wild_tales_posterDamian Szifron’s Wild Tales was the big winner at the Platino Awards, getting 8 of the 13 prizes including director and best film at the recently established Ibero-American awards that might become the Latin version of the Oscars.

Read our Review of Wild Tales

http://emanuellevy.com/review/wild-tales-outrageously-funny-comedy-produced-by-almodovar-2/

Antonio Banderas won a lifetime achievement award at the second edition of the prize ceremony, which this year was held in his hometown of Marbella.

“We should embrace our culture and our land and be proud to be Hispanic,” Banderas said in Spanish after receiving the award from the hands of legendary actress Rita Moreno. “We should also trust that time has a way of straightening out bitter difficulties.”

Wild Tales, produced by Pedro Almodovar, also won best sound, screenplay, editing, actress, original score and production design. El Deseo’s Agustin Almodovar picked up the top honor.

Argentina’s Szifron has run the festival and prize gamut, including his Oscar nomination. He said he is ready to now focus on his next project, The Six-Billion Dollar Man.

The nominations for the 9 artistic categories and 4 technical ones were announced in May.

The Platino Awards join together film academies from 23 Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, plus Spain, Brazil and Portugal.

The gala is broadcast in 50 countries by Spanish pubcaster TVE to a potential audience of 400 million, including in the U.S.

Saturday night’s event took place opened Marbella’s month-long Starlite festival, which features 22 cozy concerts offered by Lenny Kravitz, Enrique Iglesias and others in the open-air amphitheater known as the Quarry.

A complete list of winners follows:

Film

Wild Tales

Director

Damian Szifron, Wild Tales

Screenplay

Damian Szifron, Wild Tales

Sounds

Jose Luis Diaz, Wild Tales

Photography

Alex Catalan, Marshland

Editting

Damian Szifron and Pablo Barbieri, Wild Tales

Actress

Erika Rivas, Wild Tales

Actor

Oscar Jaenada, Cantinflas

Production Design

Clara Notari, Wild Tales

Directorial Debut

La Distancia Mas Larga

Original Score

Gustavo Santaolalla, Wild Tales

Documentary

O Sal da Terra

Animated Feature

O Menino e O Mundo

Lifetime Achievement

Antonio Banderas