The 52nd Cartagena International Film Festival [FICCI] closed Thursday with Argentinian film “The Student” and Colombian film “Porfirio” stealing the show.
Taking place in the gritty underworld of the University of Buenos Aires, “The Student” tells the story of a young man’s initiation into the passionate world of Argentinian politics. The movie’s star Stephen Lamonthe won the Best Actor award and the film took home the prestigious India Catalina Best Film Award as well as three Goya Awards.
Colombian film “Porfirio” by Alejandro Landes is a moving account of Porfirio Diaz, a handicapped Colombian man who attempted to hijack a plane in 2005 using two hand grenades. “Porfirio” won Best Colombian Director and Best Colombian Film.
Other notable entries this year were Colombian film “Choco,” Spanish film “La voz dormida” [The sleeping voice], and Mexican film “El lenguaje de los machetes” [The language of the machetes].
This was the first year that the event was completely free and open to the public, with organizers confirming that more that 36,000 had attended the festival which saw over 200 films screened.
After reporting the success of this year’s event, FICCI President Salvo Basile promised next year’s festival would be even bigger.
