Liliana Pinho, Maria Moreira, Alexandra Guimarães and Gonçalo L. Almeida, four young filmmakers from Famalicão, made history in the 8th edition of Ymotion - Young Film Festival of Famalicão by collecting the awards 'High Schools', 'Audience Award' and 'Best Documentary', respectively. The closing session of this edition of the festival took place last Saturday, November 26, at the Centro de Estudos Camilianos, in Seide, and is also marked by the tribute to the Portuguese actress, Soraia Chaves.
'2020: Odisseia no 3º Esquerdo' (2021), a short film directed by Ricardo Leite, was the big winner of the Joaquim de Almeida Grand Prize, with the filmmaker receiving this top distinction of the festival by the hands of the award's patron himself, the actor Joaquim de Almeida.
The film 'Encoberto' (2022), directed by Rodrigo Rebello de Andrade, won two prizes among the eight categories in competition, among them 'Best Script' and 'Best Interpretation', awarded to the entire cast of the film, composed of actors such as Pedro Lacerda, Rafael Morais and Rafael Gomes.
As mentioned, the award 'Best Documentary' was given to the couple from Famalicão, Alexandra Guimarães and Gonçalo L. Almeida, for the work 'Cristóbal - Pontebarxas' (2022), while the 'High Schools' was awarded to the short film 'Assédio' (2022), by Liliana Pinho, student at the Camilo Castelo Branco High School, in Vila Nova de Famalicão.
The 'Best Animation' award went to the film 'Comezainas' (2022), directed by Mafalda Salgueiro, and the 'Best Cinematography' award went to António Pinheiro, for his work on the short film 'Misericórdia' (2021).
Besides these awards, 'Honourable Mentions' were also given to 'Cemitério Vermelho' (2022), by Francisco Lacerda, 'Kafka' (2021), by Tiago Iúri and 'Sónia' (2022), by famalicense Maria Moreira, short film that also won the 'Audience Award'.
Paulo Trancoso, president of the Portuguese Film Academy, Cláudia Clemente, Paulo Pires, Fernando Vasquez, Lúcia Pires and Bruno Carnide, composed the competition jury, headed by screenwriter Tiago R. Santos.
The great honoured of this edition of the festival was Soraia Chaves, who did not hide her emotion for the recognition. "I've been working in this business for a few years now, and I had never been honoured this way, so I'm quite moved (...) thank you very much, I'm really happy", said the actress, with a wide smile, "congratulations to Ymotion (...) (for) encouraging what unites us in this room, which is the love for cinema". The actress also left a word of encouragement for the young filmmakers present in the room, not to give up on making cinema. "We are together in this love and in this struggle".
"During these years, Ymotion has managed to be a barometer of new looks and the success of this edition makes us believe that it is a priority of the Municipality (of Famalicão) to continue to give this incentive to schools and young filmmakers", referred the Vila Nova de Famalicão City Council's Youth councillor, Luísa Azevedo. The sold-out sessions for the screening of the short films, as well as the "growing increase in the quality of the works" in competition, for the councillor, "are proof that we are still on the right track", highlighting that it is not by chance that "Famalicão is already known as the capital of young Portuguese cinema".
The session that marked the closing of the 8th edition of Ymotion, also included a performance by the musician and filmmaker, David Fonseca, and the presence of the actress Beatriz Coutinho and of the musician, and also filmmaker, Tiago Bettencourt.