“Paulina,” from Argentinian director Santiago Mitre, has been named the top film in the International Critics’ Week section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
Critics’ Week is a section of seven features and 10 short and medium-length films from up-and-coming directors that runs independently of the main festival.
A remake of the early ’60s film “La Patola,” Mitre’s drama deals with a lawyer who leaves her city job to teach in a depressed town, where she is sexually assaulted. It was one of the first films to screen in the Critics’ Week program, and immediately won strong reviews.
Other Critics’ Week honors went to “Land and Shade” (“La Tierra y la Sombra”) by Cesar Augusto Acevedo, which won the France 4 Visionary Award and the SACD Award.
The jury was headed by director Ronit Elkabetz, and also included director Katell Quillévéré, cinematographer Peter Suschitzky, Toronto Film Festival programmer Andréa Picard and journalist Boyd van Hoeij.
The awards:
Nespresso Grand Prize: “Paulina”
France 4 Visionary Award: “Land and Shade” (“La Tierra y la Sombra”)
Sony CineAlta Discovery Prize: “Varicella”
Canal Award: “Ramona”
SACD Award: “Land and Shade” (“La Tierra y la Sombra”)
Gan Foundation Support for Distribution: “The Wakhan Front”