Mexico has selected Berlin festival prize-winner Totem, written and directed by Lila Avilés, as its submission for this year’s international feature Oscar.
The family drama premiered in competition at this year’s Berlinale and won the Ecumenical Jury Prize. It also screened at the recent Telluride festival and at this week’s San Sebastian festival and is part of the line-up for next week’s BFI London festival.
Since Berlin, Paris-based Alpha Violet has sold the film to distributors including New Wave Films, for the UK and Ireland, Adso Films for Spain and Sideshow and Janus Films for North America. Sideshow and Janus plan to release the film after its autumn festival run is completed.
Totem centres on a seven-year-old girl preparing for her father’s surprise party who sees the bonds holding her large Mexican family together begin to shatter. Naíma Sentíes, Montserrat Marañon, Marisol Gasê and Saori Gurza star.
The Limerencia Films, Laterna and Paloma Production project was produced by Tatiana Graullera, Avilés and Louise Riousse.
Aviles’ previous film as a writer-director, 2018 drama The Chambermaid, was selected as Mexico’s international film Oscar entry for 2019 but was not nominated for the award.
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