Sebastiane Latino, a new initiative at the San Sebastian Film Festival in celebration of Latin American LGTB cinema

The Sebastiane Latino Award will applaud a film released in the previous year to best represent sexual and gender diversity

This year’s San Sebastian International Film Festival will include the presentation of the first Sebastiane Latino Award, an award given by the association Gehitu to the Latin American feature film released in the previous year that best represents lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual vindications and values.

This award emerges as a natural spin-off from the Sebastiane Award, a prize granted by Gehitu for 14 years as a recognition to the production that best reflect sexual and gender diversity in the different sections of the San Sebastian Festival. However, the Sebastiane Latino overshoots these borders to applaud the best Latin American film, whether or not it has been screened at the Festival.

The Jury for both awards is made up of members of Gehitu, the Basque Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Bisexual Association, and enjoys close collaboration with the San Sebastian Festival team.

The Sebastiane Latino Award stems from a cultural proximity with Latin America and from the dedication to its cinema by the Zinemaldi, as vouched for by its “Horizontes latinos” and “Films in Progress” sections. Also drawing on this proximity and on the repercussion of an International Festival such as San Sebastian, our aim is to take a hand in ensuring that the values of respect and sexual freedom gain ground against male chauvinism and intolerance in Ibero-America.

The jury will consider productions that support the LGTB community. Although only one of these works will be chosen, the idea is that the selected work will lend support and recognition to all of the people who have made them possible, and that it will help to raise the voice of the ever-increasing number of films in defence of LGTB people.