Niña Errante (Wandering Girl) to open Cartagena’s FICCI film festival
Written by Rebecca Wilson for Bristol
Posted on March 6, 2019
After winning the Golden Wolf for Best Film at its world premiere in Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Rubén Mendoza’s 2018 feature, Niña Errante (Wandering Girl) will open FICCI, Colombia’s international film festival in historic Cartagena de Indias tomorrow. Here’s what to expect from the Colombian director and what other treats to keep an eye out for…
Niña Errante begins with four women meeting at a man’s funeral. Although they’ve never met before they are all daughters of the deceased; they are sisters. Angela, the youngest, is the only sibling who lived with him. Now orphaned, her sisters take her across Colombia to a long-lost aunt in order to avoid leaving her in the care of social services. As her newfound sisters learn about the father they never knew, Angela learns the challenges and joys of becoming a woman.
Rubén Mendoza is a household name in Colombia, having shown a small inventory of films at FICCI film festival in previous years, including his debut La sociedad del semáforo (The Stoplight Society) and the progressive documentary Señorita María, la falda de la montaña (Señorita María: Skirting the Mountain.) Critics highlight the focus on physical intimacy in Niña Errante, and claim Mendoza’s filmic eye represents that of a budding teenager curious at her body’s changes, rather than a devious male gaze. Notably, the film crew is made up almost entirely of women, both in front of and behind the camera, and Sofía Oggioni’s cinematographic touch gives the film a deeper feminine insight…