THE GREAT MOVEMENT (2022)
El Gran Movimiento (original title)
1h 25min | Drama | Language: Spanish | Subtitles: English | Cert: 15
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SYNOPSIS
In present-day Bolivia, Elder takes a week-long walk to La Paz alongside his young miner friends to demand a reinstatement of their job. However, Elder suddenly falls ill, causing him to suffer frequent choking and shortness of breath after having found work in a local market. As his condition deteriorates, he enlists the help of the elderly Mamá Pancha, who sends him to Max – a homeless witch doctor, hermit, and clown – who could have the ability to bring Elder back to life.
'The Great Movement' was the winner of the Venice Horizons Special Jury Prize for Best Film at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, and was Bolivia’s official submission for the 2022 Oscars.
CAST & CREW
Stars - Max Bautista Uchasara, Julio César Ticona, Israel Hurtado
Writer/Director - Kiro Russo
Producers - Pablo Paniagua, Miguel Angel Peñaloza, Alexa Rivero, Andreas Roald, Kiro Russo, Dan Wechsler, Jamal Zeinal Zade
PRESS QUOTES
“A beguiling and nightmarish look at Bolivia’s capital” VARIETY
“A triumph of cinema” CAIMÀN CUADERNOS DE CINE
“It’s a small miracle that such a stylistic pick and mix should cohere into something satisfying, but it does” SCREEN DAILY
“Resonant and engaging” EYE FOR FILM
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Writer/director Kiro Russo was born in La Paz, Bolivia. He trained at FUC Buenos Aires and directed and produced three short films which got significant exposure on the festivals circuit. In 2016, Kiro completed his first feature, ‘Dark Skull’, selected at 80 festivals and winning 23 awards, including at Locarno FF, and developed with the support of writing residencies (Tabakalera, Moulin d’Andé), film markets and labs (LoboLab, Ciné Latino, BRLab, Fabrique des Cinémas, Artist With Bright Future). ‘The Great Movement’ is Kiro Russo’s second feature film.
“I wanted to make a film about La Paz, with characters who could provide a singular point of view upon the city. I found these characters in Elder, a young miner, and in Max, a tramp whose peculiar positions in the society allowed me to observe the city as a whole, to see its systems, architecture and changes. Freely inspired by their lives, I imagined this story of illness and healing to take us into the heart of the social fabric of this city and reveal the lives of its invisibles.” - Kiro Russo
