Mexico’s Academy of Cinematographic Arts & Science has opted to send Pierre Saint Martin’s acclaimed debut feature “We Shall Not Be Moved’ (“No nos moverán”) to vie for the best international feature Oscar.
Produced by Varios Lobos’ Víctor Léycegui and Pablo Zimbrón, the black & white drama recently won four of Mexico’s prestigious Ariel awards: best first feature, screenplay, actress and new actor. It is also being sent to represent Mexico at Spain’s Oscar equivalent, the Goyas.
The drama follows 67-year-old Socorro, a retired lawyer who is obsessed with finding the soldier that killed her brother back in 1968 during the infamous Tlatelolco massacre. This was where university students protesting against the upcoming Olympics were gunned down by Mexican armed forces. Her relentless fixation has impacted her relationships with her sister Esperanza (70) and her son Jorge (45).
One day, she receives a vital clue that will lead her to this soldier. She decides to carry out an outlandish operation to avenge her brother’s death but risks putting her relationship with her family, her legacy and even her own life at risk.
Said Saint Martin: “’We Shall Not Be Moved’ seeks to reclaim our country’s historical memory in a more humane way, starting with my mother’s family history, which resonates with other families who lost loved ones in the massacre of October 2, 1968, in Mexico.”
“The main character, based on my mother, who has survived many tragedies with humor, was the compass for understanding that this drama had to be portrayed with humor in order to criticize the many sufferings faced by the characters, such as nostalgia and grief,” he continued, adding: “We made this film as a celebration of life from the darkness of the human soul. A laugh full of pain, and a tribute to hope, which, as Julio Cortázar said, does not belong to humans; ‘hope is life itself defending itself.’”
For lead actress Luisa Huertas, who won an Ariel for her performance, “Pierre Saint Martin and Iker Compeán’s script sets 57 years after that date and places us in the present of a family like many others in Mexico in the aftermath they have been left with. It is an intimate, loving, and entertaining story that has touched people not only in México, but also in Europe, Latin America and the United States.”
“We Shall Not Be Moved” beat out nine other contenders by more established filmmakers, among them Rodrigo Garcia’s “Las locuras;” Mexico’s first stop motion animated feature “I Am Frankelda;” “Hombres integros” by Alejandro Andrade; “Corina” by Urzula Barba Hopfner and the documentary “Concierto para otras manos” by Ernesto González Díaz.
Distributed by Nicolas Celis’ Pimienta Films (“Roma”), the pic had a limited release and according to Léycegui, earned ₱1.5 million (approx. $75,000) and lured 23,000 admissions. Talks are underway with an SVOD platform, he said, adding that the release was limited to arthouse cinemas and that it performed better than other similar films.
“’We Shall Not Be Moved’ has surprised us at every stage of distribution and exhibition. The project began as a debut feature with a limited budget that simply sought to give Pierre the opportunity to show that he had a powerful voice as a director and that he really had something to say,” said Léycegui, who noted that the film has participated in more than 40 international festivals and generated more than double the projected box office.
Joshua Sobel, Martín Burillo and Saint Martin serve as executive producers.