The sixth edition of the Saraqusta Film Festival came to a close with a cocktail gala where awards were presented to the winning films, bringing to a close eight days during which Zaragoza served as the epicenter of historical cinema.
The undisputed star of the evening was Jacqueline Bisset, who received the ‘Golden Dragon’ in recognition of her career, particularly for her roles in historical and period films such as ‘Napoleon and Josephine,’ ‘Anna Karenina,’ and ‘Imperial Venus’.
The British actress has built a distinguished career working with directors such as François Truffaut, John Huston, George Cukor, Claude Chabrol, and Roman Polanski. With this award, the festival sought to recognize her elegance and dramatic depth, which have established her as one of the most respected actresses of her generation. Over the decades, she has managed to balance commercial success with demanding and sophisticated auteur cinema. This career trajectory establishes her as an indispensable figure in European and American cinema.
Bisset, who was greeted with a standing ovation by the nearly 300 guests at the gala, accepted the award with deep gratitude. During her stay, she also had the opportunity to explore Zaragoza and enjoy some of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
The British actress thus joins the list of international artists who have already received the “Golden Dragon” award from the Saraqusta Film Festival, including Nastassja Kinski, Joaquim de Almeida, and Fabio Testi.
Winners of the 6th Saraqusta Film Festival
The jury president, film and documentary director Silvia Pradas, emphasized that the jury’s overall assessment of the works selected to compete in the 6th Saraqusta Film Festival was “very positive”: “In the fiction category, we encountered a very high and balanced standard across the different works, which made the deliberations very interesting. In the documentary section, the level was also very high, with a balance between more classic documentaries and others that were more daring, featuring groundbreaking approaches within the documentary genre that pleasantly surprised us. We believe this year’s selection has successfully combined solid entries with others that are more daring and personal.”
In addition to Silvia Pradas, the jury included Ignacio Iraburu, a marketing director; Julio A. Gracia Lana, a professor with a Ph.D. in Art History; Michael Cooper, an audiovisual producer with experience in the performing arts; and Juan Carlos Ajenjo, a film buff and writer.
At the gala, sponsored by Ascaso, MIT Comunicación Estratégica, El Villano, Grupo Citron, and Clínica Dra. Delso, this year’s awards were presented to:
– Best Feature Film: ‘L’affaire Bojarski’ (France). Special Mention: ‘Truth and Treason’ (USA, Lithuania).
– Best Documentary: ‘Fiume o morte!’ (Croatia).
– Best Directing: Damiano Michieletto, for ‘Primavera’ (Italy). Special Mention: Annemarie Jacir, for ‘Palestine 36’ (Palestine, United Kingdom).
– Best Screenplay: Igor Bezinovic, for ‘Fiume o morte!’ (Croatia).
– Best Actress: Tecla Insolia, for ‘Primavera’ (Italy).
– Best Actor: Reda Kateb, for ‘L’affaire Bojarski’ (France).
– Youth Jury Award: ‘Palestine 36’.
– Special Recognition: Ibercaja Foundation.
Summary of 6th Saraqusta Film Festival
For eight days, the festival filled the city of Zaragoza with cinema and history, expanding its program each year with new activities. Thus, in addition to screenings in the official sections—both competitive and non-competitive—this year the festival also brought cinema to the streets with a screening of ‘Braveheart’ in Plaza del Pilar, attended by around 450 people. As a new initiative, ‘Saraqusta Kids’ was launched to bring cinema and history to young audiences.
“We are very happy because we have noticed that Saraqusta is permeating the city and beginning to build a loyal following, which we see most clearly in the purchase of passes for all screenings. This year we once again surpassed 4,000 attendees. The competition screenings have been very well received, especially the documentaries. It’s clear that the audience enjoys engaging in a discussion with the creators of the works, learning how they researched historical events and brought them to the screen. These past few days, we’ve truly ‘breathed in’ historical culture,” said José Ángel Delgado, the festival’s director.