€3,000)
La ciudad líquida - Delia Márquez (€4,000)
Pulseras - Ana González Herraiz (€3,000)
La hora escrita - Coke Arijo (€6,000)
Carta de un padre a su hija - Jorge Peña (€5,000)
Churrería Maravillas - Ana Trinidad García, Guillermo Rodríguez (€4,000)
La última oferta - Marta García (€6,000)
Roshni - Rohit Bhagwan Narwani (€6,000)
Travesía entre sombras - Violeta Salama (€6,000)
Papá Noel ha muerto - Gerardo Ballesteros (€6,000)

Other awards

Silver Biznaga Critics’ Jury Award in the Fiction Feature Competition
Molt lluny - Gerard Oms

Silver Biznaga Audience Award in the Fiction Feature Competition
Deaf - Eva Libertad

Silver Biznaga Audience Award Out of Competition
8 [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Julio Medem (Spain)

Silver Biznaga Audience Award in the Documentary Competition
Muñequita linda - David Moncasi (Spain)

Silver Biznaga Audience Award in the Fiction Short-film Competition
Solo Kim - Javier Prieto de Paula, Diego Herrero

Silver Biznaga Audience Award in the Documentary Short-film Competition
Deus-e-meio - Margarida Assis (Portugal)

Silver Biznaga Audience Award in the Animazine Short-film Competition
Carmela - Vicente Mallols (Spain/France)

Silver Biznaga Audience Award in the Málaga Short-film Competition
Discordia - Álvaro Amate

Silver Biznaga Audience Award Mosaico International Scene Competition
Ghostlight - Kelly O’Sullivan, Alex Thompson (USA)

Silver Biznaga Audience Award for Best Documentary in the Asserting Women’s Rights Competition
Mujer, papel y tijera - Ana Gallego (Spain)

Silver Biznaga Audience Award Women on Stage in the Asserting Women’s Rights Competition
Reflections in a Room - Ceres Machado (Spain)

Silver Biznaga Audience Award for Best Feature in the Cinema Cocina Competition
Sugerencia - Alejandro Montalvo (Mexico)

Silver Biznaga Audience Award for Best Short Film in the Cinema Cocina Competition
The Dish: La paella - Carlos González de la Peña (Spain)

Feroz Puerta Oscura Award in the Fiction Feature Competition
Deaf - Eva Libertad

ASECAN Best Debut Feature Award in the Official Fiction Feature Competition
Deaf - Eva Libertad

Signis Award in the Fiction Feature Competition
The Exiles - Belén Funes

Film Schools Award for Best Feature in the Zonazine Competition
Olivia & the Clouds - Tomás Pichardo

Quirónsalud Award for Most Social Documentary
Correr, crear, colaborar - Josep Serra (Spain)

(Translated from Spanish)