24/03/2025 - Santiago Esteves's The Reborn and Pablo Maqueda's Caro Nanni stand out among the Spanish winners, and Peru's No Journey Without Return, among the Latin American winners

Last Friday the closing and awards ceremony of the MAFIZ industry area took place at the 28th Málaga Film Festival, with accredited attendees gathering to bid farewell after five busy days. The general coordinator, Annabelle Aramburu, welcomed those present and thanked them for their continued support of the Málaga event. The winners were then announced, with the full list provided at the end of this article. The event concluded with the announcement that Panama will be the guest of honour at the next edition of the festival.

Among the awards presented, the Málaga Film Festival Award (Málaga WIP Spain), worth €5,000, was awarded to The Reborn, directed by Santiago Esteves and co-produced by Argentina, Chile and Spain. The Málaga Film Festival Award (Málaga WIP Ibero-America), also valued at €5, 000, went to the Peruvian production No Journey Without Return, directed by Carlos Sánchez Giraldo. This film also won the Chemistry Award (Image post-production for a Latin American film, valued at $15, 000). Additionally, the Aracne Digital Cinema Award, Post-production and final print, valued at €20,000, was presented to Pablo Maqueda (Girl Unknown [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pablo Maqueda
film profile]) for Caro Nanni, which had already triumphed at the previous Abycine Lanza.

Other trophies awarded on Friday included: E-28 Award (Composition and production of soundtrack, valued at US$15,000) for Water Never Hurt by Ana Clara Bustelo; Latamcinema.com Award (advertising page in the magazine for an Ibero-American film) for Death and Life Madalena by Guto Parente; Music Library Award (Málaga WIP Spain. Music production and basic music supervision services valued at €1,500) for Futura Fog by Spanish artist María Abenia; Music Library Award (Málaga WIP Ibero-America, with the same value) for Tropical Fragrance by Alexander Viola; Río Bravo Award (which consists of the production of a trailer, promo or teaser, valued at €5,000) for The Reborn by Santiago Esteves; Sideral Award (for international distribution, valued at €10,000) for Lionel by Carlos Saiz, who also won the Yagán Award (valued at €13,000 for sound post-production) and No Journey Without Return by Carlos Sánchez Giraldo, won the same award but in the Ibero-American section.

In the Málaga Festival Fund Co-Production Event (MAFF) section, the Music Library Award went to the feature film project Adeus, Berta (Spain) by Fernando Tato; the Music Library Award (Latin America) went to La rebelión de las raras (Chile) by Wincy Oyarce; the Music Library Women Screen Industry Award went to No soy universal (Spain) by actress Celia de Molina, who was previously featured in Abycine Lanza; the Bolivia Lab Award was awarded to Tres días de verano by Álvaro López Alba (Spain); the ECAM Forum Award went to the Chilean project Señorita de buena presencia by Natalia Luque; and the Térrea Award was given to two titles, Claros de bosque (Spain) by Alejandro Salgado, and  Se buscan inquilinos (Peru) by María Paz Barragán.

The awards:

Malaga Work in Progress (WIP)

Málaga Film Festival Award - Málaga WIP Spain
The Reborn - Santiago Esteves (Spain/Argentina/Chile)
Production: Le Tiro, Zabriskie Films

Málaga Film Festival Award - Málaga WIP Ibero-America
No Journey Without Return - Carlos Sánchez Giraldo (Peru)
Production: Rima Rima Cine

Aracne Digital Cinema Award
Caro Nanni - Pablo Maqueda (Spain)
Production: Viva Films Media

Chemistry Award
No Journey Without Return - Carlos Sánchez Giraldo

Film and Television Award
Lionel - Carlos Saiz (Spain/France)
Production: Blur Media Productions, Icónica Producciones, Bluconic Films AIE, Promenades Films

E-28 Award
Water Never Hurt - Ana Clara Bustelo (Uruguay/Argentina)
Production: Pez Dorado CC

Latamcinema.com Award
Death and Life Madalena - Guto Parente (Brazil/Portugal)
Production: Tardo Filmes

Music Library Award
Future Fog - María Abenia (Spain)
Production: MamaFilms

Music Library Award - Málaga WIP Ibero-America
Tropical Fragrance - Alexander Viola (Dominican Republic)
Production: Mentes Fritas Film Production

Río Bravo Award
The Reborn - Santiago Esteves

Sideral Award
Lionel - Carlos Saiz

Yagán Films Award - Málaga WIP Spain
Lionel - Carlos Saiz

Yagán Films Award - Málaga WIP Ibero-America
No Journey Without Return - Carlos Sánchez Giraldo

Abycine Lanza Invitation
Future Fog - María Abenia

FIDBA Doc Invitation
The Voice of God - Miguel Antunes Ramos (Brazil)
Production: Corisco Filmes

REC Festival Invitation
Lionel - Carlos Saiz

SANFIC Latam Invitation
The Night is a Farce - Lucas Weglinski (Brazil)
Production: Agalma, Loma Filmes

Málaga Festival Fund Co-Production Event (MAFF)

Music Library Spain Award
Adeus, Berta - Fernando Tato (Spain) 
Production: Adrián Castiñeiras

Music Library Latin America Award
La rebelión de las raras - Wincy Oyarce (Chile)
Production: Adriana Denisse-Silva

Music Library Women Screen Industry Award
No soy universal - Celia de Molina (Spain)
Production: José Esteban Alenda

Bolivia Lab Award
Tres días de verano - Álvaro López Alba (Spain)
Production: Nuria Muñoz

Cántico Producciones Award
First Prize
Señorita de buena presencia - Natalia Luque (Chile)
Production: Rodrigo Díaz
Second Prize
A Estirada - Sérgio de Carvalho (Brazil)
Production: Karla Martins, Pedro von Krüger
Third Prize
Primero tomamos Anillaco - Paula Martel (Argentina) 
Production: Francisco Novick

ECAM Forum Award
Señorita de buena presencia - Natalia Luque

FIDBA Award
La rebelión de las raras - Wincy Oyarce

SANFIC Santiago Lab Award
Anoche creí que nadaba - Catalina Torres Puentes (Uruguay)
Production: Eugenia Olascuaga

Sideral Award
Se buscan inquilinos - María Paz Barragán (Peru)
Production: Norma Velásquez Chavez

Térrea Award
Claros de bosque - Alejandro Salgado (Spain)
Production: Irene Hens Aumente

Se buscan inquilinos - María Paz Barragán

(Translated from Spanish)