Ventana Sur handed out its awards in Buenos Aires on Friday (December 5) when the big winners in Primer Corte were Jairo Boiser Olave’s The Devil’s Wells and Sofía Quirós’s Awaiting Birds, which took four and five prizes, respectively, offering a mix of post-production services and even a potential distribution pre-deal.
Awaiting Birds is the coming-of-age feature from Quirós, whose debut feature Land Of Ashes was the first film by a Costa Rican director to compete in Cannes Critics’ Week in 2019. She reuniges on her upcoming feature with Land Of Ashes producers Murillo Cine of Cecilia Salim and Mariana Murillo from Sputnik Films.
Kenya Márquez’s Missing (Mexico) and Bel Bechara and Sandro Serpa’s Low Light (Lusco-Fusco) emerged as the top winners in Copia Final, securing three and two prizes, respectively.
Produced by Puerco Rosa Producciones and Rubicón Producciones, Márquez’s feature follows a rebellious teenager who breaks away from her suffocating parents and embarks on a long journey to Ciudad Juárez – a road that forces her into a series of personal reckonings.
In Low Light, Bechara and Serpa, directors of eight shorts and three feature documentaries, explore the relationship between Vera, a primary school teacher trapped in an abusive relationship, and Alda, an illiterate cleaner at the same school. The film is produced by Brazil’s Manjericão Filmes and Macondo Filmes.
Another key award went to My Uncle’s Movie, the first solo feature by Dominican filmmaker Natalia Cabral. A drama-comedy, the film follows Julia, a young Dominican cinephile who dreams of studying cinema in Italy and is forced to accept help from her washed-up comedy producer uncle after her mother loses her job. It is produced by Lántica Studios, Faula Films and Casa Latina Films.
At VS Fantastic! Screenings, The Braid collected the highest number of practical awards. An Argentina–Spain co-production led by Coruya Cine and directed by writer-filmmaker Gonzalo Calzada, the film – his ninth – explores witchcraft, urban myths and psychological horror rooted in daily life.
Also recognised in one of the market’s busiest sections were Kalkutún, Trial Of The Witches, a late-19th-century horror-fantasy by Chile’s Jorge Olguín, and The Muglur, a fantasy thriller by Lucila Las Heras, centred on a young girl who longs to become a writer with the help of a washed-up author, only to encounter an eerie creature that gives her newfound confidence.
A main winner in Animation! was Formiga, a 3D family feature project from Brazil’s Mono Animation, directed by Bruno Makio Saito. The story follows a shy 10-year-old who flies his first kite, only to have it cut loose by Formiga, a boy with a striking dragon kite. They become close friends until Formiga mysteriously disappears.
2025 Ventana Sur Award winners
Primer Corte
Titrafilm Award
The Devil’s Wells (Chil-Arg-Bra-Fr)
La Mayor Cine
Awaiting Birds (CR-Arg-Sp-Bra-Nor)
Apclai - Festival De Trieste
The Devil’s Wells
Copia Final
Le Film Français / Cannes Market Film News
My Uncle’s Movie (DR)
Apclai - Festival De Trieste
Missing (Mex)
VS Fantastic! Screenings
La Mayor Cine
The Braid (Arg-Sp)
The Healer´s Blood (Uru-Mex-Bra-Fr)
Chemistry
The Muglur (Mex-Arg)
Méliès International Festival Federation (MIFF)
The Braid (Arg-Sp)
Blood Window Lab
La Haye Media
Kalkutún, Trial Of The Witches (Chil)
Sanfic Mórbido Lab
Match (Bra)
Sitges – International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia
I Need To Be Loved (Arg)
Bifan/NAFF Award Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival
Match (Bra)
FantasoLab
Peek a Boo (Arg-Uru)
Morbido Film - Coproduction
Match
Animation!
MIFA/Annecy Awards
Features
Formiga (Bra)
TV series
The Forest Howl (Mex)
WBD+Mundoloco CGI | Launchpad Series (development)
Matias (Bra)
Proyecta Awards
San Sebastian Festival Award
Agustina Pérez’s The Other Voice (La Otra Vox, Arg-Sp).
Sideral Cinema Award
Diego Ulloa’s God’s Favorite Girl (La Favorita De Dios, Spa-Ecu)
Sørfond Award
Theo Montoya’s False Positive (Falso Positivo, Col-Fr-Sp).
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