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Rita film image; woman wearing large feathered wings

Rita

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At 13, Rita (Giuliana Santa Cruz) flees from an abusive home life, only to be detained by the government in an all-girls shelter that resembles a prison. Though she has stopped believing in fairy tales, her fellow wards prophesize that she is the warrior angel who will liberate them from the wicked social workers and ogre-like guards who prey on their innocence. Determined to reunite with her little sister, Rita takes drastic measures to conduct an escape on International Women’s Day.

Evocative of early Guillermo del Toro, this magical realist fable from acclaimed Guatemalan writer-director Jayro Bustamante (La Llorona, Tremors) pairs a fantastical atmosphere with mature themes of real-world subjugation. The film’s aesthetics, from its stylized costuming to its dynamic wide compositions, create the illusion of a baroque painting come to life. A powerful tribute to the 41 victims of the 2017 blaze at the Virgen de la Asunsión orphanage in Guatemala, Rita immortalizes the revolutionary spirit and sisterhood of the girls who lost their lives while protesting unjust conditions.

 

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Director
Cast

Sabrina De La Hoz, Margarita Kénefic, Ernesto Villagran, Glendi Rucal, María Telón, Juan Pablo Olyslage

Credits
Country of Origin

Guatemala

Year

2024

Language

In Spanish with English subtitles

Film Contact
18+

At International Village

19+

At The Rio

107 min
Drama Horror & Sci-Fi Human Rights & Social Justice
Concordia Studio, La Casa de Producción

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Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Ricardo Costianovsky, Tomás Darcyl, Matt Brodlie, Jonathan Kier, Davis Guggenheim

Producer

Jonathan King, Gustavo Matheu, Jayro Bustamante

Screenwriter

Jayro Bustamante

Cinematography

Inti Briones

Editor

Gustavo Matheu, Jayro Bustamante

Production Design

Angélica Perea

Original Music

Pascual Reyes

Jayro Bustamante headshot; Rita director

Jayro Bustamante

Jayro Bustamante, a Guatemalan director, producer, and writer, has gained international acclaim with films like Ixcanul (2015), Temblores (2019), and La Llorona (2019). His storytelling is deeply influenced by his childhood growing up in a Maya community on the shores of Lake Atitlán. He studied film in Paris and Rome before co-founding La Casa de Producción in Guatemala. His work has earned numerous awards and recognitions, including a Golden Globe nomination. Bustamante also founded Les Films Du Volcan, the Ixcanul Foundation, and is involved in various international film projects and campaigns.

Filmography: Ixcanul (2015); Temblores (2019); La Llorona (2019); 1991 (2021)

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