Director Melina Leon’s monochrome drama is set in Peru in the late 1980-ies at the height of the civil war. It is a true-life case of a young pregnant indigenous woman, who is preyed upon by baby traffickers setting up transient fake maternity clinics. Assisted by a journalist form Lima in the search for her baby and justice, the film illustrates by frequent close-ups on Georgina’s face and a lonesome guitar score the worldwide suffering and struggle of mothers in a hostile surrounding.
49th International Film Festival Molodist
Molodist 2020 took place in two formats - live and online. The Ecumenical Online Jury in Kiev 2020 awarded prizes in the International Competition for Long Feature Films ("Song Without a Name" by Melina León), the International Competition for Short Films ("Bullmastiff" by Anastassiia Bukovska, Ukraine) and the International Competition for Student Films ("Elli" by Vivian Hartmann, Germany). "Identifying Features" by Fernanda Valdez from Mexico and "Kuessipan" by Myriam Verrault (Canada) won the festival's Grand Prix. "Kuessipan" also received a Commendation by the Ecumenical Jury.
Link: Festival website
Awards
The first narrative film by Myriam Verreault, tells the story of Mikuan and Shaniss, two young Innu women in Uashat-Maliotenam, whose lifelong friendship is put to the test by several turns of fate. A story about friendship, courage, family background and carving your own path out of the solid rock that life can be. Set in a very specific community but with a universal appeal, this feature film sparks hope despite its dramatic events.
Elli, techno DJane and mother of an 11-year-old daughter, is fully immersed in the modern society’s dilemma to tackle professional ambition, passion (for music) and childcare. Elli and Toni struggle hard but their strong bond gives the spectator the trust that they will manage to overcome their difficulties together. A short film that gives food to the debate about women’s life choices.
With a strong leading male, Bukovska tells us an Ukrainian story of the timeless and universal dilemma of men returning home from war and having to carry the burden of their traumatic experiences. She also shows us a way out of the darkness of post-traumatic stress syndrom: building a loving relationship with ‘man’s best friend’.