15th Belize International Film Festival Presents Award Winners

The Belize International Film Festival has wrapped up its fifteenth edition, this year completely virtually. On Sunday night, the jurors presented the BIFF awards. Among these were the Best Narrative Feature “Hero” based on a decorated West Indian soldier from the Second World War.  Best Short Documentary went to “Hairouna, Land of the Blessed” which is about a man from Saint Vincent’s journey into his ancestral memory. There were also awards for best music video, animated narratives, feature documentary and many other categories. And this year’s Emerging Talent Award went to Indira Andrewin, for her lead role in a Mexican Film, Selva Trajica. BIFF Founder and Director, Suzette Zayden presented the award and Andrewin zoomed in to accept the honor.

Suzette Zayden, Founder & Director, BIFF

Suzette Zayden

“Tonight, the Belize International Film Festival chooses honor Belizean actor, Indira Andrewin, with our new Emerging Talent Award. This award is meant to recognize and provide exposure to up and coming film makers from any side of the camera. Indira, in the lead of her very first film, Tragic Jungle, has made it abundantly clear that she is a force to be reckoned with. Her remarkable acting skills in the slow moving but genuinely unnerving fantasy thriller by Mexican director Yulene Olaizola has given root to a meteoric rise to stardom for Indira which is almost unheard of in Belize. Not only did she take our entire country with her last year to Venice for the premier of Tragic Jungle, at the world’s oldest and most prestigious film festivals where she and her team won best foreign language film, but she also brought home an award for best new actress earlier this year. As some of you may know, these are the Mexican equivalent of the Oscars. Well done, Indira, we congratulate you on all your accomplishments so far and look forward to your continued success in the future.”

Indira Andrewin

Indira Andrewin

“Thank you so much for this Emerging Talent Award and for recognition of my work. I am truly grateful and honoured to be able to receive this award. I would like to thank Yulene Olaizola the director of the film Tragic Jungle, without her this would not be possible. She has believed in me ever since the first audition and has guided me throughout this entire process. I would also like to thank my mom, Nicole Andrewin, for being such a big support system. I love sharing Belize with the world. It brings me great joy. I just want people to see that no matter where you come from, your dreams are valid. And the only one who needs to believe is you.”