Amidst the sociopolitical and economic crisis of 1990s Lima, Perú, travel agent Elena (Jimena Lindo) wants to move her daughters Lucia (Abril Gjurinovic) and Aurora (Luana Vega) to Minnesota for a safer life, but needs their absentee father “El Loco” Carlos (Gonzalo Molina) to sign their travel documents. When the charismatic Carlos (Gonzalo Molina) rolls up in his beat-up taxi car, spinning tall tales about his multi-hyphenate profession (actor, crocodile hunter, secret government agent), his daughters, who he affectionately calls his “Reinas,” barely remember him. With but a brief window before the girls are relocated, Carlos tries to make up for lost time.
Winner of the Generation Kplus Grand Prix at the Berlinale celebrating films for youth and everybody else, Reinas draws inspiration from director Klaudia Reynicke’s childhood memories of Lima. A muted colour scheme imbues the film with the nostalgic quality of a faded photograph. Through heartwarming comedic sensibilities and grounded dramatic social tensions, Reynicke and Diego Vega’s beautifully understated script weaves a poignant story of sisterhood, summer heartbreaks, and tender goodbyes.
Grand Prix: Generation Kplus, Berlin 2024
Abril Gjurinovic, Luana Vega, Gonzalo Molina, Jimena Lindo, Susi Sánchez
Peru/Switzerland/Spain
2024
In Spanish with English subtitles
At International Village
At Fifth Avenue
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
Britta Rindelaub, Thomas Reichlin, Daniel Vega, Diego Vega, Valérie Delpierre
Screenwriter
Klaudia Reynicke, Diego Vega
Cinematography
Diego Romero Suarez Llanos
Editor
Paulo Freddi, Francesco de Matteis
Art Director
Susana Torres
Klaudia Reynicke
Klaudia Reynicke, a Swiss-Peruvian filmmaker, grew up across Peru, Switzerland, and the USA. With a background in Fine Arts and Social Sciences, she began filmmaking at NYU’s Tisch School of Arts in 2005, later earning a filmmaking Master’s from ECAL – HEAD in Switzerland. Her debut, Il Nido (2016), competed at the Locarno Film Festival, followed by Love Me Tender (2019) which had its international Premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. Her upcoming film, Reinas (2024) will premiere at the Sundance 2024 in the World Cinema competition.
Filmography: Il Nido (2016); Love Me Tender (2019)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Short Forum 4: Immanence: A Life
You don’t have to look far; life is beautiful!
A Fire There
Winner of the Special Jury Award at Visions du Réel, A Fire There follows three teenage friends in rural Georgia as adulthood arrives. Marlene Edoyan’s finely observed film redefines coming of age as something slower and more quietly rebellious.
Image: © Nemesis Films F3M
Clubfoot
An adopted teen and his friend coerce a younger adoptee to go for a drive out to the countryside — but things turn violent. With a fragmented structure and unresolved questions, Clubfoot reflects the uncertainty and isolation that often follow adoption.
Smudge the Blades
This rousing hockey drama centres on the Treaty 6 Blades, a team of Indigenous youth on a quest for redemption. Blessed with a terrific cast, this is a crowd-pleaser in which victory is about much more than winning the game.
Congo Boy
Congo Boy is a deeply moving coming-of-age drama about Robert, a 17-year-old Congolese refugee in the Central African Republic balancing school, odd jobs, and the care of his four younger siblings — while dreaming of success as a musician.
Image: © 2026 MAKONGO FILMS UNITÉ KIRIPIFILMS KARTA FILM CANAL
