Mexican film Things We Dare Not Do / Cosas que no hacemos, the second feature by director/cinematographer Bruno Santamaría was announced as the winner of the New Directors Award at the 18th edition of the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival, which took place in a hybrid form between August 27 and September 6.
A delicate and inspiring tale of gender expression,Things We Dare Not Do offers a choral portrait of a small coast village on Mexico’s Pacific coast, featuring sixteen-year-old Ñoño, a teenager who dances, runs, and plays with the free spirit of the younger kids he hangs around. But when an incident disrupts the seemingly idyllic atmosphere, Ñoño bravely takes the bold step of coming out to his parents, telling them he wants to dress as a woman.
With an exquisite cinematography by the director himself, the film takes the contemporary struggle for queer identity out of the usual urban setting, providing a fresh perspective on the issue and and a moving tale of emancipation. The Mexican film had its world premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival last May, and has been playing in numerous film festivals including the Lima Film Festival, where it was awarded the prize for Best Documentary.
