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El despertar de las hormigas

Hormigas
Forum 2019
© Betta Films
Isa is a dressmaker and lives with her family in a small town in Costa Rica. She and her two daughters all have luxuriant long hair, of which they take exquisite care. It is plaited and combed, knots are carefully untangled, chewing gum laboriously removed. No scissors are used. Alcides, Isa’s husband and the father of the two girls, wants a third child – a son. Isa, however, doesn’t want another pregnancy. She wants to focus on working and already has more than enough on her plate with two children and the household, which she manages on her own. Until now, she’s never questioned her role within the family. Yet when she notices that Alcides doesn’t seem to be listening and persists with his wish for a third child, she realises that something must change. She secretly obtains birth-control pills. Is she now starting to take charge of her sexuality and identity? Told in vivid colours and with fleeting moments of surrealism, El despertar de las hormigas is the arresting story of the emancipation of a young woman, who despite the narrow confines of patriarchal social structures begins to find her own path and articulate her own needs.
by Antonella Sudasassi Furniss
with Daniella Valenciano, Leynar Gómez, Isabella Moscoso, Avril Alpízar, Adriana Álvarez, Carolina Fernández, Katia Arce Costa Rica / Spain 2019 Spanish 94’ Colour World premiere

With

  • Daniella Valenciano (Isabel)
  • Leynar Gómez (Alcides)
  • Isabella Moscoso (Valery)
  • Avril Alpízar (Nicole)
  • Adriana Álvarez (Vanessa)
  • Carolina Fernández (Mireya)
  • Katia Arce (Carmen)

Crew

Written and Directed by Antonella Sudasassi Furniss
Cinematography Andrés Campos
Editing Raúl De Torres
Music Sergio De La Puente
Sound Design Vicente Villaescusa
Sound Abraham Arce, Stefano Zolla
Production Design Laura Castillo
Costumes Ruth Vargas
Make-Up Alessandra Calleja
Producers Amaya Izquierdo Betta Films, José Esteban Alenda Solita Films

World sales

FiGa Films

Produced by

Betta Films

http://betta-films.com http://betta-films.com

Solita Films

http://solitafilms.com http://solitafilms.com

Photos

Antonella Sudasassi Furniss

The director, screenwriter, and producer was born in Costa Rica. Her first film, The Awakening of the Ants, premiered at the Berlinale Forum in 2019 and was selected for more than 65 international festivals, representing the country at the Academy Awards and becoming the first Costa Rican film to be recognized by the Platino Awards and the first Central American movie to receive a Goya Award nomination. Memories of a Burning Body is her second film.

Filmography (selection)

2008 Descartable; short film 2010 De cómo para Cecilia el rojo dejó de ser fuego; short film 2016 El despertar de las hormigas: niñez; short film 2019 El despertar de las hormigas (The Awakening of the Ants) 2024 Memorias de un cuerpo que arde (Memories of a Burning Body)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2024