Mexican director David Zonana received the Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award for his acclaimed film Workforce / Mano the obra at the 43rd edition of the Göteborg Film Festival in Sweden. In a written statement the jury said that the “film’s director demonstrates absolute mastery of the form, using the most fundamental elements of cinema to their fullest potential. From its first frame, we were gripped by the fluid storytelling and subtle cinematography, which together create an irresistible tension all the way to a finale that resists easy moralizing. It is with the same anticipation that we look forward to this filmmaker’s future work.”
Zonana’s acclaimed debut feature is a poignant and astute meditation on class warfare, produced by Cannes-winner director Michel Franco (Chronic) and starring Luis Alberti and Horacio Celestino.
Following the death of his brother at a construction site in Mexico City, Francisco learns that his widowed sister-in-law will not receive compensation from the wealthy owner of the luxury house where the accident occurred. After enduring a succession of further abuses against himself and his colleagues, and having made several attempts to obtain justice, he finally takes the law into his own hands—but will the world he’s fighting against consume him?
