CIRO GUERRA’S 2016 Oscar contender “Embrace of the Serpent” keeps sweeping Latin American film festivals. This time it won at the Santiago Film Festival (SANFIC), running Aug. 23-28 and one of the two main film competitions in Chile, where Guerra’s 19th century Amazonian tale nabbed best film in the international competition, as well as a special mention for its cinematography.

    The first Colombian nominee for best film in a foreign language at the Oscars, “Embrace of the Serpent” swept the Platino Awards (a new local equivalent to the Academy Awards) and topped the Colombian version of the Oscars, the Mar del Plata film fest in Argentina and the Ariel in Mexico, among others.

    SANFIC’s best director prize went to Alejandro Fernandez Almendras for his Sundance entry “Much Ado About Nothing,” a story about a young man from a well-off family who finds himself accused of a fatal hit-and-run, based on a true local scandal involving the son of a former senator in Chile who was absolved after killing a man while driving.

    Alfredo Castro (“The Club,” “Tony Manero”) grabbed the best acting performance award for Venezuela’s Venice-winner “From Afar.” (SD-Agencies)