La Jaula de Oro (The Golden Dream), the acclaimed debut feature by Spanish-born director Diego Quemada-Diez, will have its long awaited theatrical release in American screens. The film had its world premiere at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, where it was presented with the Un Certain Talent Award, the Gillo Pontecorvo Award, and a François Chalais Award Special Mention.
The film opens this Friday, August 28 at the TCL Chinese Theater and the Cinepolis Pico Rivera Village Walk in Los Angeles, and at the Cinepolis Vista Village in San Diego. It opens on Friday, September 4 at Village East Cinema in New York City, before expanding to other U.S. cities in the fall.
With over 80 awards, including for Best Film and Best Director at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, and for Best New Director at the Chicago Film Festival, La Jaula de Oro became the most internationally awarded Mexican film in history. The film swept the 56th edition of the Ariel Awards–Mexico’s national cinema honors–receiving nine awards including for Best Picture, Debut Feature, Original Screenplay, Actor (Brandon López) and supporting actor (Rodolfo Domínguez).
Starring an impressive ensemble cast of non-professional actors, La Jaula de Oro is the story of three teenagers from the slums of Guatemala who travel to the U.S. in search of a better life. On their journey through Mexico they meet Chauk, a Tzotzil kid from Chiapas who doesn’t speak Spanish. Traveling together in cargo trains, walking on the railroad tracks, they soon have to face a harsh reality.
An urgent and timely drama that reflects the plight of migrants as they cross Mexico in their way to search for the American dream, La Jaula de Oro has been hailed as “a remarkable debut feature (…) gritty social realism meets epic poetry” (Sight & Sound). The powerful and lyrical film presents a humane and fresh take on the harsh reality, and secures Quemada-Diez as a filmmaker to follow.
