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Utama

Utama (Aymara for "our home") is a 2022 Bolivian drama film written and directed by Alejandro Loayza Grisi in his feature-length directorial debut.^[1]^[2] The film portrays an elderly Aymara couple, Virginio and Sisa, who have lived a routine existence herding llamas in the arid Bolivian Altiplano for decades, now confronting an extended drought that threatens their survival and way of life.^[3]^[4] Filmed primarily in the Aymara language with sparse dialogue, Utama emphasizes visual storytelling and the harsh Andean landscape, exploring themes of resilience, generational continuity, and human vulnerability to environmental change.^[1]^[5] It premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, securing the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize in the Dramatic category, and went on to win additional accolades including the Audience Award and Best Film at the Transilvania International Film Festival, as well as recognition at Guadalajara for Best First Work and Best Screenplay.^[6]^[7]^[8] Selected as Bolivia's entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards, the film received widespread critical praise for its cinematography and authentic depiction of indigenous life, achieving a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on professional reviews.^[9]^[4]

Production

Development

Alejandro Loayza Grisi, a Bolivian filmmaker who began his career in still photography before transitioning to cinematography, made his directorial debut with Utama, drawing from his background in visual storytelling to explore the Altiplano's harsh realities.^[10] His shift to directing stemmed from a desire to address environmental degradation in Bolivia through narrative fiction, as documentaries alone proved inadequate for conveying the depth of indigenous experiences.^[11] The project originated around early 2017, when Loayza Grisi began developing ideas for a feature film inspired by his travels across Bolivia, where he observed the encroaching effects of climate change and cultural erosion among rural communities.^[12] Loayza Grisi's inspiration was rooted in his Bolivian heritage and firsthand encounters with the Altiplano's indigenous populations, particularly the challenges of drought, migration, and traditional livelihoods like llama herding.^[13] To ensure authenticity, he conducted extensive research in the Bolivian highlands, immersing himself through fieldwork, consultations with local residents, climate experts, Quechua specialists, and scholars on Andean cultural practices such as death rituals.^[11] ^[14] This process involved collaborating with community gatekeepers for access and incorporating real-life input, initially planning the story in Aymara before adapting to Quechua upon engaging a specific highland community.^[11] The script was developed between 2019 and 2020, emphasizing a non-narrative, observational approach that prioritized natural rhythms, silence, and visual landscapes over dialogue-heavy exposition.^[14] Loayza Grisi shared drafts with experts and community members for feedback, refining elements like dialogue scenes derived from actual resident concerns during rehearsals.^[14] Pre-production included two months of acting workshops for non-professional participants to foster organic performances aligned with local customs.^[13] The film emerged as a co-production involving Bolivia's Alma Films, Uruguay's La Mayor Cine, and France's Alpha Violet Production, enabling resource pooling for the remote highland setting.^[13]^[15]

Filming

Principal photography for Utama occurred in the remote Bolivian Altiplano, primarily in the Potosí department near Colcha K and Chuvica, during the dry season spanning September to November, selected to avoid sub-zero winter temperatures reaching -15°C that would have intensified logistical difficulties.^[16]^[17] The high-altitude environment, exceeding 3,600 meters, presented immediate challenges including crew altitude sickness during the first week, alongside extreme diurnal temperature swings—scorching days yielding to frigid nights—and an abrupt onset of rain in the final shooting week after prolonged drought conditions.^[17] Remoteness amplified risks, as equipment malfunctions could delay resupplies by up to a week, necessitating a compact, documentary-style crew to minimize footprint and enable mobility across sparse, wind-swept terrains while herding llamas integral to scenes.^[16]^[18] For visual realism capturing the Altiplano's textured aridity, cinematographer Barbara Álvarez opted for the lightweight Arri Alexa Mini camera paired with Zeiss Super Speed lenses, employing natural light for approximately 90% of shots to convey unfiltered harshness, augmented sparingly by HMIs, LEDs, and practical sources during low-light periods.^[17] A custom-built set house with adjustable walls facilitated precise framing aligned with solar paths, enhancing authenticity without artificial staging. Dialogue was recorded on location in Quechua, the indigenous language of the highland communities, to preserve linguistic fidelity, with subtitles incorporated later.^[16]^[18] Post-production emphasized sonic immersion through meticulous sound design, amplifying subtle natural elements like wind, silence, animal calls, and human respiration to evoke the plateau's isolation, integrated with composer Cergio Prudencio's restraint score utilizing traditional Andean instruments. Color grading in DaVinci Resolve refined the palette to underscore earthy tones and stark contrasts inherent to the locale.^[17]^[18]

Casting

The principal roles in Utama were filled by non-professional actors selected for their authentic embodiment of highland Bolivian life, prioritizing lived experience over formal training to achieve naturalistic performances.^[18]^[19] José Calcina and Luisa Quispe, portraying the elderly couple Virginio and Sisa, were discovered by director Alejandro Loayza Grisi during location scouting in rural villages of the Bolivian altiplano; the pair, married in real life for over 48 years and working as llama herders, mirrored the characters' isolation and resilience, with their selection occurring almost immediately upon first encounter due to their expressive faces and familiarity with Quechua traditions.^[20]^[5]^[18] Initial reluctance from Calcina and Quispe, stemming from unfamiliarity with filmmaking, was overcome through persistent engagement and demonstrations of the production's respect for their community.^[14]^[18] Santos Choque, cast as the grandson Clever to represent urban-rural generational divides, was chosen following an extensive search among younger candidates; previously involved in a director's short film, Choque was contacted just before rehearsals and selected for his ability to convey modernity's encroachment on traditional ways without prior professional experience.^[18] The casting emphasized individuals from similar socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds to ensure unforced portrayals, avoiding professional actors to prevent artificiality in depicting altiplano hardships.^[19]^[14] Preparation involved providing the full script for thorough memorization and scene-by-scene rehearsals to build emotional familiarity, with minimal intervention to preserve spontaneity; while largely scripted, elements like community discussions incorporated actors' real insights on drought, fostering improvisation grounded in cultural realities rather than theatrical exaggeration.^[14]^[18] This approach, informed by the director's visits to multiple highland towns targeting elderly Aymara speakers proficient in the film's primary language, yielded performances that drew directly from the actors' daily routines, such as herding and land stewardship, enhancing the film's credibility in portraying existential rural decline.^[14]^[19]

Cast and characters

Main roles

José Calcina portrays Virginio, the elderly Aymara patriarch who embodies stoic endurance through his daily herding of llamas across the parched Bolivian Altiplano, quietly grappling with advancing illness while clinging to ancestral routines despite encroaching hardships.^[1]^[21] A non-professional actor of Aymara descent, Calcina's performance draws from authentic lived experience, conveying unyielding pride and subtle vulnerability without overt emotional displays.^[21] Luisa Quispe plays Sisa, Virginio's devoted wife, whose portrayal underscores resilient practicality in sustaining their isolated household—preparing meals from scarce resources and tending to her husband's needs amid prolonged drought—while maintaining a composed demeanor rooted in traditional fortitude.^[1]^[20] Like Calcina, Quispe, also a non-professional performer from the Aymara community, infuses the role with genuine cultural nuance, highlighting quiet perseverance over dramatic confrontation.^[21] Santos Choque depicts Clever, the couple's grandson who returns from urban life, representing a generational tension through his more adaptive outlook; his acting background allows a portrayal of earnest persistence in bridging old ways with modern necessities, contrasting yet complementing the elders' steadfast resolve.^[1]^[22] Choque's character subtly reinforces the film's focus on enduring familial bonds by advocating practical shifts without forsaking heritage.^[20]

Plot

Synopsis

Utama is set in the arid Bolivian Altiplano, where an elderly Quechua couple, Virginio and Sisa, have sustained a routine existence herding llamas and cultivating sparse land for decades.^[23] ^[24] This traditional way of life, at elevations exceeding 12,000 feet, faces existential threats from an extended drought that depletes water sources essential for their livestock and crops.^[25] ^[26] The couple's isolation is interrupted by the arrival of their grandson from the city, injecting external perspectives into their deliberations over persisting hardships.^[1] ^[21] Key events revolve around Virginio's worsening health, debates on relocating versus enduring on ancestral territory, and communal rituals that punctuate the rhythms of existence.^[20] ^[27] The story culminates in a portrayal of the inherent conflict between unyielding ties to heritage and the pragmatic demands of survival amid environmental scarcity.^[28] ^[29]

Themes and analysis

Cultural and environmental portrayal

The film Utama depicts Aymara traditions through the lens of subsistence herding and ritual interdependence with the landscape, centering an elderly couple's management of llamas as a core economic and spiritual practice in the Bolivian Altiplano. Llama herding, domesticated since approximately 4000 BCE, integrates Andean cosmology where animals embody reciprocal ties to earth deities, involving offerings and seasonal migrations to sustain herd health amid high-altitude aridity.^[30]^[31] This portrayal draws authenticity from the director's upbringing in the region and the use of non-professional Aymara performers, capturing unadorned routines like pasture navigation and animal care without external narrative imposition.^[19] The environmental narrative foregrounds drought's erosion of viable grazing lands, rooted in documented Altiplano events from 2016 onward, when precipitation deficits reached 50-70% below norms, decimating quinoa yields and camelid forage.^[32] These episodes align with El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) peaks, as positive phases historically correlate with reduced moisture influx from the Amazon, amplifying aridity in semiarid highlands.^[33] Local contributors, including overintensification of quinoa monoculture post-2010 boom—leading to topsoil compaction and vegetation loss—exacerbate vulnerability, independent of broader climatic attributions.^[34] Although media often frames such droughts as unequivocal signals of anthropogenic warming, paleoclimate proxies reveal millennial-scale cycles of desiccation in the Andes, underscoring ENSO dominance over linear temperature trends in regional hydrology.^[32]^[35] Utama subtly challenges idealizations of Aymara isolation as timeless resilience, evidencing instead adaptive histories of crop-livestock diversification against recurrent stressors, from Inca-era terraces to colonial herd relocations.^[36] Modern portrayals risk overlooking this by emphasizing stasis, yet data show Aymara populations sustaining through altitudinal mobility and communal rituals, even as urbanization draws 60-70% of rural youth to La Paz since the 2000s, fostering dependencies on remittances over autonomous herding.^[37]^[38] This tension reflects causal interplay of environmental flux and socioeconomic migration, rather than an unmitigated cultural eclipse.

Family dynamics and resilience

In Utama, intergenerational tensions arise primarily between the elderly patriarch Virginio, whose steadfast adherence to traditional herding and self-sufficient living embodies a principled resistance to external dependencies, and his grandson Yakar, who embodies pragmatic adaptation influenced by urban migration. Virginio's refusal to seek medical aid or abandon the homestead underscores a cultural valorization of endurance and autonomy, traits aligned with Andean indigenous norms where elders maintain authority through demonstrated resilience rather than capitulation to change.^[1] This dynamic illustrates not stubborn obstinacy but a deliberate prioritization of heritage over expediency, contrasting Yakar's advocacy for relocation as a rational response to scarcity.^[20] Such conflicts reflect broader patterns in Quechua and Aymara family structures, where extended kin networks—often organized around the ayllu communal unit—emphasize deference to elders as a mechanism for preserving collective knowledge and moral continuity, with studies documenting high levels of intergenerational solidarity that buffer against socioeconomic disruptions.^[39]^[40] In the film, these tensions resolve through candid confrontations that affirm individual agency, as Virginio's initial denial of frailty gives way to familial reconciliation without forsaking core self-reliance.^[28] Family resilience manifests via ritualistic bonds and reciprocal caregiving, exemplified by Sisa's unwavering support for Virginio amid physical decline, which sustains household viability through shared labor and emotional reciprocity rather than reliance on absent institutions. This portrayal counters reductive narratives of inevitable cultural erosion by depicting proactive trade-offs—such as selective adoption of outsider elements while upholding rituals like llama herding—rooted in causal trade-offs between tradition and exigency. Empirical evidence from Andean communities highlights how such intrafamilial supports, including elder-child exchanges of wisdom for labor, enable adaptive persistence without external aid dependency.^[41]^[42] The film's emphasis on these elements positions the family as autonomous navigators of adversity, prioritizing internal fortitude over victimized passivity.^[27]

Stylistic choices

Utama employs a slow, deliberate pacing that mirrors the unhurried rhythm of rural Andean life, with extended sequences allowing actions and environments to unfold naturally without rushed edits.^[28]^[24] This approach, informed by director Alejandro Loayza Grisi's emphasis on organic scene development through community rehearsals, prioritizes immersion over conventional dramatic acceleration.^[14] Dialogue is sparse and primarily in the Quechua language, reflecting linguistic authenticity among the elderly protagonists while underscoring generational and cultural divides through limited verbal exchange.^[15]^[43] Non-professional actors, drawn from local communities, deliver lines with restraint, often supplemented by gestures and expressions to convey emotional depth, enhancing the film's minimalist realism.^[14] Cinematography by Bárbara Álvarez captures the vast, arid Bolivian Altiplano through precise framing, stark contrasts between expansive landscapes and intimate interiors, and utilization of natural high-altitude light to evoke vulnerability and scale.^[28]^[24] Loayza Grisi's background in still photography informs compositions that highlight form, color, and the unforgiving terrain, such as bird's-eye views and close-ups of weathered faces, fostering a sense of empirical observation akin to traditions of location-based realism.^[24]^[14] The sound design foregrounds ambient elements like wind, heavy breathing, and environmental rhythms over a traditional score, creating an immersive auditory landscape that amplifies the isolation and endurance of the setting.^[28] This technical restraint avoids manipulative sentiment, aligning with the film's commitment to unadorned portrayal of daily struggles.^[44]

Release

Premiere

Utama had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2022, competing in the World Cinema Dramatic section, where it received the Grand Jury Prize.^[21]^[45] The debut screening showcased director Alejandro Loayza Grisi's feature-length directorial effort, filmed in the Bolivian Altiplano with non-professional actors portraying indigenous Quechua herders.^[5] Following Sundance, the film appeared at additional international festivals in 2022, including screenings that amplified its visibility prior to wider release.^[23] Initial festival reactions emphasized the production's fidelity to indigenous customs and landscapes, noting the absence of external narrative impositions and the reliance on local performers for naturalistic authenticity.^[20]^[21] This approach drew praise for depicting rural Andean resilience amid drought without romanticized or imposed Western perspectives.^[5]

Distribution and marketing

Kino Lorber acquired North American distribution rights to Utama in April 2022, facilitating a limited theatrical rollout in the United States beginning November 4, 2022, aimed at arthouse venues.^[46] ^[4] The distributor emphasized the film's Sundance Grand Jury Prize win and its evocative depiction of Bolivian highland life to attract specialized audiences, with screenings in select independent theaters across major cities.^[46] Bolivia selected Utama as its entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 95th Academy Awards in September 2022, leveraging the submission for targeted promotional campaigns that underscored the film's authentic Quechua cultural elements and subtle exploration of drought's impact on traditional livelihoods, rather than framing it as activist cinema.^[47] The strategy included press kits and virtual Q&As with director Alejandro Loayza Grisi to highlight cinematographic visuals of arid landscapes, appealing to cinephiles interested in indigenous narratives.^[46] In non-English markets, distribution faced hurdles due to the film's primary use of Quechua dialogue supplemented by Spanish, requiring subtitles that constrained broader commercial viability beyond subtitle-tolerant arthouse circuits in Europe and Latin America.^[48] Post-theatrical, Utama expanded to streaming on MUBI in 2023, enabling wider access for international viewers seeking curated independent cinema.^[49]

Reception

Critical response

Utama received widespread critical acclaim, earning a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 49 reviews, with critics praising its visual poetry and authentic depiction of indigenous life.^[4] The film's average rating stands at approximately 7.8/10, reflecting consensus on its empathetic portrayal of environmental and familial struggles amid climate change.^[4] Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com awarded it 3.5 out of 4 stars, commending the film's stark beauty, humor, and insightful examination of an alternative way of life through non-professional actors from the Quechua community.^[1] Reviewers frequently highlighted the cinematography by Bárbara Álvarez, describing it as breathtaking and precisely capturing the harsh Andean landscape, which underscores themes of endurance without overt didacticism.^[50] Naturalistic performances by leads José Calcina and Elina Chuquimia were lauded for their authenticity, drawing from the actors' real-life experiences as Aymara herders, lending the narrative a documentary-like intimacy.^[27] Director Alejandro Loayza Grisi's debut was seen as a fresh perspective on global issues, integrating climate crisis organically into personal stories rather than preachiness.^[51] However, some critics noted the film's deliberate pacing as a potential drawback, arguing that its meditative rhythm and minimal dialogue could alienate viewers seeking more dynamic storytelling, occasionally rendering scenes repetitive or slow.^[52] Others critiqued an underlying fatalism, portraying the protagonists' plight as overly deterministic—rooted in inevitable decline due to drought and migration—without sufficient emphasis on adaptive solutions, which contributed to a tone some found bleak.^[53] In contrast, dissenting optimistic interpretations emphasized the couple's quiet resilience as a testament to human tenacity, viewing the fatalism not as despair but as a realistic acknowledgment of cultural persistence against odds.^[24] This balance of views underscores Utama's strength in evoking emotional depth while inviting debate on its philosophical stance toward tradition and modernity.^[54]

Audience and commercial performance

Utama achieved modest commercial success, grossing $291,953 worldwide, including $52,793 in North America and $239,160 internationally.^[55] This performance reflects its arthouse positioning and limited theatrical release, with strong attendance at film festivals but minimal mainstream distribution. The film's focus on indigenous Aymara life in the Bolivian highlands appealed primarily to niche audiences interested in cultural and environmental narratives, rather than broad commercial viability. Audience reception has been generally positive among viewers exposed to the film, evidenced by a 7.1/10 rating on IMDb from 2,405 users.^[23] Feedback frequently highlights the emotional resonance of the family dynamics and resilience portrayed, alongside appreciation for its authentic depiction of Quechua traditions and the stark Andean landscape. However, some responses point to challenges in accessibility, citing the sparse dialogue in the Aymara language and cultural unfamiliarity as barriers for non-specialist viewers. Regional engagement showed variation, with the film's international earnings surpassing domestic figures, suggesting greater draw in markets attuned to Latin American indigenous themes, such as parts of Europe and Latin America where festival screenings garnered audience awards.^[56] Despite critical acclaim elsewhere, its box office underscores a disconnect from wider public appeal, prioritizing artistic integrity over mass-market entertainment.

Accolades

Utama won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on January 30, for director Alejandro Loayza Grisi's debut feature.^[57] At the Málaga Film Festival on March 27, 2022, the film received the Golden Biznaga award for Best Ibero-American Film.^[7] In June 2022, Utama secured three awards at the Guadalajara International Film Festival: Best First or Debut Work, Best Screenplay, and the Jorge Cámara Hollywood Foreign Press Association Award.^[8] Later that month, on June 26, it claimed the Best Film prize and Audience Award at the Transilvania International Film Festival, extending its festival success.^[58] Utama represented Bolivia for the Best International Feature Film category at the 95th Academy Awards and advanced to the Academy's 15-film shortlist, announced December 21, 2022, though it did not receive a final nomination.^[59] The film's accolades underscored Loayza Grisi's breakthrough as a debut director and elevated visibility for non-professional actors José Calcina, Luisa Quispe, and Santos Choque in international cinema.^[47]

Impact and legacy

Cultural representation

Utama portrays the daily existence of an elderly Quechua couple in Bolivia's Andean highlands, employing non-professional indigenous actors José Calcina and Luisa Quispe, who were selected from local herding communities for their lived experience rather than acting training.^[19] The film was shot on location in the arid Oruro region, utilizing authentic settings such as traditional adobe homes and llama pastures to depict subsistence farming amid drought, avoiding staged recreations that might distort rural realities.^[21] This approach has been praised for eschewing Hollywood stereotypes of indigenous peoples as exotic or mystical, instead presenting unvarnished routines of labor, silence, and familial obligation grounded in observable Andean practices.^[1] The film's use of the Quechua language, spoken naturally by the leads, enhances its fidelity to cultural linguistics, with minimal dialogue reflecting the reticence common in highland communities where non-verbal communication predominates.^[20] By drawing on director Alejandro Loayza Grisi's observations from travels in Bolivia's rural interior, Utama contributes to the visibility of Quechua lifeways, which receive scant representation in global cinema compared to more urbanized or conflict-focused indigenous narratives.^[11] Anthropological parallels note the accuracy in showing seasonal migrations for grazing and resistance to modernization, mirroring documented patterns among altiplano residents facing environmental pressures without romanticizing self-sufficiency as heroic.^[60] Critics have noted potential limitations from Grisi's urban La Paz upbringing, suggesting an outsider's lens that occasionally idealizes the couple's stoic endurance over the raw tedium or intergenerational tensions inherent in isolated traditions.^[28] While the casting of locals bolsters authenticity, deliberate narrative restraint—such as sparse exposition—invites debate on whether artistic license prioritizes visual poetry over comprehensive ethnographic detail, potentially softening the causal weight of customs like patrilineal inheritance that exacerbate female labor burdens.^[61] No widespread indigenous-led critiques have emerged, though some reviews question if the film's focus on dignified decline challenges interventionist assumptions prevalent in left-leaning environmental discourse by depicting tradition's unmitigated costs—rigid gender divisions, geographic isolation, and vulnerability to scarcity—without prescribing external aid or relocation.^[27]^[24]

Influence on cinema

Utama's success at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize, marked a pivotal moment for Bolivian filmmaking, drawing global attention to narratives rooted in the country's Andean indigenous communities.^[62] This accolade, combined with its selection as Bolivia's entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards—the first such submission to advance to the shortlist—helped position Bolivian cinema as a rising force in Latin American production.^[2] Prior to Utama, Bolivian films had limited international visibility, with fewer than a dozen features competing at major festivals in the preceding decade; its breakthrough coincided with a documented uptick in Bolivian projects premiering at events like Cannes and Berlin in 2022 and beyond.^[63] The film's rigorous naturalism, achieved through extensive workshops with non-professional Aymara actors from the Bolivian Altiplano and a commitment to shooting on location without scripted dialogue imposition, set a benchmark for authentic indigenous representation in climate-focused dramas.^[11] Cinematographer Bárbara Ávalos's work, emphasizing vast landscapes and subtle light shifts to evoke drought's toll, underscored a visual restraint that prioritized environmental texture over dramatic artifice, influencing discussions on minimalist aesthetics in low-budget eco-cinema.^[20] By foregrounding quiet resilience—such as the couple's persistence in rituals amid crop failure—Utama shifted emphasis in the genre from apocalyptic despair to cultural endurance, a theme echoed in post-2022 analyses of realist films addressing rural environmental decline in Latin America.^[60] This approach has resonated in broader indigenous filmmaking, where Utama's festival circuit run, including awards at Guadalajara and Málaga, encouraged similar ventures blending documentary verisimilitude with narrative economy, as seen in the subsequent wave of Andean co-productions exploring migration and land loss.^[64] While direct attributions remain emerging given the film's recency, its technical and thematic model has been credited with bolstering Bolivia's cinematic infrastructure, including expanded funding for regional stories through bodies like the Instituto Cinematográfico Boliviano.^[65]

References

[1]
Utama movie review & film summary (2022) | Roger Ebert
Rating 3.5/4 · Review by Glenn KennyNov 4, 2022 · Out of these familiar narrative elements, Bolivian director Alejandro Loayza Grisi constructs a film of dazzling visual power and genuine ...
[2]
UTAMA (Bolivia) - Golden Globes
Nov 23, 2022 · Utama, which in Aymara language means “our home” is what Virginio and Sisa (José Calcinaand Luisa Quispe), an elderly Quechua couple that ...
[3]
Utama - Alpha Violet
Utama. by Alejandro Loayza Grisi. logline. In the Bolivian highlands, an elderly Quechua couple has been living the same daily routine for years.
[4]
Utama | Rotten Tomatoes
Rating 96% (49) In the arid Bolivian highlands, an elderly Quechua couple has been living a tranquil life for years. While he takes their small herd of llamas out to graze, ...
[5]
Sundance Review: Alejandro Loayza Grisi's 'Utama' - Deadline
Jan 27, 2022 · ... Quechua language, have little to eat and even less to say to each other. Like the local condors, the people here, Aymara migrants from the ...
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2022 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS ANNOUNCED
Jan 28, 2022 · Top Jury Prizes Go To Nanny (U.S. Dramatic), The Exiles (U.S. Documentary), All That Breathes (World Cinema Documentary) and Utama (World Cinema ...
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Jun 26, 2022 · The prize for best director went to Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson for “Beautiful Beings,” which the jury singled out for the “credible, original ...Missing: plot | Show results with:plot
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“Utama” Wins the Jorge Cámara Award at Guadalajara Film Festival
Jun 24, 2022 · The Bolivian film Utama by director Alejandro Loayza Grisi won the award for Best First Work, Best Screenplay, and the Jorge Cámara Hollywood Foreign Press ...Missing: plot | Show results with:plot
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Utama – Museum of the Moving Image
Utama is a visually jaw-dropping film shot by award-winning ... Prize at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. It is Bolivia's Oscar submission ...
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Alejandro Loayza Grisi (1985) is a Bolivian filmmaker. He began his artistic career in still photography and entered the world of cinema through cinematography.Missing: partners | Show results with:partners
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Alejandro Loayza Grisi: Director of 'Utama' | Latinolife
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival 2022, 'Utama' is a journey through the eyes of a Quechua couple that are battling between life and ...Missing: plot | Show results with:plot
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Interview: Alejandro Loayza Grisi, dir. Utama - CineVue
Nov 26, 2022 · Alejandro Loayza Grisi embarked on his directorial career with Utama, the tale of an elderly Quechua couple wrangling llamas in the Bolivian highlands.Missing: development Aymara
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Utama (Our Home) - The Film Verdict
Jan 24, 2022 · The script uses only essential dialogue and most of it is in Quechua, the ancient language of the indigenous people. It, too, is threatened ...
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Alejandro Loayza Grisi on Going to the Ends of the Earth for "Utama"
Nov 2, 2022 · The director discusses this gripping drama set in the Bolivian Altiplano where an elderly couple grapples with the impact of climate change.Missing: inspiration research
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“The Challenges We Had Were All Related to Nature”: DP Barbara ...
Jan 22, 2022 · In Alejandro Loayza Grisi's Utama, an ailing man tries to persuade his elderly Quechuan grandparents weathering a drought on the Bolivian ...
[18]
Alejandro Loayza Grisi on the challenges of shooting Utama
Nov 22, 2022 · Because I didn't study cinema, I studied advertisement. I learned photography first and then directional photography, and then directing by ...Missing: principal | Show results with:principal
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Film 'Utama' is an arduous, authentic journey toward climate ...
Nov 17, 2022 · Stars Calcina and Quispe are non-professional actors discovered by Grisi during a location scout. Plucked from lives quite similar to the ones ...
[20]
'Utama' Review: Home Is Where the Water Is - Variety
Jan 28, 2022 · Photographer Alejandro Loayza Grisi makes a stunning transition to cinema in this portrait of an Indigenous couple threatened by drought.Missing: challenges | Show results with:challenges
[21]
'Utama': Film Review | Sundance 2022 - The Hollywood Reporter
Jan 22, 2022 · Writer-director Alejandro Loayza Grisi's debut feature follows an indigenous couple trying to survive in the arid climate of the Bolivian ...
[22]
Utama review - incandescent portrait of a dying way of life in Bolivia
Nov 24, 2022 · Only Santos Choque playing Clever the grandson had trained as an actor. The fusion in Utama of beautifully orchestrated images and warm ...Missing: Yamer | Show results with:Yamer
[23]
Utama (2022) - IMDb
Rating 7.1/10 (2,405) Awards. 28 wins & 23 nominations ... Saw this back at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival Director Alejandro Loayza Grisi clearly is passionate with this movie.
[24]
'Utama' Review: This Bitter Earth - The New York Times
Nov 3, 2022 · In Bolivia's official submission to the next Oscars, an old Quechua couple struggle to find water to sustain them, their crops and llamas.Missing: 2018 | Show results with:2018
[25]
Utama - FILM REVIEW
Jan 28, 2025 · With his very first feature film, the Bolivian director Alejandro Loayza Grisi shows a talent that can only be described as masterly.
[26]
Film review: Utama - The Earthbound Report
Nov 25, 2022 · Utama, which means 'our home', is set in the highlands of Bolivia. It tells the story of an elderly Quechua couple eking out a living in an unforgivingly dry ...Missing: 2018 | Show results with:2018
[27]
Utama review – gentle study of Bolivian family facing the end of their ...
Nov 21, 2022 · This is Virginio (José Calcina), whose weathered face is as cracked as the earth beneath his feet. Virginio spends his days tramping across ...
[28]
'Utama' Review: Bolivian Film Explores the Dying Quechua Way of Life
Rating 3.0 · Review by Carlos AguilarJan 22, 2022 · 'Utama' Review: Visually Stunning Bolivian Drama Explores the Dying Quechua Way of Life. The film thrives when it combines magical realism with ...Missing: filming | Show results with:filming
[29]
Utama — Alejandro Loayza Grisi | In Review Online
Nov 2, 2022 · Playing out against the rugged beauty of its Bolivian Altiplano setting, Utama's narrative framework is appropriately simple, the better to ...
[30]
Ritual consumption and sacrifice of llama (<i>Lama glama ... - J-Stage
These individuals trace the evident llama sacrifice to at least 400 BC, confirming that this practice began in conjunction with camelid herding. In contrast to ...<|separator|>
[31]
The llama's share: Highland origins of camelids during the Late ...
This article contributes to the debate on the habitat of “New World” camelids in pre-Colonial South America and provides new insights into the breeding and ...Missing: Aymara traditions cosmology
[32]
Drought impact in the Bolivian Altiplano agriculture associated with ...
Mar 15, 2021 · This study aims to classify drought severity using vegetation and land surface temperature data, analyse the relationship between drought and climate anomalies.Missing: overgrazing | Show results with:overgrazing
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Drought impact in the Bolivian Altiplano agriculture associated with ...
It was found that the most severe drought events generally occur during a positive ENSO phase (El Niño years). In addition, we found that a decrease in ...Missing: overgrazing | Show results with:overgrazing
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Resilience compromised: Producing vulnerability to climate and ...
Over these three years, the Bolivian altiplano experienced its most severe drought in decades on top of the “bust” of the quinoa boom during which the global ...Missing: overgrazing | Show results with:overgrazing
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(PDF) Drought risk in the Bolivian Altiplano associated with El Niño ...
Mar 27, 2019 · Drought is a major natural hazard in the Bolivian Altiplano that causes large losses to farmers, especially during positive ENSO phases.Missing: overgrazing | Show results with:overgrazing
[36]
Aymara | People Group, History, Indigenous, Culture & Language
The Aymara have passed through several stages of acculturation, first under the Incas, then under the Spaniards, and subsequently in the course of modernization ...
[37]
Aymara - Summary - eHRAF World Cultures
The history of the Aymara has been characterized by shifting pressures from dominant groups. Prior to their conquest by the Inca around 1430, the Aymara are ...
[38]
(PDF) Beyond the Pure and the Authentic: Indigenous modernity in ...
Aug 10, 2025 · It reveals that the construction of indigeneity in terms of purity and distance from the modern is being challenged by urban Aymaras (indigenous ...Missing: adaptability | Show results with:adaptability
[39]
The Ayllu: The Basic Social Unit of the Aymara People
The Ayllu is the basic social unit of the Aymara people, who live in the Andes around Lake Titicaca, with a civilization dating back to 1200 B.C.Missing: family intergenerational respect
[40]
[PDF] 1 Indigenous communities and social inclusion in Latin America ...
May 15, 2018 · Some indigenous people co-reside within extended family structures and kin relationships with strong intergenerational solidarity, while others— ...
[41]
Aging and Family Relationships among Aymara, Mapuche and Non ...
This study examined the relationship between perceived social support from children, partners and relatives, family functioning, self-perceived health and ...Missing: Bolivia | Show results with:Bolivia
[42]
'Utama (Our Home)': Sundance Review - Screen Daily
Jan 29, 2022 · An elderly Quechua couple, eke out a basic existence as llama farmers, their daily routine governed by rhythms which were etched into the traditional lifestyle.
[43]
'Utama' Dir. Alejandro Loayza Grisi | Latinolife
The dialogue is sparse, but the care, concern, devastation and fear ... The overlaps between their Quechua and Spanish language are fascinating. The ...
[44]
Utama (2022) - User reviews - IMDb
Many signs of beautiful camerawork is displayed, extremely beautiful sound design and the performances from actors Jose Calcina and Luisa Quispe are really good ...
[45]
UTAMA, the Stunning Bolivian Sundance Award-Winning Drama ...
Sep 28, 2022 · UTAMA, the Stunning Bolivian Sundance Award-Winning Drama, Opens at Film Forum on November 4 · Carlos Gutierrez · September 28, 2022.
[46]
https://kinolorber.com/press/kino-lorber-acquire-u-s-rights-to-sundance-grand-jury-prize-winning-eco-drama-utama
[47]
Bolivia selects Sundance winner 'Utama' as Oscar submission ...
Sep 15, 2022 · Alejandro Loayza Grisi's eco-drama and Sundance World Cinema Competition grand jury prize winner Utama has been selected to represent Bolivia.Missing: Best | Show results with:Best
[48]
https://kinolorber.com/film/utama
[49]
Utama (2022) - MUBI
In the Bolivian highlands, an elderly Quechua couple has been living the same daily life for years ... UtamaDirected by Alejandro Loayza Grisi · Awards & ...
[50]
Utama | Critic Reviews | Rotten Tomatoes
A film of dazzling visual power and genuine poignancy. Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Nov 4, 2022. Katie Walsh TheWrap.
[51]
Utama Film Review: Astonishing Debut - Loud And Clear Reviews
Rating 4.0 · Review by Connor LightbodyJan 8, 2024 · Utama, Alejandro Loayza Grisi's astonishing debut film, delivers a fresh new perspective on the climate crisis.Missing: critical praises criticisms
[52]
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10984580/reviews
[53]
Utama critic reviews - Metacritic
Utama is very much a pessimistic film, never shying away from the realities faced by those who still inhabit the highlands of Bolivia. And yet it's also ...
[54]
Film Review: Utama - CineVue
Nov 26, 2022 · Alejando Loayza Grisi's award-winning debut feature, Utama is an understated but spectacularly mounted drama about an ageing Quechua couple ...Missing: critical praises criticisms
[55]
Utama - Box Office Mojo
Domestic (18.1%) $52,793 ; International (81.9%) $239,160 ; Worldwide $291,953.
[56]
Utama (2022) - News - IMDb
The film, about an elderly Quechua couple living in harsh conditions in the Bolivian Atacama desert, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema ...Missing: influences | Show results with:influences
[57]
Bolivia's UTAMA Wins World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at ...
The Bolivian film Utama, the debut feature by director Alejandro Loayza Grisi was announced today winner of the Grand Jury.
[58]
Bolivian drama 'Utama' extends winning streak at Transilvania 2022
Jun 27, 2022 · Distributed internationally by Alpha Violet, the Bolivian-Uruguayan-French co-production ... Film. Based on real events from the Revolution ...
[59]
Oscars 2023 Shortlist: International, Documentary and Animated
Dec 6, 2022 · The only film that was missing from the list was Malta's “Carmen” by ... Bangladesh, “Hawa”; Belgium, “Close”; Bolivia, “Utama”; Bosnia ...
[60]
"Utama" – Our Home, the Andes - The Overview
Feb 16, 2023 · The eco drama, which won this year's grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival, traces the story of an elderly quechua couple. Virginio and ...
[61]
Utama review: Bolivian highlanders weather the climate crisis - BFI
Oct 28, 2022 · A rare depiction of life in the Bolivian highlands, Utama shows the impact of environmental collapse on traditional Quechua ways of life.
[62]
“Utama”: Our Home is Dying - sundance.org
Jan 28, 2022 · A sacred mountain, poetic fables, and the cyclical nature of being make up the unforgettable world within Utama, which translates to “our home.”
[63]
Bolivian Cinema Is Having an Exceptional Year
Jun 5, 2022 · Russo's feat at the Venice Film Festival was followed by Alejandro Loayza Grisi's debut feature Utama. The co-production between Bolivia, ...
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Latin American Cinema: More Than Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina
Oct 9, 2022 · Utama also took home important awards in festivals such as Guadalajara, Malaga, Amsterdam and Toulouse, but what makes its case really ...
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Foundations of Resistance in Bolivian Cinema
Nov 8, 2022 · After the 1952 National Revolution, the Instituto Cinematográfico Boliviano was created as an effort to promote Bolivian cinema, with hundreds ...