Guatemalan movie 'Ixcanul' wins PKO Off Camera Festival

Jury chief Sławomir Idziak (cinematographer of 'Black Hawk Down', 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix') revealed that the jury-members were unanimous from the first round of discussions - a rarity on the festival circuit - after viewing the ten films in the main competition.

Only directorial debuts or second movies are eligible in the festival's 'Making Way' competition, and the winner received USD 100,000 (potentially supplemented by a further PLN 1 million if he makes his next film in Poland).

“This has really changed my life because I took a risk making this film,” Bustamante said at a press conference following the awards ceremony.

“We don't have funds, and we don't have private money to make films in Guatemala,” he reflected, having sought part of his backing for the film in France.

“I have the opportunity to make another film too, so that has opened doors, and opened windows for Guatemalan cinema and Guatemalan culture, so I'm really happy.”

Bustamante's movie explores the dilemma of teenage Mayan girl Maria, who lives at the foot of an active volcano, the focus of the tribe's pagan beliefs. Maria becomes pregnant out of wedlock, casting a shadow over her future in the community.

Meanwhile in the annual Polish competition comprising ten of the most noted Polish movies of the last 12 months, Małgorzata Szumowska's 'Body' was the resounding hit with the jury. Besides winning the award for Best Film, the movie also won the gongs for Best Actor (Janusz Gajos) and Best Actress (Justyna Suwała).

The movie, which won the Silver Bear at this year's Berlin Film Festival, follows a cynical public prosecutor (Gajos) who is stuck in a dysfunctional relationship with his bulimic daughter (Justyna Suwała) following the death of the teenager's mother. However, a therapist (Maja Osztaszewska) who dabbles as a psychic compels the pair to face some home truths. (nh)