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Prayers for the Stolen

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Prayers for the Stolen
Theatrical release poster
SpanishNoche de fuego
Directed byTatiana Huezo
Written byTatiana Huezo
Based onPrayers for the Stolen
by Jennifer Clement
Produced by
Starring
  • Ana Cristina Ordóñez González
  • Marya Membreño
  • Mayra Batalla
  • Blanca Itzel Pérez
  • Camila Gaal
  • Giselle Barrera Sánchez
  • Alejandra Camacho
  • Julián Guzmán Girón
  • José Estrada
  • Norma Pablo
  • Eileen Yáñez
  • Memo Villegas
CinematographyDariela Ludlow
Edited byMiguel Schverdfinger
Music by
  • Jacobo Lieberman
  • Leonardo Heiblum
Release dates
  • 15 July 2021 (2021-07-15) (Cannes)
  • 16 September 2021 (2021-09-16) (Mexico)
CountryMexico
LanguageSpanish

Prayers for the Stolen (Spanish: Noche de fuego, lit. 'Night of Fire') is a 2021 Mexican drama film directed and written by Tatiana Huezo,[1][2] which adapts Jennifer Clement's novel Prayers for the Stolen.[2]

Plot

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Three girls in San Miguel, Jalisco come of age in a rural village that is dominated by the drug trade and human trafficking.The movie opens with the mother digging a hole for the little girl. We then see a boy working in a quarry. He doesn't look very happy. The people of the village are looking for a phone call in the hills of the village to ask their relatives for money. Ana calls her father but gets no answer. On her way home, Ana sees a woman crying in despair. The woman tells her to go home. Ana sees a scorpion on the ceiling and falls asleep. The next day starts with a school scene in which one of the students says "the scorpion has a stinger to protect it from its enemies". The next scene returns to the people working in the quarry and there is a huge explosion.

When her mother sees Ana wearing lipstick, she gets very angry and threatens her. Her mother takes Ana to the hairdresser. Here she cuts her hair like a man. Ana then goes to the house of her friend Juana, who is rumored to have been kidnapped, and looks out the window. The parents listen to the teacher. She reports that the cartels are demanding immediate payment.

The movie makes a time jump and goes to about 5-6 years later. Ana is moved by what the teacher tells her and dreams of changing the existing order. Then the cartels come to get Ana. But Ana immediately hides. The movie closes with a travel scene.[3]

Cast

[edit]
  • Mayra Batalla as Rita.[4]
  • Alejandra Camacho as Paula (teen).[4]
  • Marya Membreño as Ana (teen).[4]
  • Ana Cristina Ordóñez González as Ana (child).[4]
  • Memo Villegas as Leonardo.[4]
  • Norma Pablo as Luz.[4]
  • Giselle Barrera Sánchez as María (teen).[4]
  • Blanca Itzel Pérez as María (child).[4]
  • Julián Guzmán Girón as Margarito (teen).[4]
  • David Illescas as the teacher.[4]
  • Eileen Yañez as Concha.[4]
  • Camila Gaal as Paula (child).[4]
  • Olivia Lagunas as Zulma.[4]
  • Teresa Sánchez as Helena.[4]
  • Andrés Chavero Medina as Joel.[4]
  • Gabriela Núñez as Artemia.[4]
  • José Estrada as Margarito (child).[4]
  • Daniela Arroio as the Doctor.[4]

Release

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In June 2021, the film was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.[5] At Cannes, it won a Special Mention in the Un Certain Regard section.[6]

The film was theatrically released in Mexico on 16 September 2021.[7] In October 2021, it was disclosed to be the Mexican entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.[8] It began streaming on Netflix on 17 November 2021.[7]

Reception

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Critical response

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Prayers for the Stolen has an approval rating of 96% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 56 reviews, and an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's critical consensus states: "As absorbing as it is harrowing, Prayers for the Stolen observes life under the shadow of systemic violence with startling clarity".[9] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 83 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[10]

Awards and nominations

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Cannes Film Festival 17 July 2021 Un Certain Regard Tatiana Huezo Nominated [11]
Un Certain Regard - Special Mention Won
San Sebastián International Film Festival 25 September 2021 Horizontes Latinos Prayers for the Stolen Won [12]
RTVE Otra Mirada Award Won
Forqué Awards 11 December 2021 Best Latin-American Film Won [13]
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 18 December 2021 Next Generation Award Tatiana Huezo Won [14]
Palm Springs International Film Festival 6 January 2022 Young Cineastes Award Tatiana Huezo Nominated [15]
FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Feature Film Prayers for the Stolen Won
Best Ibero-American Film Won
Independent Spirit Awards 6 March 2022 Best International Film Nominated [16]
Directors Guild of America Awards 12 March 2022 Outstanding First-Time Feature Film Director Tatiana Huezo Nominated [17]
Satellite Awards 2 April 2022 Best Foreign Language Film Prayers for the Stolen Nominated [18]
Platino Awards 1 May 2022 Best Ibero-American Film Nominated [19]
Best Director Tatiana Huezo Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Cristina Ordóñez González Nominated
Ariel Awards 11 October 2022 Best Picture Prayers for the Stolen Won [20][21]
Best Director Tatiana Huezo Nominated
Best Actress Cristina Ordóñez González Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Memo Villegas Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Eileen Yáñez Nominated
Mayra Batalla Won
Norma Pablo Nominated
Best Breakthrough Performance Alejandra Camacho Nominated
Giselle Barrera Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Tatiana Huezo Won
Best Cinematography Dariela Ludlow Won
Best Original Score Leonardo Heiblum and Jacobo Lieberman Nominated
Best Editing Yibrán Asuad Nominated
Best Costume Design Úrsula Schneider Nominated
Best Art Design Oscar Tello Nominated
Best Makeup Roberto Ortiz and Ana Robles Won
Best Visual Effects Miguel de Hoyos Nominated
Best Special Effects Ricardo Arvizu Jr. Won
Best Sound Lena Esquenazi, Federico G. Jordan and Paulo Gama Won
Goya Awards 11 February 2023 Best Ibero-American Film Prayers for the Stolen Nominated [22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "'Tempestad's' Tatiana Huezo Adapts 'Prayers for the Stolen' for Fiction Debut, 'Noche de Fuego'". Variety. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b Linden, Sheri (15 April 2021). "'Prayers for the Stolen' ('Noche de Fuego'): Film Review | Cannes 2021". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. ^ Gruder, Susannah (30 September 2021). "'Prayers for the Stolen' Review: A Ferrante-Like Fable About Mexico's Missing Girls". Indiewire. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Lépine, Cédric (10 December 2021). "FIFAM 2021 : "Noche de fuego" de Tatiana Huezo". Mediapart.
  5. ^ "Cannes Film Festival 2021 Lineup: Sean Baker, Wes Anderson, and More Compete for Palme d'Or". IndieWire. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Cannes Film Festival 2021: Full Winners List". Asia Tatler. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  7. ^ a b Villaseñor, Esteban (11 December 2021). "Noche de Fuego, la película mexicana que representará a México en los premios Oscar". Vogue.
  8. ^ "Noche de fuego representará a México en los premios Óscar 2022". Cinepremiere. 19 October 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  9. ^ https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/prayers_for_the_stolen
  10. ^ https://www.metacritic.com/movie/prayers-for-the-stolen?ftag=MCD-06-10aaa1c
  11. ^ "Cannes' Palme D'Or goes to Titane". Cineuropa. 17 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
  12. ^ "El palmarés completo del 69 Festival de Cine de San Sebastián". San Sebastián International Film Festival (in Spanish). 26 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  13. ^ Rebolledo, Matías G. (11 December 2021). "Lista completa de ganadores de los Premios Forqué 2021". La Razón.
  14. ^ Shanfeld, Ethan; Murphy, J. Kim (18 December 2021). "'Drive My Car' and 'The Power of the Dog' Win Top Prizes at L.A. Film Critics Association Awards 2021 (Full List)". Variety. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  15. ^ "PSIFF 2022 Juried Award Winners". Palm Springs International Film Festival. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  16. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Goldsmith, Jill (14 December 2021). "Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations: 'Zola', 'A Chiara', 'C'mon C'mon', 'The Lost Daughter', 'The Novice' In Best Feature Race As A24 Sweeps Nods". Deadline.
  17. ^ Lewis, Hilary; Verhoeven, Beatrice (27 January 2022). "Directors Guild Reveals 2022 Feature Film Award Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter.
  18. ^ Fuster, Jeremy (1 December 2021). "'Power of the Dog' and 'Belfast' Lead Nominations for IPA Satellite Awards". TheWrap.
  19. ^ ""El buen patrón" y la serie argentina "El reino", los más nominados a los Premios Platino". Telam. 31 March 2022.
  20. ^ "Nominados a Premios Ariel 2022: 'Noche de Fuego' de Tatiana Huezo va por 19 galardones". El Financiero (in Spanish). 2 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  21. ^ "Lista de ganadores de la 64 edición del Premio Ariel". Diario Las Américas. 12 October 2022.
  22. ^ "'As bestas' es la favorita de los Premios Goya del relevo generacional: listado de nominaciones". Cinemanía. 1 December 2022 – via 20minutos.es.
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