Latin America at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival

The 2021 Cannes Film Festival will open on July 6 with the screening of Annette, the film by Léos Carax, and the avant-garde pop duo Sparks, with Spike Lee as chairman of the jury. In addition, the programming will include films such as “Benedetta” by Paul Verhoeven, “The French Chronicle” by Wes Anderson, “Tout s'est bien passé” by François Ozon and “Evolution” by Kornel Mundruczo. This year's selection includes new works by authors such as Apitchapon Weerasethakul, Iranian Asghar Farhadi, Mia Hansen-Løve and Jacques Audiard, among many others. This is the most important film festival in Europe and it returns after its suspension of 2020, caused by the health crisis of COVID-19. That is why we bring you the Latin American feature films that have been selected at the festival to be projected on the screen.

Prayers for the Stolen by Tatiana Huezo

Prayers for the Stolen, is a very tender Mexican film that portrays the story of 3 girls who are about to become teenagers. They live in a mountain town with constant wars and decide to cut their hair very short as if they looked like children because it is very dangerous to be a woman in their town. The film will compete in the 78th edition in the category of Un Certain Regard at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, the official section that this year focuses on younger and auteur cinema.

Memory, by Apitchapon Weerasethakul

This is the story of an orchid farmer who visits her sick sister in Bogotá. While there, she befriends a French archaeologist, who is in charge of monitoring the construction of an endless tunnel, and a young musician. Every night, he is bothered by the strong blows that prevent him from sleeping.

Also read: 10 Latin American LGBT Movies You May Not Know About

La Civil, by Teodora Mihal

The story is about a mother whose teenage daughter is kidnapped in northern Mexico. Then, when she realizes that the authorities will not offer support in the search, Cielo takes matters into her own hands and transforms from a simple housewife to a highly vindictive militant.

Bergman Island by Mia Hansen-Løve

The film revolves around a couple of American filmmakers who retire to the island for the summer to write scripts for their upcoming films on a pilgrimage to the place that inspired Bergman. As the summer and its scripts progress, the lines between reality and fiction begin to blur against the backdrop of the island's wild landscape.

Annette, by Léos Carax

The film revolves around a comedian, who has to take care of his 2-year-old daughter after the death of his wife, who was an opera singer. However, he soon realizes that his little girl has a very special gift.

In short, the 2021 Cannes Film Festival could have done a better job making Latin America more visible. However, it must be recognized that the selected films look attractive.