JURY’S decisions almost always provoke controversy. This is also true for film festivals. However, their opinions are taken into account in terms of seeing a film or dismissing it. Some of the movies in competition at the 26th Festival of New Latin American Cinema have won prizes in other events and are therefore a focus of attention.

This is the case of the Cuban film Tres veces dos (Three Times Two) by young filmmakers Pavel Giroud, Lester Hamlet and Esteban García Insausti. This movie, competing in the first work category, won the Montreal Film Festival prize in that category as well as other national awards.

Luna de Avellaneda (Avellaneda Moon) by Argentine filmmaker Juan José Campanella is another award-winning film. This movie won the joint prize for the best Latin American film at the 12th Spanish and Latin American Film Festival in Brussels.

The jury underlined that the film shows "a sensitive approach to a disastrous social and economic situation through the dreams, failures and struggles of its characters," portraying "the microcosm of a Buenos Aires neighborhood," reaching "a universal dimension thanks to its dramatic composition, humor, and high-quality acting."

Another film with a successful history in previous festivals is El cielito (Little Sky) by María Victoria Menis. This movie subtly portrays a story of abandon, love, and daily violence. Inspired by a news story from a Buenos Aires newspaper, Menis presents an authentic and emotional narration, telling the story of two abandoned human beings who rescue each other: a young man who has lost his only family and a small boy, and a submissive mother, prisoner of her violent husband.

When it comes to a FIPRESCI and Cannes Festival award-winning film also selected to compete for the Goya and Oscar awards, we must give it serious consideration. This is the case of the only Uruguayan movie to be shown at the Havana Film Festival, Whisky, by Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll. The directors have already shown one of their films in Cuba, 25 Watts, which was acclaimed by the public. With a minimalist aesthetic, Whisky tells a story of love, jealousy, and betrayal. A bizarre love triangle protagonized by three decadent characters where everything that is suggested is far worse than what is said. The film uses trivial dialogues and long silences, as well as small revealing gestures to weave Whisky’s subtle plot. The film’s merits range from careful photography to a sound track omitting the commonplace of tango.

Directors are another guide and this year there are movies from Carlos Sorín, Adolfo Aristarain, Sergio Cabrea, Silvio Caiozzi, and Walter Salles, but this is the topic of another article.