The drama ‘Tótem’ leads the nominations for the Ariel awards for Mexican cinema

Totem, the drama that portrays death from the eyes of a girl with touches of sweetness and sense of humor, has become the main protagonist of the announcement of the nominations for the Ariel awards, the award that recognizes the work of audiovisual professionals Mexican. The second feature film by filmmaker Lila Avilés has achieved 15 nominations, including important categories such as Best Film, Direction and Original Screenplay. The two films that follow in numbers are Heroicby David Zonana, and Hurricane season, by Elisa Miller, with 11 nominations. Both Zonana and Miller accompany Avilés in the category that recognizes the most outstanding filmmakers.

Authorities of the Government of Jalisco and the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences (AMACC) endorsed the commitment so that, for the second consecutive year, the so-called Mexican cinema festival will take place at the Degollado Theater, in the capital of Jalisco, on Friday the 7th of September.

Avilés’ film, selected by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences as the country’s representative in the last edition of the Oscars, presents Sol, who is preparing for his father’s party. Her aunts are nervous, her cousin wants to give the cat coffee, there are snails about Goya’s Blind Hen, toasts and songs have been prepared to pay tribute to dad. And from the room of her sick parent, an energy of love and death seems to be generated that influences them all. Totem has additionally obtained three nominations for Teresa Sánchez, Marisol Gasé, Montserrat Marañón and Mateo García Elizondo, in the categories of best female and male co-acting, respectively. As well as the mention for Naíma Senties and Saori Gurza in acting revelation, in addition to technical categories such as best photography, art design, editing, costumes, makeup and sound.

Another of the candidates, Heroic, tells the story of Luis, a young Mexican who enters the Heroic Military College. There he is subjected physically and psychologically until he is molded by the system and transformed into a perfect soldier. However, in his journey through this institution, he will be a victim and perpetrator of situations that will put his physical and mental health to the limit in a context where violence and corruption in military institutions exceeds any limit. Zonana’s second feature film has also obtained recognition for its protagonists, Fernando Cuautle and Santiago Sandoval, in the categories of Best Male Co-Acting and Acting Revelation, respectively.

For its part, Hurricane season, an adaptation of the work of the same name by Fernanda Melchor, presents a group of teenagers when they discover a corpse floating in a canal. The brutal reality of the evil murder reveals the dark secrets of the town where they live. Miller’s film is also competing in the Best Adapted Screenplay category alongside I’m not going to ask anyone to believe me, The eagle and the worm, The last wagon and Human Resources.

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