Alejandro Loayza Grisi’s eco-drama and Sundance World Cinema Competition grand jury prize winner Utama has been selected to represent Bolivia in the international feature film category at the 95th Academy Awards.
Loayza Grisi’s debut feature becomes the 14th Bolivian Oscar submission and follows the plight of Virginio and Sisa, an elderly Quechua couple in the drought-stricken Bolivian highlands who must decide whether to stay or move in with relatives in the city.
When their grandson arrives with news it brings their predicament into sharp focus as they confront climate change, the value of tradition, and the meaning of life.
Utama screens at BFI London Film Festival next month and besides Sundance has played festivals at Göteborg, Karlovy Vary, Melbourne and San Francisco, among others.
Kino Lober will release the film theatrically in the US on November 4.
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