November 18, 2023.- Spanish fantastic cinema triumphs again in a new edition of the Festival de Cine Fantástico de Canarias Ciudad de La Laguna Isla Calavera, whose Jury of the Official Section of Feature Films in Competition, in which 13 productions participated, has distributed the majority of the awards among the films The Waitingby F. Javier Gutiérrez, and La mesaita del comedorby Caye Casas. In addition, the award for Best Short Film went to Psicarioby Daniel Padró Targarona.
La espera won the awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (for Víctor Clavijo) and in the new category of Best Costumes for Andrea Escudero and Consuelo Bahamode, an award named after Deborah Nadoolman in recognition of the Oscar-nominated costume designer, winner of the Isla Calavera Award of Honor in the last edition. The Jury considered this film "an epic that embraces different genres without colliding with each other to tell a solid and terrifying story".
Black comedy The Dining Room Table has won the Jury's award for Best Screenplay and a Special Mention "because it manages to take the viewer to a terrain of anguish and extreme emotions". La mesaita del comedor also won the Isla Calavera Audience Award for Best Feature Film.
On the other hand, Michelle Monaghan has been recognized with the award for Best Actress for her work in Brad Anderson's Blood by Brad Andersonbecause"she builds a character full of contradictions forced to make a transformational journey into darkness".
The Isla Calavera "Colin Arthur" Award for Best Special Effects goes to Acideby Just Philippot, as the jury considered that the Digital District's work is "very well integrated into the story to the point of becoming a character in the film".
Official Short Film Section
In the Official Short Film Section, in which 18 titles competed, Daniel Padró Targarona has won the award for Best Short Film with Psicariostarring Alain Hernández, Ariadna Cabrol and Víctor Benjumea. In addition, three runners-up prizes were awarded in recognition of the performance of actors Lluís Marqués and Quim Àvila in Iago and Tristánto the visual effects of Extinct and, as a special mention from jury president Colin Arthur, a runner-up for "maintaining the legacy of the dragons" to Dragon Tears.
The Isla Calavera Audience Award for Best Short Film went to The Bailby Eduardo Cubillo from the Canary Islands, starring José Luis de Madariaga and Alicia Rodríguez.
The Jury of the Official Feature Film Section of this seventh edition of the Festival is formed by the writer specialized in fantastic literature Víctor Conde (president), the Canarian filmmaker and audiovisual teacher Roberto Chinet, the researcher and film specialist Alicia Hernández and the film critic and essayist Jorge Fonte.
The master of makeup and special effects Colin Arthur presides over the Jury of the Short Film Section together with journalist and screenwriter Fran Villalba, film journalist Sofía Ramos and Antonio Hernández, from Cinedfest.
Closing Gala
Today, Saturday, at 8:00 p.m., the Teatro Leal of La Laguna will host the Closing Gala of the Canary Islands Fantastic Film Festival Isla Calavera, where the list of winners will be officially presented. The American director Joe Dante (Howl, Gremlins) and actress Manuela Velasco will receive the Honorary Isla Calavera Awards. The specialists in Asian cinema, critics and festival programmers, responsible for CineAsia, Gloria Fernández and Enrique Garcelán, will receive the Isla Calavera Award for the Dissemination of Fantastic.
On the other hand, the Stormtroopers Santa Cruz de Tenerife Cultural Association will receive the Isla Calavera 2023 Fantástico Social Award.
SKULL ISLAND 2023 LIST OF WINNERS
AWARDS OF THE JURY OF THE OFFICIAL FEATURE FILM SECTION
- COLIN ARTHUR" SKULL ISLAND AWARD FOR BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
Digital District, by ACIDE
- DEBORAH NADOOLMAN" SKULL ISLAND AWARD FOR BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Andrea Escudero, Consuelo Bahamonde, for THE WAITING
- Isla Calavera Award for Best Screenplay
THE DINING ROOM TABLE
Cristina Borobia, Caye Casas
- JACK TAYLOR "JACK TAYLOR" SKULL ISLAND AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR
Víctor Clavijo, for THE WAITING
- SKULL ISLAND AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS
Michelle Monaghan, for BLOOD BY BRAD ANDERSON
- ISLA CALAVERA AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTION
F. Javier Gutiérrez, for LA ESPERA (WAITING)
- ISLA CALAVERA AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE FILM
THE WAITING
Adrián Guerra, F. Javier Gutiérrez, Antonio P. Pérez
SPECIAL MENTION OF THE JURY
THE DINING ROOM TABLE
Luis Bohigas, Norbert Llaràs, Albert Pons, Diego Rodríguez, María José Serra, Coque Serrano
AWARDS OF THE JURY OF THE OFFICIAL SHORT FILM SECTION
- ISLA CALAVERA AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM
PSICARIO, by Daniel Padró Targarona
- Accésit of Interpretation: IAGO Y TRISTÁN (actors: Lluís Marqués and Quim Àvila)
- Second Prize for "Maintaining the Legacy of Dragons" (special mention Colin Arthur): DRAGON'S TILES
DRAGON
- Visual effects runner-up: EXTINCT
PUBLIC AWARDS
- AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM
LA FIANZA, by Eduardo Cubillo
- AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE FILM
LA MESITA DEL COMEDOR, by Caye Casas
