Northern Skies Over Empty Space

Northern Skies Over Empty Space (Spanish: El norte sobre el vacío) is a 2022 Mexican drama film directed by Alejandra Márquez Abella and written by Abella & Gabriel Nuncio,[1] starring Gerardo Trejoluna and Paloma Petra.[2] It is inspired by a true story where a Mexican cowboy and hunter, named Don Alejo Garza, defended his ranch from organized crime, who wanted to take it from him in 2010.[3] It won the Best Mexican Feature Film, Best Screenplay and Best Actor awards for Gerardo Trejoluna at the 20th Morelia International Film Festival,[4][5] as well as Best Movie in the Arieles.[6]

El norte sobre el vacío
Berlinale release poster
Directed byAlejandra Márquez Abella
Written byAlejandra Márquez Abella
Gabriel Nuncio
Produced byAntonio Aldape
Alexandro Aldrete
Brian Bartelt
Alejandro Duran
Alejandro Mares
Alejandra Márquez Abella
Karla Hernández Nassar
Gabriel Nuncio
Diego Enrique Osorno
Erick Peña
Adán Pérez
Sofía Torres Alba
Raúl Villarreal
Alejandro Zea
StarringGerardo Trejoluna
Paloma Petra
CinematographyClaudia Becerril Bulos
Edited byMiguel Schverdfinger
Music byTomás Barreiro
Production
company
Agencia Bengala
Release dates
Running time
114 minutes
CountryMexico
LanguageSpanish

Synopsis

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Don Reynaldo is a renowned hunter on the decline, but when the threat of losing his inheritance and his father's legacy looms, his entire life is turned dangerously upside down.[7]

Cast

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The actors participating in this film are:[8][9][10]

  • Gerardo Trejoluna as Don Reynaldo
  • Paloma Petra as Rosa
  • Dolores Heredia as Sofía
  • Mayra Hermosillo as Lily
  • Francisco Barreiro as Elías
  • Mariana Villegas as Laura
  • Fernando Bonilla as Raúl
  • Juan Daniel García Treviño as Tello
  • Raúl Briones as Guzmán
  • Marco García as Arnulfo
  • Yahir Alday as Braulio
  • Gabriel Almaguer as Wenceslao
  • Bebo Cantú as Félix
  • Gabriel Nuncio as Pepón
  • Camille Mina as Vicky
  • Pato Alvarado as Adrián
  • Diego García as Beto
  • Mariel Alanís as Isis
  • Aglae Lingow as Bunny
  • Leonardo Huerta as Clown
  • Carlos Lenin as Cousin 1
  • Ernesto Treviño as Cousin 2
  • Oliver Cantú Lozano as Cowboy 1
  • Hamish Anderson as Cowboy 2

Production

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Principal photography took place in the states of Nuevo León and Tamaulipas, Mexico,[11] where they had to deal with organized crime to film in peace.[12]

Release

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Northern Skies Over Empty Space had its international premiere on February 12, 2022, at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival as part of the Panorama selection.[13] It premiered internationally on October 28, 2022, on Amazon Prime Video.[14]

Reception

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Critical reception

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Lee Marshall from Screendaily wrote: "The bravura of the transition between grim school drama and western, and the way the two genres coexist and intertwine, make it so rich [...] Outstanding performances from Trejoluna and Petra".[15] Ernesto Diezmartínez from Letras Libres wrote: "The premise is compelling and, at least in the first few minutes, Márquez Abella promises a mocking take on heroism, virility, and toxic patriarchy ... Unfortunately, in the second part the film completely collapses, between dispersion and indecision: the class tensions between Don Reynaldo and all his employees –especially with the bragada Rosita– are more than obvious but are handled in a confusing way, there are telegraphed twists that go nowhere".[16]

Accolades

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Year Award / Festival Category Recipient Result Ref.
2022 Berlin International Film Festival Panorama Audience Award Alejandra Márquez Abella Nominated [17]
Morelia International Film Festival Best Feature Film Won [18][19]
Best Screenplay Alejandra Márquez Abella & Gabriel Nuncio Won
Best Actor Gerardo Trejoluna Won
2023 Diosas de Plata Nominated [20][21]
Best Supporting Actress Paloma Petra Nominated
Best Actor in a Minor Role Raúl Briones Nominated
Ariel Awards Best Picture Northern Skies Over Empty Space Won [22][23]
Best Director Alejandra Márquez Abella Nominated
Best Actor Gerardo Trejoluna Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Dolores Heredia Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Fernando Bonilla Nominated
Raúl Briones Won
Best Original Screenplay Alejandra Márquez Abella & Gabriel Nuncio Nominated
Best Cinematography Claudia Becerril Bulos Nominated
Best Original Score Tomás Barreiro Nominated
Best Sound Pablo Betancourt, Zulu González, Yuri Laguna & Gerardo Villareal Nominated
Best Editing Miguel Schverdfinger Nominated
Best Art Direction Sandra Cabriada Nominated
Best Makeup Pedro Guijarro Nominated
Best Costume Design Amanda Cárcamo Nominated
Best Special Effects Luis Eduardo Ambriz Nominated
Best Visual Effects Raúl Luna Nominated

References

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  1. ^ Redacción (2022-11-01). ""El norte sobre el vacío", la nueva película de Alejandra Márquez". Sopa de Coditos (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  2. ^ "Alejandra Márquez Abella escribe sobre "El norte sobre el vacío", disponible en Amazon Prime". noticine.com. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  3. ^ "El norte sobre el vacío, inspirada en la lucha de Don Alejo por su rancho". SinEmbargo MX (in Spanish). 2022-10-28. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  4. ^ "Filme "El norte sobre el vacío" lidera la premiación del Festival de Morelia". infobae (in European Spanish). 29 October 2022. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  5. ^ "Filme "El norte sobre el vacío" lidera premiación del Festival de Morelia". SWI swissinfo.ch (in Spanish). 29 October 2022. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  6. ^ Northern Skies Over Empty Space (2022) - Awards - IMDb, retrieved 2023-10-28
  7. ^ "El norte sobre el vacío – Estreno y todo sobre la película de Alejandra Márquez Abella". Cine PREMIERE (in Spanish). 2022-10-28. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  8. ^ "Reparto de El norte sobre el vacío (película 2022). Dirigida por Alejandra Márquez Abella". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2023-04-18. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  9. ^ "Reparto Completo de El norte sobre el vacío (Cine.com)". cine.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  10. ^ "El norte sobre el vacío | Northern Skies Over Empty Space - Panorama 2022". www.berlinale.de. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  11. ^ IMCINE. "'El norte sobre el vacío', de Alejandra Márquez Abella, una reflexión sobre la masculinidad". imcine.gob.mx. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  12. ^ L, Eduardo Ayala y Claudia; UnoTV, o | (2022-10-23). "Producción de "El norte sobre el vacío" tuvo que lidiar con el crimen organizado". Uno TV (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  13. ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (2022-01-18). "The Berlinale announces its full Panorama line-up". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  14. ^ "'El norte sobre el vacío', de Alejandra Márquez Abella, ya tiene fecha de estreno en México | Filmelier News". www.filmelier.com (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  15. ^ Marshall2022-02-12T21:30:00+00:00, Lee. "'Northern Skies Over Empty Space': Berlin Review". Screen. Retrieved 2023-04-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Diezmartínez, Ernesto (2022-10-31). "Morelia 2022: más cine de la violencia". Letras Libres (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  17. ^ Grater, Tom (2022-01-18). "Berlin Film Festival Finalizes Panorama Line-Up; Unveils Series Market & Co-Pro Series Selections". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  18. ^ Editorauthor. "La cinta El norte sobre el vacío, la gran ganadora de la edición 20 del FICM". Las Noticias de Chihuahua - Entrelíneas. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  19. ^ Río, David del (2022-10-29). ""El NORTE SOBRE EL VACÍO" GANÓ XX FESTIVAL DE MORELIA". IBERCINE (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  20. ^ "Te presentamos todas las Nominaciones de la XLVIII edición del premio #DiosaDePlata al cine mexicano". Twitter. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  21. ^ Redacción (2023-04-26). "Estos fueron los ganadores de las Diosas de Plata 2023" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  22. ^ "Ariel 2023: estos son los nominados a lo mejor del cine mexicano". infobae (in European Spanish). 20 June 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-18.
  23. ^ "Conoce a los ganadores de los Premios Ariel 2023". moreliafilmfest.com (in Spanish). 2023-09-10. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
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