The documentary “River Tales” (Cuentos del rio) directed by Luxembourg artist Julie Schroell will represent Luxembourg in the the Best International Feature Film category at the 93rd edition of the Academy Awards.
The film is set along the banks of the San Juan river in Nicaragua where investors since 2013 have been planning a canal between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans although nothing has become of the project so far.
Synopsis: A canal project in Nicaragua linking the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean raises questions on identity for the people living by the San Juan river. The mythic San Juan River located between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in Nicaragua, symbolizes 500 years of colonization and exploitation of resources and has seen over 70 canal projects fail. Now, a Chinese businessman is attempting to control the interoceanic route that Columbus had desperately been looking for when he reached the “New World”, thus creating both discontent and hopes for a better life among the local population. Actor and teacher Yemn returns to his native village El Castillo and starts a youth theatre group, a sanctuary for open discussion and critical thinking. While their families struggle with poverty and are often forced to migrate to neighboring Costa Rica in order to make ends meet, the kids rehearse a play about their river’s history and the numerous travelers that tried to control it. Around the play, the young actors reflect on their own identity and the future of the country in the context of the new Chinese canal project.
The Luxembourg premiere of River Tales, originally scheduled for March 2020 as part of the 10th Luxembourg City Film Festival (LuxFilmFest), was cancelled due to the COVID-19 health crisis. After being broadcast on VOD in the LuxFilmFest Home Edition catalogue, the film was released in Luxembourg cinemas on September 16.
The film won the Peripheral Visions Award at the Galway Film Fleadh in Ireland as well as the Best Environmental Documentary at the Close Up Dokufest in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The nominees for the 93rd Academic Awards will be announced on March 15, 2021, with the ceremony scheduled for April 25, 2021.