Ana Paula
Leigh Marling
United States, 2023, 46 min.
In Spanish with English subtitles.
Includes violence.
AIFF Award Winner:
Best Short Feature
ANA PAULA is the heartbreaking story of a young Mexican woman determined to escape her past and adopt her niece from a government orphanage in Durango. When a judge explains her case cannot proceed without a ‘suitable home’, Ana employs desperate measures to find the necessary cash. When Fernando sees her desperation and offers to help, a tender romance blossoms. But when Ana is forced back into a toxic life of vice she and Fernando must face the ruthless criminals who seek to exploit her.
Director's Statement
Femicide, domestic abuse and sexual exploitation have become endemic in Mexican society where around 10 women are murdered every day in gender based attacks. Add to those, the thousands of females who have been ‘disappeared’ and those grim statistics seem to underestimate the crisis in ongoing violence against women. Against this backdrop and during many long research trips to Mexico, the filmmakers met some of these women and became inspired to create a film about one of them.
Category: Drama, Award Winner.
Themes: Border, Gangs, World Cinema.
Sunday, April 28
The Screening Room
4:00pm
Filmmaker in Attendance
More in Drama
-
The Rules
Jim Lounsbury
Australia, 2022, 31 min.IVY LEWIS has a problem with social constructs. She sees them. Even understands why most of them exist. But when you can’t feel fear, empathy or shame,... more ›
-
It's Probably Not John
Louise Lohmann Christensen
United States, 2024, 8.29 min.In a grief circle, Laura shares her recent journey of losing John. How she sleeps on the floor, can’t keep her job, how friends disappear and how time... more ›
-
Paradox
Gabriel Leite
United States, 2024, 14 min.A boy entangled in a perplexing paradox struggles with balancing his life's work and his family when running out of time... more ›