Palm Springs International Film Festival 2014: 'Heli' and 'Living is Easy With Eyes Closed' Receive Cine Latino Award

While many entertainment eyes may be turned to Hollywood for the Golden Globes today, another set of awards has been announced over the weekend which has honored some top Latino films. The Palm Springs International Film Festival 2014 took place last week, and among the awards given out at the festival is the Cine Latino award: 21 films from Spain and Latin America competed for the award. Mexico's 'Heli' and Spain's "Living is Easy With Eyes Closed" took home the trophy.

The Palm Springs International Film Festival Jury issued this statement: “Due to the outstanding quality of this year's selection, the jury has opted to bestow Ex Aequo the Cine Latino Award to Amat Escalante's 'Heli' and David Trueba's 'Living is Easy with Eyes Closed' for their equally accomplished execution in such contrasting genres." Meanwhile, Chilean film "Gloria" directed by Sebastian Lelio received a Special Mention "for capturing the universal themes of love, family and loneliness in a world class performance of Paulina Garcia.”

Argentinian actress Bérénice Bejo was awarded Best Actress of the Year for her work in Asghar Farhadi's "The Past." Festival juror Steven Rea (Philadelphia Inquirer) said, "Bérénice Bejo's portrait of a woman in profound transition, struggling to close the door on one relationship, trying to keep the other open, offers a symphony of emotions: regret, longing, love, hurt, need. Her character may waver, but Bejo's performance stays straight and true."