Through Rocks and Clouds

Through Rocks and Clouds
Promotional release poster
Directed byFranco García Becerra
Written byAnnemarie Gunkel
Alicia Quispe
Produced byDiego Sarmiento[1]
Jorge Constantino[1]
Annemarie Gunkel[1]
Franco García[1]
StarringAlberth Merma
CinematographyJohan Carrasco
Edited byFranco García Becerra
Juan Francisco González
Music byDaniel Castro
Production
companies
Desfase Films[2]
Mestizo Studios[2]
Wayqicha Cine[2]
Luna Roja Relatos Audiovisuales[2]
Tierra en Trance Films[2]
Distributed byLuxbox Films
Release date
  • February 19, 2024 (2024-02-19) (Berlinale)
Running time
82 minutes
CountriesPeru
Chile
LanguagesQuechua
Spanish

Through Rocks and Clouds (Spanish: Raíz, lit. 'Root') is a 2024 Peruvian-Chilean[3] drama film directed by Franco García Becerra and written by Annemarie Gunkel and Alicia Quispe. It stars Quechua-speaker Alberth Merma accompanied by Nely Huayta and Richard Taipe.[4] It is about a shepherd boy who dreams of seeing his country in the 2018 FIFA World Cup while his environment is threatened by pollution from a mining company.[5]

Synopsis

Feliciano is an 8-year-old boy who is in charge of herding sheep. He is accompanied by Ronaldo, a young alpaca, and Rambo, an old dog with whom he can start conversations about football and the national team's matches to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. However, their environment is threatened by a contaminated lake because a mining company wants to take over those lands. One day Ronaldo disappears along with other alpacas, the authorities ignore the requests for help, so Feliciano will seek to find his Ronaldo while the town unites to take action against the company.[6]

Cast

  • Alberth Merma as Feliciano
  • Nely Huayta
  • Richard Taipe
  • José Merma
  • Deyvis Mayo
  • Rubén Huillca
  • Ruperta Condori

Production

Principal photography began in October 2022 in the province of Quispicanchis in Cusco, Peru.[7]

Release

Through Rocks and Clouds had its world premiere on February 19, 2024, in the Generation Kplus section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival,[8] then screened on April 17, 2024, at the 63rd Cartagena Film Festival,[9] on August 8, 2024, at the 77th Locarno Film Festival,[10] on August 9, 2024, at the 28th Lima Film Festival,[11] on the August 19, 2024, at the 20th Santiago International Film Festival,[12] and on October 23, 2024, at the 12th Bosphorus Film Festival.[13] International rights were acquired by Luxbox Films.[14]

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 38% of 8 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.0/10.[15]

Accolades

Award Date Category Recipient Result Ref.
Berlin International Film Festival 25 February 2024 Grand Prix for Best Film in Generation Kplus Through Rocks and Clouds Nominated [16]
Generation International Jury – Special Mention Won
Seattle International Film Festival 19 May 2024 Ibero-American Competition – Grand Jury Prize Won [17]
Lima Film Festival 17 August 2024 Best Picture Nominated [18]
Best Director Franco García Becerra Won
Santiago International Film Festival 25 August 2024 Chilean Competition – Best Film Through Rocks and Clouds Nominated [19]
Special Jury Mention Won
Biarritz Film Festival 27 September 2024 Coup de Cœur Award Won [20]
Bosphorus Film Festival 25 October 2024 International Competition - Best Film Nominated [21]
Special Jury Prize Alberth Merma Won

References

  1. ^ a b c d "2024 - Luxbox décroche le film péruvien «Through Rocks and Clouds», qui se déroule dans les magnifiques hautes Andes, avant son lancement à la Berlinale (EXCLUSIF) Les plus populaires à lire absolument Abonnez-vous aux newsletters variées Plus de nos marques". Actual News Magazine (in French). 2024-01-30. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  2. ^ a b c d e Cruz, Cristhian (2024-01-19). "'Raíz', película cusqueña grabada en quechua, tendrá su estreno mundial en la Berlinale 2024". La Cinestación (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  3. ^ "Ministerio de Cultura: Películas peruanas 'Reinas' y 'Raíz' se estrenarán en festivales internacionales de cine". Dirección del Audiovisual, la Fonografía y los Nuevos Medios (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  4. ^ Contreras, Laslo Rojas (2024-01-17). "Berlinale 2024: La película cuzqueña "Raíz" tendrá su estreno mundial en el Festival de Cine de Berlín - Cine Peruano". Cinencuentro (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  5. ^ Gomero, Richard (2024-01-17). "El cine peruano presente en el Festival de Berlín 2024: 'Raíz' y 'Reinas', dos miradas a nuestra realidad". Infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  6. ^ "Berlinale 2024: Exclusive THROUGH ROCKS AND CLOUDS Poster Premiere, Exploring Untold Stories of Quechua Communities". ScreenAnarchy. 2024-02-07. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  7. ^ Quispe, Harold (2024-01-19). "Película peruana 'Raíz', que competirá en Festival de Berlín, ya tiene su primer tráiler [VIDEO]". RPP Noticias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  8. ^ "Raíz | Through Rocks and Clouds | Durch Felsen und Wolken". Berlinale. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  9. ^ "Raíz". Festival Internacional de Cine de Cartagena de Indias (in Spanish). 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  10. ^ "Locarno Film Festival · Browse the program". 2024-11-10. Archived from the original on 10 November 2024. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  11. ^ "Raíz". Festival de Cine de Lima.
  12. ^ "[ESTRENO CHILENO] ¡RAÍZ tendrá su estreno chileno en @sanfic". Instagram. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  13. ^ "Bosphorus Film Festival - TAŞLARA VE BULUTLARA DAİR". BFF. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  14. ^ Marie de la Fuente, Anna (2024-01-30). "Luxbox Snags Peru's 'Through Rocks and Clouds,' Set in the Stunning High Andes, Ahead of Its Berlinale Bow (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  15. ^ "Through Rocks and Clouds". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  16. ^ Lodge, Guy (2024-02-24). "Mati Diop Doc 'Dahomey' Wins Golden Bear at Berlin; Sebastian Stan and Emily Watson Take Acting Awards". Variety. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  17. ^ "SIFF 2024 Award Winners". Seattle International Film Festival. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  18. ^ "¡Estos son los ganadores del 28 Festival de Cine de Lima PUCP!". festivaldelima.com (in Spanish). August 17, 2024. Archived from the original on August 18, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  19. ^ López, María Graciela (August 25, 2024). "Sanfic cierra edición aniversario 20 años premiando las mejores producciones locales e internacionales". Radio Bío-Bío (in Spanish). Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  20. ^ "Todos los ganadores del Festival Biarritz Amérique Latine 2024". EscribiendoCine (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  21. ^ "12. Boğaziçi Film Festivali'nde ödüller sahiplerini buldu". Platinonline (in Turkish). Retrieved 2024-11-29.