AVACI / FESAAL - Grand Honor Award

During the AVACI – FESAAL Congress held in November, three audiovisual directors were honored for their commitment to audiovisual author’s rights, and a tribute was paid to Colombian director Camila Loboguerrero, who passed away in june.

The annual Congress of the International Confederation of Audiovisual Authors —AVACI— and the Federation of Latin American Audiovisual Authors’ Societies —FESAAL— held on November 4, 5, and 6 in Zagreb, Croatia, presented the Grand Honor Award to audiovisual authors Horacio Maldonado, Danilo Šerbedžija, and Sylvia Palma. A posthumous tribute was also dedicated to Camila Loboguerrero.

Horacio Maldonado, director, producer, screenwriter, and Secretary-General of AVACI and FESAAL, received this distinction for his extensive trajectory in the defense of the author’s rights of audiovisual directors and screenwriters worldwide. His work was decisive for the consolidation of author’s rights in the Argentine Republic and in countries such as Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil, as well as in transcontinental processes in Korea, Africa, and India. This award reflects the appreciation and gratitude of colleagues from numerous countries for his constant efforts, which drove the creation and strengthening of FESAAL and AVACI, both through his leadership as Secretary-General of DAC —Directores Argentinos Cinematográficos— and through his profound personal dedication.

“Saying that one is not moved by something like this is difficult, especially after so many years with so many friends,” expressed Maldonado, visibly emotional, before his peers at a gathering attended by more than 80 participants from different countries around the world. In his acceptance speech, the director recalled beloved and essential figures for this collective journey: Mario Mitrotti, Camila Loboguerrero, Yves Nilly, Viaggio Prioietti, and Andrea Purgatori. He then briefly revisited the beginnings of DAC in its effort to become a collective management society twenty years ago, mentioning Víctor Dínenzon, Carmen Guarini, and Inés de Oliveira Cézar, who were present at the meeting. “People have asked me whether I miss making films. During these years I didn’t, because the adrenaline that comes from releasing a film is the same one you feel when a law passes, or when today Brazil says it’s getting close. When one of you achieves it in your country, we all achieve it. Thank you very much for this recognition,” he concluded.

Brazilian screenwriter Sylvia Palma, a member of the collective management society GEDAR —which represents the rights of audiovisual writers in Brazil— was also honored with the AVACI FESAAL Grand Honor Award for her contribution to audiovisual author’s rights. She was additionally appointed by AVACI’s assembly as ambassador of the confederation, the person who represents AVACI around the world. “You made me cry. I am very moved by this tribute,” said Palma on the stage of the Sheraton Hotel in Zagreb. She also mentioned Mitrotti and Loboguerrero, her two Colombian colleagues who recently passed away, as well as Carlos Galettini, former president of DAC, and his phrase: “It was never about money, it was never about power: it was always about justice.” After being appointed ambassador, she said: “I have no words for this tribute. It will be an honor to represent AVACI around the world, to carry our struggles and push them forward. Let us continue together, and thank you very much.”

Finally, Danilo Šerbedžija, president of the Croatian society DHFA —the Croatian Film Directors Association— and host of both congresses, was also recognized with the Grand Honor Award for his profound participation over more than 15 uninterrupted years in the defense of audiovisual directors’ and screenwriters’ author’s rights in Europe and worldwide. In his remarks, Šerbedžija emphasized the importance of unity among authors, noting that “together we are stronger in fighting for what the law promises us, which is sometimes harder to obtain than the law itself.” “We are at the beginning, which means the future is audiovisual. Thank you very much,” he concluded.

Tribute to Camila Loboguerrero

In addition to the Grand Honor Award, AVACI and FESAAL held a heartfelt posthumous tribute to Colombian director Camila Loboguerrero, who passed away on June 21 at the age of 83. Born in Bogotá in 1941, she graduated as a painter from the Universidad de los Andes and later moved to Paris to study at the Sorbonne. She was the first woman to direct a fiction feature film in her country: Con su música a otra parte (1983). Her filmography includes María Cano (1990), about Colombia’s first female political leader, and Nochebuena (2008), co-written with her son Matías Maldonado. She was also responsible, during the 1990s, for a series of short and medium-length documentaries that received awards at various festivals, including Llano y contaminación (1973), Póngale color (1985), Vida de perros (1986), and the series Inmigrantes (1995). In 1991, she received the Medal of Artistic Merit from Bogotá’s District Institute of Culture and Tourism, and in 2024, the Macondo Honor Award for her career and contribution to the development of Colombia’s film industry.

After the screening of a tribute video, the director’s children and members of DASC - Directores Audiovisuales Sociedad Colombiana de Gestión received a commemorative plaque on behalf of AVACI and FESAAL. “She would be very proud; she always was of her work with you,” said Lucas Maldonado gratefully. “She was very happy here,” added his brother Matías, before sharing that “throughout her life, besides making films, the most important thing for her was to fight and keep fighting for cinema, but also for women, for directors. And I think she found many places from which to fight; and the last one, where she spent the last ten or fifteen years, was DASC and REDES. That’s why I think she returned very happy, feeling she was not alone, that there were many people to fight alongside.”

Director, screenwriter, and DAC president Carmen Guarini spoke about her colleague: “Camila was one of those people who pass quietly by our side, without seeking the spotlight, and who bring in their humility great lessons —which, as in my case, and perhaps for many present here, one discovers late,” said Guarini, before recalling the distinctions earned by Camila as a filmmaker throughout her life and her commitment to defending authors’ rights, marked by a gender perspective: “A recognized defender of audiovisual creators’ rights in a historically male environment, her legacy includes the constant promotion of spaces and guarantees for professionals in the sector.” “Her legacy shows us the importance of a life dedicated to opening paths.” With great emotion, Guarini addressed Camila directly: “A companion in these annual meetings, I thought I would see you again here in Croatia. But you had the boldness to leave us unexpectedly, arms outstretched, and the embrace did not arrive in time. I am grateful for being allowed to speak, because writing these words let me rediscover for all of us —those who shared these years with you— your intense and prolific story, and your quiet work. This moves us and commits us to continue working for what united us: our convictions and our hopes in the strength of collective work.”

For her part, Colombian director and president of DASC Teresa Saldarriaga said that watching the video tribute was difficult for her “because I still haven’t been able to accept that Camila is gone.” “I miss her, because we argued a lot. Now I have no one to argue with,” she joked, before saying that it was Loboguerrero who “gave me my first opportunity to work in film,” adding: “Camila opened the door for Colombian women in fiction filmmaking.” “We truly miss Camila,” she concluded.

Screenwriter and president of REDES —Red Colombiana de Escritores Audiovisuales— Alexandra Cardona Restrepo dedicated heartfelt words to her colleague: “I met Camila at El Espectador when we went to report that women filmmakers were being mistreated. And we always coincided in the social struggle for the common good of creators. We founded the screenwriters’ association together; we were always part of those movements. Camila accompanied us at the beginning of REDES until she decided to be in DASC. I am deeply grateful for the path she opened for us, for being an example of fighting for the common good, and for the affection she had for me.” Meanwhile, lawyer Adriana Saldarriaga, advisor to DASC, REDES, FESAAL, and AVACI, recalled her work with Camila in recovering the patrimonial rights of her works and highlighted that “as a professional, as an advisor, she always followed through promptly; she was very aware of the importance of advancing step by step, complying with regulations, and learning about author’s rights.” She added that Camila was “extremely disciplined, dedicated, and inquisitive in that regard.” “What remains with me is her poise, her elegance, her joyful presence, and her smile,” she concluded.

To close the day, the assembly approved a motion presented by Ricardo Coral, Secretary of REDES, for the creation of the Camila Loboguerrero Award, aimed at women and sexual dissidents in the audiovisual industry, to encourage their participation as members of collective management societies.