‘Makala,’ ‘Gabriel and the Mountain’ Honored With Cannes’ Critics’ Week Awards

Cannes 2017: Emmanuel Gras and Fellipe Gamarano Barbosa take home top prizes at film festival on Thursday

Cannes’ Critics’ Week awarded Emmanuel Gras’ Congo-set documentary “Makala” and Brazilian director Fellipe Gamarano Barbosa’s drama “Gabriel and the Mountain” with its two top awards on Thursday.

“Makala,” Gras’ second documentary, won the Nespresso Grand Prize at Critics’ Week, while Barbosa’s film netted the Visionary prize and Fondation Gan award.

“Makala” follows a young man (Kabwita Kasongo) who lives in the Congolese countryside and works on the production of charcoal to give his family a better future. Gras last directed 2011’s “Bovines,” which was nominated for a Cesar Award in France.

Gamarano Barbosa’s second feature “Gabriel and the Mountain” is based on the true story of a young man who was found dead in the mountains, between Malawi and Mozambique, in 2009.

The jury of this year’s Critics’ Week was presided over by Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho, and comprised Diana Bustamante Escobar, Hania Mroué, Niels Schneider and Eric Kohn.

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