February 3 (Reuters) – The thriller and political drama “La Llorona” goes down in history as the first Guatemalan production to be nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film.
“La Llorona”, directed by Guatemalan director and screenwriter Gero Bustamante, depicts the indigenous genocide that occurred during the armed conflict in Guatemala in the 1980s, under the guise of a famous Latin American legend.
The film tells the story of a young Aboriginal woman named Alma (Maria Mercedes Coroy), who arrives as a domestic worker at the home of a former military officer convicted of genocide of indigenous communities.
The voices of the aboriginal people who had been slaughtered begin to echo in the ears of the old soldier, and a mysterious female figure begins to roam his home, demanding revenge.
“Thanks goldenglobes for the nomination, for embracing our cinema and the recent history of our country that deserves to be reached by international audiences,” Bustamante, 43, said on his Facebook page on Wednesday after learning about Globes de Oro’s nomination. It will be presented on February 28 at a party hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
The film is co-produced by Guatemala and France, and will compete for the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film with “Another Tour” (Denmark), “Life Ahead” (Italy), “Minary” (USA) and “Two of Us” (France) , United States of America).
“La Llorona” is also one of 17 Latin American films out of 93 in exchange for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, demonstrating a growing commitment to diversity from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences offering awards.
The final list of five Academy Awards nominees will be announced on March 15, and the award ceremony for the 93rd Edition will be held on April 25, after the usual February date was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
La Llorona premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2019, and is sponsored by Indigenous leader and Guatemalan activist Rigoberta Mench ،, 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner.
The film won the award for Best Foreign Language Film in January from the National Board of Review, the National Board of Film Critics of the United States, and was nominated for the Goya Awards for Best Iberian American Film.
(Lucila Segal report)
