Alternative Film Guide

Writer-director Carlos Reygadas‘ drama Stellet licht / Luz silenciosa was the big winner at the 50th Ariel Awards, taking home statuettes for best film, director, original screenplay, supporting actress (María Pankratz), and cinematography (Alexis Zabé). Stellet licht, which shared the Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, is set in a Mennonite community where a married man falls in love with another woman.

Also at the 50th Ariel Awards ceremony, veteran Silvia Pinal, 76, the star of Luis Buñuel’s Viridiana (above), The Exterminating Angel, and Simon of the Desert, was given a Golden Ariel for her six decades of film (and TV) work. "Television offers remarkable productions," Pinal told the Ariel audience, "but they don’t transcend [time]. Film is what lasts, for better or for worse. This [award] is the crowning of my career." Pinal had previously won three Ariel awards: as best supporting actress for Un Rincón cerca del cielo / A Place Near Heaven (1952), and as best actress for Locura pasional / Passionate Madness (1956) and La Dulce enemiga / The Sweet Enemy (1957). (Ariel photo gallery.)

Best Film / Película
Cobrador: In God We Trust (Salamandra producciones)
Los Ladrones viejos (Artegios)
* Stellet licht / Luz silenciosa (Stilles Licht)

Best Ibero-American Film / Película Iberoamericana
Satanás, Andres Baiz (Colombia)
Tropa de Elite / The Elite Squad, José Padilha (Brasil)
* XXY, Lucía Puenzo (Argentina)

Best Documentary Feature / Documental
Bajo Juárez, Alejandra Sánchez and José Antonio Cordero
* Los Ladrones viejos, Everardo González
Mi Vida Dentro, Lucía Gaja

Best First Film / Opera Prima
Cochochi, Israel Cardenas and Laura Amelia Guzman
* Párpados Azules, Ernesto Contreras
Partes usadas, Aarón Fernández

Best Director / Dirección
Paul Leduc, Cobrador: In God We Trust
Everardo Gonzalez, Los Ladrones viejos
* Carlos Reygadas, Stellet licht

Best Actress / Actriz
Miriam Toews, Stellet licht
Cecilia Suarez, Párpados Azules
* Irene Azuela, Quemar las Naves

Best Actor / Actor
Lázaro Ramos, Cobrador: In God We Trust
* Jorge Zárate, Dos Abrazos
Enrique Arreola, Párpados Azules
Alan Chávez, Partes usadas

Best Supporting Actress / Coactuación Femenina
Mariana Moro, Drama/Mex
Mayra Serbulo, La Zona
* María Pankratz, Stellet licht

Best Supporting Actor / Coactuación Masculina
Alan Chávez, La Zona
* Mario Zaragoza, La Zona
Silverio Palacios, Morirse en domingo

Best Original Screenplay / Guion Original
Cochochi, Israel Cárdenas and Laura Amelia Guzmán
* Stellet licht, Carlos Reygadas
Partes usadas, Aarón Fernández

Best Adapted Screenplay / Guion Adaptado
Cementerio de Papel, Xavier Robles
* Cobrador: In God We Trust, Paul Leduc
La Zona, Laura Santullo

Best Animated Feature / Largometraje de Animación
* La Leyenda de la Nahuala, Ricardo Arnaiz

Best Cinematography / Fotografía
Cobrador: In God We Trust, Diego Rodríguez/José Maria Civit/Ángel Goded
* Stellet licht, Alexis Zabé
Morirse en domingo, Guillermo Granillo

Best Editing / Edición
Cobrador: In God We Trust, Juan Carlos Macías
* Los Ladrones viejos, Juan Manuel Figueroa
Stellet licht, Natalia López

Best Original Score / Música Original
Kilómetro 31, Carles Cases and La Lupita
La Leyenda de la Nahuala, Gabriel Villar
* Quemar las Naves, Alejandro Giacoman and Joselo Rangel

Best Production Design / Diseño de Arte
Cobrador: In God We Trust, Barbara Enriquez and Margarida Jussid
* Morirse en domingo, José Luis Aguilar and Lorenza Manrique
Quemar las Naves, Lizette Ponce

Best Costume Design / Vestuario
* Kilómetro 31, Mariestela Fernández
Stellet licht, Nohemí González
Párpados Azules, Gabriela Fernández

Best Special Effects / Efectos Especiales
Cañitas, Javier Moreno and Alfonso Moreno
* Kilómetro 31, Alejandro Vasquez
Malos hábitos, Ricardo Arvizu

Best Visual Effects / Efectos Visuales
* Kilómetro 31, Roberto Garcia and Charlie Iturriaga
Malos hábitos, Francisco Muñoz
Morirse en domingo, Prado/Garcia/Iturriaga

Best Sound / Sonido
Cobrador: In God We Trust, Baksh/Hernandez/Muricy/Tendler/Esquenazi
* Kilómetro 31, Cobos/Molina/Gaytan/Cruz
Stellet licht, Diaz/Hernandez/Baksht/Rocatelli

Best Makeup / Maquillaje
* Kilómetro 31, Ortiz/Legaspi/Benito
Morirse en domingo, Regina Reyes and David Ruiz Gameros

Best Narrative Short / Corto de Ficción (tie)
Destapalo, Eun-Hee Ihm
* Fin de trayecto, Acan Coen
Señas Particulares, Kenya Marquez
* Ver Llover, Elisa Miller

Best Documentary Short / Corto de Documental
* De Motus Cordis, Mariana Ochoa
La Mutilación de San Pedro, según San Xavier, Olivia Portillo
Mago… El misterio de la vida, Angel Estrada Soto

Best Animated Short / Corto de Animación
Balance Cósmico, Francisco Athie
* De la vista nace el amor, Miguel Anaya Borja
Síndrome de línea blanca, Lourdes Villagomez

Golden Ariel / Ariel de Oro
Silvia Pinal

Honorary Golden Ariel / Ariel Honorario de Oro
Fernando Morales Ortiz

Ariel de Oro "to the workers who have brought dedication and honor to the Mexican film industry for more than 50 years"
Adolfo Ramírez, Bertha Chiu, Carlos Horcasitas, Enrique Lechuga, Enrique Morales, Fernando Ramírez, Francisco López, Heriberto Gutiérrez, Laurencio Cordero, Jesús Durán, Marcelino Pacheco, Salvador Serrano, and Juvenal Herrera