Uncle Yim by Luna Marán
The Mexican film Uncle Yim / Tío Yim by Luna Marán and the Uruguayan film Champion of the World by Federico Borgia and Guillermo Madeiro are the two Latin American entries in the inaugural edition of the LongShots online global film festival presented by the BBC.
Featuring seven international documentary films and taking place from May 28 to June 24, the LongShots festival was created with the mission of supporting filmmakers and creators around the world. The festival showcases hidden gems by international new directors and emerging talents who are making their mark in the field of documentary cinema. In addition to the screenings, the festival will featuring online Q&As and a virtual red carpet.
The selected films share a focus on the nuances of the human experience — the little pleasures, pains, joys and contradictions that define us. They focus on what it means to be human, what makes us what we are, and what brings us together. Both in format and focus, LongShots is ideally suited to this uncertain, socially distanced moment. Audiences around the world will be able to vote for their favorite film.
The nominating and selection panel included the Academy Award nominated Brazilian filmmaker Petra Costa, the director of the DocsMX film festival Inti Cordera, Mexican Emmy awarded editor Sebastián Díaz, Peruvian-Japanese documentary filmmaker Guille Isa, and the director of documentary programs at the Tribeca Film Institute, José F. Rodriguez.
Champion of the World by Federico Borgia and Guillermo Madeiro
In her heartfelt and powerful debut feature, director Marán encourages her father Jaime Luna (Uncle Yim), an indigenous philosopher, social leader, and singer-songwriter, to compose a new song about his life after 15 years of silence. This time, though, he does so alongside his family; their memories and interpretations are contradictory and painful. Uncle Yim is a powerful documentary immerses us in the identity of a family shaped by tradition, music, and communality.
Champion of the World follows Antonio Osta, who, ten years after winning a world title in bodybuilding in Russia and becoming a bodybuilding star in Mexico, leads a life of austerity in the rural Uruguayan town where he grew up. Living with Juanjo, his sensitive teenage son who keeps him company and confronts him openly, Antonio suffers from acute kidney disease which keeps him from competing professionally. He is stuck in limbo, halfway between his glorious past and the impossibility of being who he once was. However, he is unwilling to give up his lifestyle, even if it kills him. In an attempt to reinvent himself, and seeking a better future for his son, Antonio plans a comeback to the Mexico bodybuilding scene, where he may relive his glory days.
The films can be streamed for free on the BBC Reel.
