You’re Safe With Me – Song Written and Performed by Studeo (Jeremy & Christine Stork), Music Video Directed by Monique Grimme

The jury of the Gabriel García Márquez Prize was thrilled to discover the music video “You’re Safe With Me,” through which it is evident that director Monique Grimme has a great passion for science fiction, a genre that is always very challenging for an independent filmmaker. Unlike other genres like comedy or drama, science fiction always requires a very high budget, but in some cases, creativity and originality can bring any project to life. Monique Grimme succeeded in her endeavor! This achievement is also attributed to the beautiful song by Jeremy & Christine Stork, which could be a perfect soundtrack for dreamers. That is why, as the jury of an event dedicated to one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, we awarded “You’re Safe With Me” the highest marks.

No Porn Avocado by Gabriel Fornés

Spanish director Gabriel Fornés tackles the theme of sexuality in “No Porn Avocado,” using humor as his narrative solution—a challenge that is never easy to accept but, in this case, resulted in a very original short film. The minimalist approach is highly introspective. By closely observing Gabriel Fornés’ project, we noted his directorial choice that draws the viewer into the lives of the two characters. “We felt like we were inside that house!” After watching the short film, we decided to reward the project for the director’s bravery and his ability to combine a significant contemporary societal theme with the lightness of comedy. We at the Gabriel García Márquez Prize will recommend other festivals to view “No Porn Avocado,” and we thank Wild Filmmaker for introducing us to this ironic and original Spanish director.

L’Amour est temps de reflets – Yann Richebourg

“L’Amour est temps de reflets” is a poetic journey through feelings hidden deep within an artist’s soul, which can be translated into a work of art when a director finds a compelling narrative solution. French director Yann Richebourg deeply moved the Gabriel García Márquez Prize jury with his ability to tell an eternal theme with simplicity and effectiveness—one that has inspired the great poets upon whom our Western society is based, from Dante Alighieri to Marcel Proust. We greatly appreciated each poetic choice made by the director, who portrayed the difficulties often encountered in affectionate relationships through beautiful and original “visual metaphors.” Our jury awarded this project the highest marks, and we are grateful to Wild Filmmaker, who once again surprised us by selecting such a sensitive and creative author as Yann Richebourg. For us, he was a delightful revelation!

“Halloweens (Rabbit Well Episode 6) & “Soul” by I-Jien Kou

I-Jien Kou is a director of extraordinary talent, who managed to create two projects in different genres while consistently demonstrating her original creativity. In the 2024 edition of the Gabriel García Márquez Prize, we reviewed hundreds of projects and can affirm that few directors have shown the same ability as I-Jien Kou to interpret cinema in various forms. Directors like I-Jien Kou are very valuable to the entire independent film movement because they demonstrate that the most important aspect of creating a work of art through cinema is not the budget, but a good directorial idea and the originality to realize it, even with limited resources. The Wild Filmmaker team had informed us that I-Jien Kou is a talented director within the international community they founded, and we at the Gabriel García Márquez Prize can now confirm this with the highest evaluation.

My Father Moves Mountains by Andria Litto

Director Andria Litto, with the excellent documentary “My Father Moves Mountains,” demonstrates an extraordinary capacity in editing, confirming her full awareness that when a director decides to create a documentary, editing is the primary form of “writing the project.” Rarely have we seen independent documentaries of such high aesthetic quality. After watching “My Father Moves Mountains,” the jury of the Gabriel García Márquez Prize 2024 unanimously decided to award it the highest marks. We recognize that we are witnessing a documentary that deserves worldwide theatrical distribution, both for the quality of the project and for the universally relevant theme it addresses. As always, the WILD FILMMAKER platform proves to be a community composed of extraordinary talents, and we are grateful to them for selecting the documentary directed by Andria Litto and introducing us to this highly original, internationally trained director.

Monument to Love by Jacob Comforty

“Monument to Love” is a documentary that many people should see, especially in this historical moment where, unfortunately, violence and indifference prevail in the world. The project, directed by the excellent Jacob Comforty, teaches the value of generosity towards others and would be a good idea to propose in high schools as a study subject, both for the quality of the film and for the ethical values it contains. We at the Gabriel García Márquez Prize 2024 were deeply moved by “Monument to Love” because it tells a story that somehow belongs to every human being. The project deserves not only significant festival recognitions but also a special award for human rights. We will suggest to the WILD FILMMAKER platform to establish a category dedicated to this genre of cinema. Additionally, we want to thank the WILD FILMMAKER team for selecting “Monument to Love” by Jacob Comforty; it brought us great joy to discover this little masterpiece.

Piazzolla Con Brio by Rick Meghiddo

“Piazzolla Con Brio” is a documentary that should be seen by everyone who loves the music of the brilliant Argentine musician and composer, but also by those who want to discover who Astor Piazzolla was and what he represented for tango as one of the most original artists of the last century. Director Rick Meghiddo succeeds in capturing the essence of Astor Piazzolla in a documentary of just under 40 minutes. We were very pleased to see this project in the selection, given that Colombian writer and Nobel Prize laureate Gabriel García Márquez, to whom our event is dedicated, was a tango enthusiast. Once again, we want to emphasize that WILD FILMMAKER continues to amaze us, revealing talented directors like Rick Meghiddo. We will recommend to all the festivals we are in contact with to see “Piazzolla Con Brio” by Rick Meghiddo because understanding music truly requires knowing the historical context in which it was born.

The Girl Made of Earth and Water by Pamela PerryGoulardt

The teaser of “The Girl Made of Earth and Water” aroused deep curiosity in the jury of the Gabriel García Márquez Prize 2024. Director and screenwriter Pamela PerryGoulardt, by adopting a classic animation style, takes us into what seems to be a fairy tale. The world, at this historical moment, needs fairy tales, and we always appreciate authors who choose this archaic yet effective narrative style. Federico Fellini considered “Pinocchio” one of the greatest novels of all time, and we agree, because fairy tales always carry great wisdom, essential for any artist who wishes to communicate something important to their readers or viewers. The entire jury now wishes to learn more about the project “The Girl Made of Earth and Water” after watching this intriguing teaser, which features a poetic dimension that suggests the development of a work we eagerly anticipate discovering. A big thank you to WILD FILMMAKER for selecting the project written and directed by the very talented Pamela PerryGoulardt.