Valentina or the Serenity (Spanish: Valentina o la serenidad) is a 2023 Mexican drama film written, co-produced and directed by Ángeles Cruz. Starring Danae Ahuja Aparicio who plays a little girl who will use her imagination to face the premature death of her father. It had its world premiere at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2023 as part of the Discovery section.
Synopsis.
Valentina is a happy, adventurous, enthusiastic and curious little girl in her environment full of nature, characteristic of the town of Villa Guadalupe Victoria, Oaxaca where she lives. One day, she receives the news that her father died in a river accident in the middle of a stormy night. However, she clings to her imagination and the promise that her father told her to return with a gift, causing discomfort in the rest of her family who don't know how to make her understand that her father will never return.
Production.
Development.
Ángeles Cruz was inspired by her own personal experiences related to death, especially the sudden death of her father when she was 9 years old, which changed the perspective of her world. In 2020, during confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, her younger brother died, which forced her to face the death of a loved one again and was the motivation for making the film. That same year the first draft of the script was completed.
Filming.
Principal photography began on August 15, 2022, in Villa de Guadalupe Victoria, Oaxaca, where the director is originally from.
Release.
Festivals.
It had its world premiere on September 8, 2023, in the Discovery section of the 48th Toronto International Film Festival, then screened on October 23, 2023, at the 21st Morelia International Film Festival, on November 14, 2023, at the 8th International Indigenous Film Festival in Wallmapu, on November 15, 2023, at the 49th Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival, on March, 17, 2024, at the Cinélatino Festival Rencontres de Toulouse, on April 9, 2024, at the 48th Cleveland International Film Festival, on May 17, 2024, at the 50th Seattle International Film Festival, and on May, 22, 2024, at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.
Theatrical.
It is scheduled to be released commercially on September 26, 2024, in Mexican theaters.
References.
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