The nominees for next year’s edition of the biggest film awards from the Spanish speaking world have been announced

The 32^nd edition of the Goya Awards will be celebrated next February in Madrid. The Goya Awards are organized by the Spanish Academy of Film and in most of its categories it looks to celebrate the best film productions of Spanish filmmakers and actors of the year. However, two categories focus on films produced in other country, the Best Iberian-American Film and the Best European Film categories.

This year, the Best Iberian-American Film nominees are all Latin American productions. Here are the nominees:

“Amazona” – Colombia: as the synopsis provided by the Goya Awards website states, this film tells the story of Val from the perspective of her daughter Clare. It is a true story, where the codirector of the film, Clare Weiskopf decides to find her mother after years of not seeing, and reconcile herself with her past. After a tragic loss, Val decides to run to the Colombian rainforest, to find herself again as a woman. When Clare goes to find her, she is pregnant. From the intimacy of the rainforest, the film analyzes femininity and looks to answer one main question: what does it mean to be a mother?

“Tempestad” – Mexico: “through a subjective and emotional voyage, this film is about how fear is paralyzing”, the Goya Awards synopsis states. It tells the story of two women who are forced to face their fears through adverse circumstances. On the one hand, Miriam is accused one random day of human trafficking, a false accusation that, regardless, leads her to face violence she has never been exposed to before. On the other, Adela’s life changed radically 10 years before, and every night, when she performs as a clown for a circus, she recalls her daughter Monica. Through the stories of these two women, “Tempestad” looks at some of the biggest themes of human experience, such as pain and loss.

“Una mujer fantástica” – Chile: this movie tells the story of Marina, a young waitress and aspiring singer who has to face the mysterious death of her boyfriend Oscar, 20 years her senior. Marina is a transsexual woman, so as she has to deal with the loss of the man she loved and with the mysterious circumstances of his death, she also has to face prejudice. Through the hardship she finds herself, and she blooms as a “complex, strong, passionate woman”, as described in the Goya Awards synopsis, who is also “fantastic”.

“Zama” – Argentina: set in colonial times, this film is about Diego de Zama, an official for the Spanish crown in the American continent. Zama spends years waiting for a letter from the Spanish King that will take him away from the frontier post where he finds himself stuck. When the letter does not come, Zama finds himself looking for other adventures endeavors to occupy his time.

Latin American Post | Laura Rocha Rueda