The screenplay ‘Yesenia’, written by Pedro Ayose and José Martret, which addresses the working conditions of hotel maids in a tourist area of Lanzarote, has received the DAMA Award for Best Feature Film Screenplay. The same award, in the Series category, went to ‘Jauría’, by Juan Pedro Vera, focusing on the presence of legionaries in Fuerteventura. The series ‘Las primas’, by Laura Reviejo, recreating the youth of Mercedes Pinto in La Gomera, received a special mention.
These three stories are part of the sixteen projects developed in the current edition of IsLABentura, a lab organized by the Government of the Canary Islands, through Canary Islands Film, in collaboration with the DAMA association for Authors' Rights.
Other notable awards include the CIIF Market Award for the feature film ‘Chirla’, by Sofía Martín Jiménez, set in El Hierro and focusing on a 70-year-old woman rediscovering her sexuality. The Algo en Común Foundation also awarded ‘Yesenia’, by Pedro Ayose. The feature film screenplay ‘La siervita’, about the Tenerife nun Nerea Guitart, received the Music Library award.
The CIMA Award went to ‘Cachalote’, by Emmanuelle Kesch, which addresses how large-scale fishing threatens artisanal fishing in La Palma. Meanwhile, the Audiovisual Lab Award was given to ‘Gonsalvus’, by Pablo Borges, set in La Gomera and focusing on the story of the Guanche known as the «Gentle Savage Gentleman of Tenerife».
The development of the screenplays was tutored by professionals such as Curro Royo, Pablo Bartolomé, Arantxa Cuesta, Alba Lucío, Gianmarco Serra, Isabel Herguera, Sara Bamba, Yolanda Barrasa, and Borja Santaolalla. Canarian actress Toni Acosta served as the lab's ambassador.
The list of winners was announced at a gala held in Agaete (Gran Canaria), marking the end of the fifth edition of IsLABentura. The awards include financial endowments and, in several cases, free publication on platforms or inclusion in the catalogs of collaborating production companies.
