Guie’dani’s Navel
2018 / Mexico / 119 min / Fiction / Drama / Color / 1: 1, 85 / Sound 5.1 / DCP 2K
Synopsis:
Guie’dani, a Zapotec indigenous girl and her mother take up work as maids with an upper middle class family in Mexico City. The girl does not fit and is conflicting. Everything changes when she meets Claudia, a rebellious girl with whom she becomes close friends.
Original title: Xquipi’ Guie’dani
English title: Guie’dani’s Navel
Spanish title: El ombligo de Guie’dani
Language: Zapotec & Spanish
Screenwriter, Director and Producer: Xavi Sala
Cast: Sótera Cruz, Érika López, Majo Alfaroh, Yuriria del Valle, Juan Ríos, Valentina Buzzurro, Jerónimo Kesselman y Mónica del Carmen.
Director of Photography: Martín Boege, Alberto Anaya Adalid & Ricardo Garfias
Costume Design: Bertha Romero
Art Director: Kasandra Díaz
Live Sound: Pablo Tamez
Editor: Aldo Álvarez
Sound Editing and Mixer: Jaime Juárez & Miguel Molina
Production and Distribution company: Xavi Sala p.c.
AWARDS:
- Feature Film Post-Production Award, Procine DF 2017 (Mexico)
- Cinépolis Distribution Award at the 15th Morelia International Film Festival, 2017 (Mexico)
- Special Mention Award for Mexican feature film actress / Sótera Cruz at the 16 th Morelia Film Festival 2018 (Mexico)
- Radio Exterior of Spain Award at the 44 th Huelva Iberoamerican Film Festival 2018 (Spain)
- Award for the Best Fiction Film at the XXI XicanIndie Film Festival. Denver, Colorado, 2019 (USA)
- Critics Award, Audience Award, Best Director Award and Best Actress Award at the 16th Alacant International Film Festival, 2019 (Catalan Countries, Spain)
- 9 Nominations to Diosas de Plata of PECIME (Film Journalists of Mexico): best director, best screenplay, best debut feature, best editing, best actress, best female and male co-acting.
- It was pre-selected by the Mexican Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a candidate for the Oscar Awards in the USA and the Goya Awards in Spain.
FESTIVAL SELECTIONS
- 54th Chicago International Film Festival, 2018. New Directors Competition
- 16th Morelia International Film Festival, 2018. Official Competition
- Isthmus Film Festival, 2018. Over two thousand viewers across various screenings during four days
- 44th Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival, 2018. Official Feature Film Selection
- 4th Puerto Film Festival, Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, 2018. Contracampo Social Screening
- 10th Ventana Sur, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2018. Special Screening
- 9th UNAM International Film Festival (FICUNAM), Mexico City, 2019. ‘Ahora México’ Selection
- 59th Cartagena International Film Festival (FICCI), Colombia, 2019. ‘Ficciones de Allá’ Selection
- 16th Tucson Cine México, United States, 2019. Official Competition
- 21st XicanIndie Film Festival, Denver, Colorado, United States, 2019. Official Competition
- 8th Curaçao-Rotterdam International Film Festival, 2019. Yellow Robin Award Competition
- Alicante International Film Festival, Catalan Countries (Spain), 2019. Official Competition
- 11th Cinema Planeta – International Environmental Film Festival of Mexico, Cuernavaca, 2019. ‘Tierra’ Section
- 1st Neighborhood Film Festival, Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, CDMX, 2019. Official Competition
- Hola Mexico Film Festival, Los Angeles (USA), 2019. Official Selection in the ‘El Otro México’ category
- 7th ¡Cine Magnífico! Latino Film Festival, Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA). Official Competition
- 11th Annual Seattle Latino Film Festival, Washington (USA), 2019. Official Selection
- 43rd São Paulo International Film Festival (Mostra Internacional de Cinema), São Paulo (Brazil). New Directors Competition
- 11th San Francisco Latino Film Festival (USA)
- 2nd Entre Dos Mundos Showcase – Cinema and Literature of Latin America in Florence (Italy)
- 21st Filmar en América Latina, 2019. ‘Another View of Latin America’ Section
- 16th Barcelona Human Rights Film Festival, 2019 (Catalan Countries, Spain). Official Competition
- 34th Independent Filmfest Osnabrück, Germany, 2019. ‘Vistas Latinas’ Section
- 8th Peliculatina International Film Festival, Brussels (Belgium), 2019
- 12th Islantilla International Under the Moon Film Festival, Huelva (Spain), 2019. Official Competition
- Ojo de Pescado Film Festival, Valparaíso (Chile), 2020
- Humans of Film Festival, Amsterdam (Netherlands), 2020
- Rodando Film Festival, San Luis Potosí (Mexico), 2020
- FENAVID International Film Festival, Santa Cruz (Bolivia), 2020
- We Must See – Human Rights Film Festival, Uruguay, 2020
- 17th Todos Santos Film Festival (Mexico), 2021