Once Upon a Time in Venezuela

A film by Anabel Rodríguez Ríos
Documentary | 99 min | VEN | 2020
A Sancocho Público A.C. & Spiraleye Productions Ltd. Production
In Co-Production with Golden Girls Film, Pacto Films, Tres Cinematografía

SYNOPSIS

On Lake Maracaibo, beneath the mysterious silent Catatumbo lightning, the village of Congo Mirador is preparing for parliamentary elections. For streetwise local businesswoman and
Chavist party representative Tamara every vote counts, fought by all means, while for opposition-supporting teacher Natalie, politics is a weapon unsuccessfully attempting to force her from her job. And with her sharp eyes, little Yoaini sees her community sinking from sedimentation, her childhood and innocence with it. How can a small fishing village survive against corruption, pollution and political decay – a reflection of all the flaws of
contemporary Venezuela.

DISTRIBUTION

WORLD SALES
RIse and Shine World Sales UG

AMERICA
Cargo Film & Releasing

FOLLOW

AWARDS & NOMINATIONS

FESTIVAL DEL CINE VENEZOLANO CARACAS (VEN)
Best documentary
Special prize of the press

FESTIVAL DE LA CRÍTICA CINEMATOGRÁFCA DE CARACAS (VEN)
Best script
Best editing

FIFAC ST. LAURENT DU MARONI (FRENCH GUYANA)
Best director

CINELATINO MINNEAPOLIS (US)
Audience award

HOT SPRINGS INT. DOCUENTARY FESTIVAL (US)
Best film

MIRADAS DIVERSAS FILM FESTIVAL (VEN)
Best script

FORTALEZZA FILM FESTIVAL (BRASIL)
Best camera
Best script
Special award of the film critics

WATCHDOCS HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL (WARSAW)
Best film

THIS HUMAN WORLD INT. FILM FESTIVAL (AUT)
Best film (Austrian competition)

GENEVE HUMAN RIGHTS FILM FESTIVAL
Special mention

13th Zurich Film Festival
Jihlava Int. Documentary Film Festival
Crossing Europe 2017
Diagonale 2017 – Official Competition
CPH:DOX 2017 – Special Screenings
FIPA Festival Int. de Programmes Audiovisuels
A Design Film Festival 2017
Bergen Int. Film Festival
Socaviv Int. Documentary Film Festival
Dockville in Leuven
DOXA Documentary Film Festival
Festival des Libertès
Foyle Film Festival
Int. Documentary Film Festival CENTER
Millenium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival
Pan European Screening:
Against Gravity (Poland)
El Documental Del Mes (Spain)
New Notions Cinema (Northern Ireland) and
Documentary Filmclub (Berlin)
Umwelttage olang in Südtirol
Take One Action Film Festival
Utopia by Goethe Institut:
Jerusalem, Tel Aviv & Haifa

13th Zurich Film Festival
Jihlava Int. Documentary Film Festival 2017
Crossing Europe 2017
Diagonale 2017 – Official Feature Film Competition
CPH:DOX 2017 – Special Screenings
FIPA Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels 2017
A Design Film Festival 2017
Bergen Int. Film Festival
Socaviv Int. Documentary Film Festival
Dockville in Leuven
DOXA Documentary Film Festival
Festival des Libertès
Foyle Film Festival
Int. Documentary Film Festival CENTER in Moscow
Millenium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival
Pan European Screening:
Against Gravity (Poland), El Documental Del Mes (Spain), New Notions Cinema (Northern Ireland) and
Documentary Filmclub (Berlin)
Umwelttage olang in Südtirol
Take One Action Film Festival
Utopia by Goethe Institut in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa

FESTIVALS

SUNDANCE INT. FILM FESTIVAL (US)
World Documentary Competition
CPH:DOX (DENMARK)
Competition Next Wave Award
IDFA (NETHERLANDS)
Official selection
HOT DOCS 2020
Official Selection
DOCSBARCELONA (SPAIN)
In Competition
DOCFEST MÜNCHEN (GERMANY)
In Competition
KRAKOV INT. FILM FESTIVAL CZECH REPUBLIC)
In Competition
DOCAVIV (ISRAEL)
In Competition
DOCNYC (US)
In Competition
MIAMI INT. FILM FESTIVAL (US)
In Competition
MALAGA INT. FILM FESTIVAL (SPAIN)
In Competition
DOCSMX (MEXICO)
In Competition
ATLANTA INT. FILM FESTIVAL (US)
In Competition
FICCI CARTHAGENA INT. FILM FESTIVAL (COLOMBIA)
In Competition
LIMA INT. FILM FESTIVAL (PERU)
In Competition
DENVER INT. FILM FESTIVAL (US)
In Competition
… several more...

13th Zurich Film Festival
Jihlava Int. Documentary Film Festival
Crossing Europe 2017
Diagonale 2017 – Official Competition
CPH:DOX 2017 – Special Screenings
FIPA Festival Int. de Programmes Audiovisuels
A Design Film Festival 2017
Bergen Int. Film Festival
Socaviv Int. Documentary Film Festival
Dockville in Leuven
DOXA Documentary Film Festival
Festival des Libertès
Foyle Film Festival
Int. Documentary Film Festival CENTER
Millenium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival
Pan European Screening:
Against Gravity (Poland)
El Documental Del Mes (Spain)
New Notions Cinema (Northern Ireland) and
Documentary Filmclub (Berlin)
Umwelttage olang in Südtirol
Take One Action Film Festival
Utopia by Goethe Institut:
Jerusalem, Tel Aviv & Haifa

13th Zurich Film Festival
Jihlava Int. Documentary Film Festival 2017
Crossing Europe 2017
Diagonale 2017 – Official Feature Film Competition
CPH:DOX 2017 – Special Screenings
FIPA Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels 2017
A Design Film Festival 2017
Bergen Int. Film Festival
Socaviv Int. Documentary Film Festival
Dockville in Leuven
DOXA Documentary Film Festival
Festival des Libertès
Foyle Film Festival
Int. Documentary Film Festival CENTER in Moscow
Millenium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival
Pan European Screening:
Against Gravity (Poland), El Documental Del Mes (Spain), New Notions Cinema (Northern Ireland) and
Documentary Filmclub (Berlin)
Umwelttage olang in Südtirol
Take One Action Film Festival
Utopia by Goethe Institut in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa

QUOTES

»Once Upon a Time in Venezuela shows us a culture as it is, which is incredibly rare in modern documentary filmmaking. It’s captivating and moving with the real drama of the life and death of a village hidden from the rest of the world. If you seek to broaden your horizons and are interested in exploring other societies beyond your own, I highly recommend this film.« – JASON GODBEY, BEHIND THE RABBIT PRODUCTIONS

»Against a backdrop of a politically divided Venezuela, Anabel Rodríguez Ríos shows two local titans making waves in the floating and forgotten village of Congo Mirador« – CINEUROPE.ORG

»A painfully beautiful and urgent film
Make with the commitment and determination of warriors.
Warriors Filmmakers that are fighting for dignity and freedom with the best weapon they have. Their Camera « – JASON GODBEY, BEHIND THE RABBIT PRODUCTIONS

»A powerful tale of corrosive pollution and corrupt politics «
– JORDAN MINTZER, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

»The film has the potential to challenge people’s stances and get them to consider an unconditional basic income!« – KLAUS KOFLER, FUTUROLOGIST

»A film that today has already documented the world of tomorrow.« – MICHAEL BOHMEYER, GRUNDEINKOMMEN.DE

INFO

RUNNING TIME – 99 minutes
ORIGINAL LANGUAGES – Spanish
SUBTITLES – English
LOCATIONS – VenezuelaASPECT RATIO - 1,78:1
SOUND FORMAT - 5.1
SCREENING FORMAT – DCP
PICTURES/SEC – 24

CREW

DIRECTOR
Anabel Rodríguez Ríos

PRODUCER & EDITOR
Sepp R. Brudermann

AUTHORS
Anabel Rodríguez Ríos
Sepp R. Brudermann

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
John Márquez

SOUND RECORDING
Marco Salaverria
Gherman Gil

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER VENEZUELA
Claudia Lepage

CO-PRODUCER
Arash T. Riahi
Malu Campos
Nancy harrison
Joe Torres

ORIGINAL MUSIC
Nascuy Linares

SOUND MIX
Daniel Turini

MAIN CAST

Yohanny Navarro Piñero
Natalie Sánchez
Tamara Villasmil
Luis Guillermo Camarillo

PARTNERS

austrian film institute orf orf

GOLDEN GIRLS FILMPRODUKTION & FILMSERVICES GMBH

Seidengasse 15/20, 1070 Vienna, Austria

T: +43-1-8105636
E: office@goldengirls.at

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E: office@goldengirls.at

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