Official Prizewinners

The jury for International Feature Films in l’Alternativa Official at the 30th edition of the Barcelona Independent Film Festival, l’Alternativa, made up of Jo Serfaty, María Zafra and Eloi Bigas, met on 17 November 2023 and agreed unanimously to award the International Feature Film Prize to

Notre corps, by Claire Simon (France).

A sharply observational film that creates a space to hear from women and their bodies. The director also deftly transcends this observational format by placing her own body on the front line of representation, transforming her own pain into a collective emotion. Never was the personal more political.

The jury also awarded a Special Mention to

Tótem, by Unidad de Montaje Dialéctico (Mexico, Chile).

An in-depth venture into the visible and invisible dimensions of a country scarred by the wounds of the disappeared. It brings hidden matter to the surface to create an essay that invites spectators to excavate Mexico’s violent history themselves while stressing the importance of creating other possible worlds.

The jury for International Short Films in l’Alternativa Official at the 30th edition of the Barcelona Independent Film Festival, l’Alternativa, made up of Ramon Balcells, Florencia Aliberti and Manel Carrasco, met on 17 November 2023 and agreed unanimously to award the International Short Film Prize to

El polvo ya no nubla nuestros ojos, by Colectivo Silencio (Peru).

A bold rewriting of 200 years of history combining ethics, aesthetics and means of production to create a counter-narrative of resistance and memory.

The jury also awarded a Special Mention to

Aqueronte, by Manuel Muñoz Rivas (Spain).

A wonderfully subtle mise-en-scène for a journey that is both a rich sensorial experience and a delicate portrait of architypes.

The jury for Spanish Films in l’Alternativa Official at the 30th edition of the Barcelona Independent Film Festival, l’Alternativa, made up of Carles Martínez, Mariana Freijomil and Daniel Grandes, met on 17 November 2023 and agreed unanimously to award the Spanish Film Prize jointly to the feature film

Soc filla de ma mare, by Laura García Pérez (Spain),

A revealing rummaging through the family archive reveals the past and reshapes the family identity.

and to the short film

Máxica Neves no Nadal, by Víctor Soho (Spain).

Cybernetic angst is transformed into a glitchy soliloquy unable distinguish the political from the personal.

The jury also awarded a Special Mention to the feature film

Zinzindurrunkarratz, by Oskar Alegria (Spain),

An impeccably constructed essay that explores memory through a notebook of deftly disassocaitaed connected sounds and images.

The jury for the DOCMA Prize at the 30th edition of the Barcelona Independent Film Festival, l’Alternativa, made up of Laura Álvarez, Manuel Bauer and Víctor Luengo, met on 17 November 2023 and agreed unanimously to award the DOCMA Feature Film Prize to

Un volcán habitado, by David Pantaleón and José Víctor Fuentes (Spain).

A keenly crafted portrait of humans suddenly rendered utterly vulnerable as they find their lives upended by the fascinating power of nature.

The jury also awarded a Special Mention to

Soc filla de ma mare, by Laura García Pérez (Spain).

The director weaves a bold yet sensitive dialogue between past and present, using cinema as a tool to reengage with life.

The jury for the Don Quixote Prize at the 30th edition of the Barcelona Independent Film Festival, l’Alternativa, made up of Antonio José Navarro, Judith Behre and Pradip Nag, met on 17 November 2023 and agreed unanimously to award the Don Quixote International Feature Film Prize to

The Mountains (Bjergene), by Christian Einshøj (Denmark).

We chose this film because it is a good example of the extent to which the private sphere is political. It is driven by the question of how it is possible to (re)approach each other and find common ground. Perhaps we should dress up more often.