Tuesday night the Sundance Institute awarded prizes for this year’s festivals Short Film Program at the Short Film Awards Ceremony & Party presented by Vimeo.
Amongst the winners was the film “Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado,” for which writer and Director Natalia León received the Short Film Jury Award for Animation.
León’s film was awarded “for an immersive and deeply intimate approach to a tragic epidemic, using the craft of animation in surprising and poignant ways,” the jury said.
The title “Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado,” meaning “as if the Earth had swallowed them up,” offers a metaphorical explanation for the violent disappearances that thousands of women face each year in Mexico.
The film follows Olivia, a young woman living abroad who returns to her hometown in Mexico in the hope of reconnecting with her past. As she does so, she is struck by the memories of her childhood both nostalgic and scarring, and she realizes that the dangers that once plagued her joy are still there.
“This film was born from a very deep fear of mine,” said León. “I grew up in Mexico, and my parents protected me a lot, so I wasn’t very conscious of the situation for women in my country when I was a kid.”
León said that even as a teenager, she knew about the violence in Mexico, but she didn’t have to confront it directly. Her awareness deepened after she moved to Paris for art school, where she realized she lacked the knowledge to answer questions about why so many women were disappearing in Mexico.
This gap in her understanding prompted her to start researching the issue in depth, and as she learned more, León recognized that the danger could affect anyone. It was simply a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“It didn’t have (anything) to do with a socio-economic group of people, or because you have more education, that you were safe from this violence, and that’s what scared me the most,” she said.
“When I was in France, I wasn’t scared, but I was scared for all of the women in my family and all of my friends and basically all of the women in Mexico,” added León. “I think the biggest realization that fed my fear was that there wasn’t an antidote or a way that you could find a safe space.”
“Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado” not only explores the literal fears and struggles women in Mexico face — particularly the threat of kidnapping and violence — but also opens a window for examination of the universal fears and trauma that everyone carries, regardless of their circumstances.
“At the end this film was born from a very personal feeling that I needed to express,” said León. “I never thought, ‘Oh, I want to change (the world).’ I mean, of course I would like to change the world and I do believe that cinema changes the world.”
While working on the project, which was completely produced in France, León said she encountered people who had no idea that this was happening in Mexico.
“I think that cinema can help with that,” she said. “I think this short film can maybe bring awareness to people who don’t know about this (issue), and maybe educate people. … It would be amazing if this film could help make these conversations (happen).”
León said she was humbled and amazed by the selection of “Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado” by the Sundance Institute, saying that she had never even allowed herself to dream about this happening.
Having such a large platform for the film means everything, she said, as it could lead to opportunities for the film to reach more people.
“There’s also a huge Latino community in the United States, right? So I feel like a lot of people are going to be able to connect with the fact that Olivia lives abroad,” said León, explaining that leaving one’s home country often offers a new perspective, and returning can unveil mixed emotions, filled with both memories and the sense that it is no longer home.
“Como si la tierra se las hubiera tragado,” is available for online screenings 8 a.m., Jan. 30 through 4:55 a.m., Feb. 3.