Pablo Larraín's Post Mortem and Matías Bize's The Life of Fish receive critical acclaim in Hollywood.
Chilean films have taken out two of the top prizes at the 15th annual Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF).Pablo Larraín's Post Mortem was awarded the festival's Best Film prize while Matías Bize was named Best Director for his highly acclaimed film, The Life of Fish (La vida de los peces), which also won Spain's Goya prize for the Best Hispanic-American Film earlier this year.Post Mortem examines Chile's September 1973 coup through the eyes of a fictional autopsy recorder working at the state morgue, while The Life of Fish follows the story of a Chilean travel writer who rediscovers his past when he returns home after living abroad for 10 years.“Anyone who has been through a relationship or who has met someone from their past, as happens in The Life of Fish, will be able to identify with this story,” Bize told Spanish language entertainment website, Manganzón.com.The LALIFF awards were announced during a gala ceremony at Hollywood's majestic Egyptian Theater earlier this week.More than 75 documentaries, features and short films from Latin America were screened throughout the nine-day festival began which began on July 17.The festival's program included two world premieres, six US premieres and a preview of Mexican director Roberto Orci's Cowboys & Aliens.Other Chilean films which featured at LALIFF included Patricio Guzmán's documentary, Nostalgia for the Light (Nostalgia de la luz) and Gonzalo Justiniano's Has Anyone Seen Lupita? (¿Alguien ha visto a Lupita?).
Pablo Larraín’s Post Mortem, which was awarded ‘Best Film’ at the festival.