Switzerland has announced that Reinas, the debut feature by Swiss-Peruvian director Klaudia Reynicke, will be the country’s official contender for Best International Feature at the 97th Academy Awards. An intense, choral, and moving tale of initiation, in the spirit of the 1990s, Reinas had its world premiere in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at Sundance, followed by the Berlinale, where it won the Grand Prix of the International Jury for Best Film in the Generation Kplus section.
Set in 1992 during a tumultuous period in Lima, Peru, Reinas is a coming-of-age drama. Amid Peru’s social and political chaos, Lucia, Aurora, and their mother Elena plan to migrate to the USA. However, reuniting with their estranged father Carlos complicates their departure, stirring up emotions of regret, hope, and fear. Facing the uncertainty of their future head-on, the family grapples with the mixed feelings of excitement and expectation, as they confront the difficult truths and losses this journey will bring.
Born in Lima, Peru, Reynicke grew up between Peru, Switzerland, and the USA. She began her filmmaking career at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2005 after a background in Fine Arts and Social Sciences, later earning a Master’s degree in filmmaking from ECAL-HEAD. Her first two feature films, The Nest (2016) and Love Me Tender (2019), premiered at the Locarno Film Festival and went on to screen at several renowned film festivals.
