We are thrilled to announce that the Dominican film Carajita (2021), directed by Ulises Porra and Silvina Schnicer, was awarded the Best Fiction Feature Film at the prestigious Latin American & Iberian Film Festival at Yale University (LIFFY). The jury praised the film because of “the density of its characters, its masterful performances, […and how it] confront us with its story’s desolation.” Actors Javier Hermida and Dimitri Rivera visited the Yale campus and appreciated the audience’s extraordinary reception of the film.
As for documentaries, the poignant Guatemalan film The Silence of the Mole by Anais Taracena won for its “masterful narrative structure,” in the jury’s words, and for giving “a voice to the horror of a historical period that still lacerates Latin America.”
Taracena, who came to Yale to deliver a talk to faculty and students, highlighted the importance of film archives in the recovery of historical memory, especially traumatic events such as those experienced by his country.
Among other winners, the Chilean short film Estrellas del desierto by Katherina Harder triumphed in its category, and the films Song Without a Name by Melina León (Peru) and Blue Heart by Miguel Coyula (Cuba) received Honorable Mentions in the fiction competition.
LIFFY celebrated its thirteenth edition in 2022 with a hybrid format, streaming remote films for people worldwide and in-person screening for one entire week in New Haven. Like every year, LIFFY brought together a large and enthusiastic group of people interested in film, in Latin America, or both, including students, professors, and a variety of excited viewers from New Haven and other parts of the country. They visited the city to enjoy the free screenings and interact with more than twenty directors and invited actors.
We look forward to the 14th edition in November next year!