01/09/2023 - The Guatemalan filmmaker based in Belgium, Caméra d’or winner for Our Mothers, just started shooting his second feature between Mexico and Guatemala

This past Monday began the shoot for Mexico 86, second feature from Belgium-based Guatemalan filmmaker César Díaz. He got noticed in 2019 for his debut feature, the wonderful Our Mothers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cesar Diaz
film profile], winner of the prestigious Caméra d’or, which goes to the best first feature at the Cannes Film Festival all sections included. The film followed the identity quest of a young man looking for his father, a guerillo who disappeared during the civil war, and also addressed the resilience of Guatemalan women and mothers, fighting against the power in place to make truth emerge.

With Mexico 86, he continues to explore the history of his country of origin, through the trajectory of Maria, a Guatemalan revolutionary activist exiled for many years in Mexico where she continues her political work. When her 10-year-old son comes to live with her, she will have to make a difficult choice between her role as a mother and that of activist.

In the cast, we find Franco-Argentinian actress Bérénice Bejo in the lead role, whose career for the past few years is taking a marked international turn. The heroine of The Artist reconnects with her mother tongue, after also just starting to shoot in Spanish in La contadora de películas [+see also:
trailer
interview: Lone Scherfig
film profile] by Lone Scherfig with Antonio de la Torre and Daniel Brühl. At her side, a young newcomer, Matheo Labbe, as well as some Mexican actors such as Leonardo Ortizgris and Julieta Egurrola.

The film is shooting from 28 August till 20 October, between Guatemala and Mexico. Behind the camera, we find director of photography Virginie Surdej (Magritte of the Best Image for In Syria [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Philippe Van Leeuw
film profile], Bayard of the Best Image for By the Name of Tania [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mary Jimenez, Bénédicte Lié…
film profile]), already part of the team on Our Mothers.

César Díaz is back with producers Anne-Laure Guegan and Géraldine Sprimont, his partners of Need Productions, who are also currently developing two ambitious animated feature projects, Melville by Romain Renard (read the interview) and Allah Is Not Obliged, adapted from the novel by Ahmadou Kourouma by Zaven Najjar (read the news). Mexico 86 is co-produced by Delphine Schmit for Tripode Productions (France) and Hans Everaert for Menuetto Film (Belgium). The film received support from the Centre du Cinéma et de l’Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, the Vlaams Audiovisuel Fonds, screen.brussels, the RTBF, Proximus, Be TV, Shelter Prod, the National Lottery, the New Dawn funds, Canal+, France TV and Creative Media. French distribution will be handled by BAC Films, and international sales by Goodfellas.

(Translated from French)