NCLAFF: Cuidando al sol (Sun & Daughter)

Free and open to the public.

Dir. by Catalina Razzini. Bolivia. 2022. 84 min. Spanish, Aymara, with English subtitles. Pragda series.

Ten-year-old Lucía's family lives in the Island of the Sun (Isla del Sol) in the middle of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia; a place that's as mystical as it is picturesque. When her father breaks from their routine one morning and leaves for the city to make money, Lucía finds it difficult to cope with his absence, building her daily life around the expectations of their reunion.

After school, Lucía and her younger sister Maribel weave Totora reeds into figurines that her mother sells to numerous tourists. But the rhythm of life on the island and the passage of time helps her realize her father is no longer the person she longed to have back. She must find her path. Lucía is considering going to the city but has no money. It's time she took her destiny into her own hands.

With a subtle commentary on environmental tourism and the exploitation of "the other" that goes both ways, Catalina Razzini's touching rural tale masterly captures the landscape of Isla del Sol.

Shown with short film "Logrando sueños (Living out our Dreams". Dir. by Victoria Boubalasis, El Futuro. Durham. 2024. 7 min Spanish and English with subtitles.