With the mission to promote the rights of women, children and dissidents, the Equis-Ecuador Feminist Film Festival, that they will show films that address urgent issues surrounding this sector of society during an intense thirteen-day event.

Equis Film Festival, five years from a feminist perspective through the seventh art: ‘We believe in the power of cinema’

The 2023 edition will take place from November 7 to 19 with satellite projections in twelve cities in the country, with as official headquarters of the cinema of the House of Ecuadorian Culture. Thanks to the satellite locations, the festival will be in person for the first time Santa Cruz (Galapagos), San Francisco de Sigsipamba (Pimampiro), Riobamba and Machachi.

In Guayaquil, people can enjoy the festival Muegano Theater And French Alliance of Guayaquilwhich will again function as satellite headquarters.

As year after year, the national offering is strongly present with the screening of ten short films and two films from the 90s and 80s are presented as a retrospective.

The big surprise will be the exclusive premiere of Bird, the short film by Ana Cristina Barragán which had a world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. “It’s great to know that the festival will be the first screening of this short film, which is already starting its journey through festivals around the world (…). Bird “It is a very sensitive film (…), we have great admiration for his work,” says Estefanía Arregui, one of the festival directors.

This short film is a prelude to the feature film that Barragán is preparing. Portrays a group of teenagers Victims of sex trafficking temporarily live in a shelter hidden in a forest in Ecuador. Abigaíl, 14 years old, visits a room full of babies, the result of the abuse they have suffered; He is 5 months old and he carries it like a doll. Small details reveal the horror they have experienced, invisible but present.

The screening will take place on Wednesday, November 15 at the Cinemateca, at 7 p.m. The director will be present. This short film will be shown before the film A life on tape.

Other Ecuadorian films

The Equis festival billboard will be complemented by other local productions, detailed below.

like honeyby Cinthya Gabriela Guaña Córdova, 13 minutes

On the last day of school, Kiki is confronted with the embarrassing fact that she still hasn’t had her first kiss. After facing the insecurities she feels about herself, about how she sees herself and is perceived by others, Kiki discovers that she is idealizing too much: her first kiss is not who she thought it would be.

Features in Quito: Wednesday, November 8, 5 p.m., at the Cinemateca, general admission $5. This screening includes the feature film Anesthetic women. And on Friday, November 10 at 4 p.m. in Cumandá. Free entrance. It is also available virtually.

Like trails in the wind, from Constanza Puente, 30 minutes

Ruth Montenegro remembers her daughter, Valentina Cocíos Montenegro, and recounts the events of her femicide at an elementary school in the city of Quito. Valentina did not die for Ruth; she lives in all the beautiful things, in the feminist struggle and the fight for justice, and in her own freedom. During the film, Ruth visits the places she visited with Valentina, as well as the new places she has been going since her absence.

Features in Quito: Thursday, November 9 at 4:00 PM in Cumandá. Free entrance. It will also be available online.

Correspondencesby different directors, 3 minutes

Written correspondence with the grandmother, with the mother, with the skin, with the face, with herself. A short film made in collaboration with Carol Bolaños, Carolina Hevia de Brandts, Bárbara Durán, Estefanía Zambrano, Soliver Mota, Dima Puerto Wanda and Elías Martínez Puerto.

Features in Quito: Thursday, November 9, 4 p.m., in Cumandá Parque Urbano. Free entrance. And the same day, at 5 p.m., in the Cinematheque. Admission for $5. (Includes the feature film Love is not an orange).

M, by Mariuxi Alemán, 20 minutes

Motherhood has so many aspects that it is impossible to cover them all. M It weaves together visions of motherhood, exposes them and enables dialogue about the realities and experiences of women and their mothers.

Features in Quito: Thursday, November 9, 4:00 PM, in Cumandá Parque Urbano, admission is free. It is also available virtually.

Marietta, by Paula Parrini, Diego Arteaga, 71 min

Documentary with testimonials from women who talk about what it feels like to be an ordinary woman in the city of Quito. Marietta Conceived as a mobile witnessing device, it served as a meeting place for an intervention in public space in the Mariscal neighborhood, in Quito, where 150 women walking through the streets of different parts of the sector were randomly invited to a dialogue. The documentary is the example of these testimonial experiences.

It will be available virtually.

POP, by Paula Estrada, 13 minutes

At Make Your Doll Industries, dolls are made to be sold for male consumption. Ana, one of the dolls, decides to escape when she finds out that Lourdes, the manager, wants to shut her down because she is a defective doll.

Features in Quito: Friday, November 10 at 7:00 PM in the Cinematheque. Admission costs $5. The film will also be shown on Saturday, November 11 at 11 a.m. at Casa Somos Roldós. Free entrance. It will be available virtually.

The Argonauts, by Mayro Romero, 15 minutes

This is the story of a soldier who plays war with his children. This short documentary commemorates different times and different places, times of the 1995 territorial conflict between Ecuador and Peru, known as ‘the Tiwintza War’.

Features in Quito: Sunday, November 12 at 7:00 PM in the Cinematheque. Admission $5. It is also available virtually.

Grooves, by César Cárdenas, 14 minutes

The Grandmothers of the Hidden Route dig up their past with memories and knowledge. Through their magical memories, they revive stories of past traditions lost over time, from ancestral recipes and natural remedies to the cure for bad air. We will remember the wisdom our grandmothers carried and the importance of preserving our cultural roots. Our grandmothers are our heritage.

Features in Quito: Saturday, November 11 at 11 a.m. in Cumandá Parque Urbano. The film will also be shown on Saturday, November 18 at 11 a.m. at Casa Somos Roldós and on Sunday, November 19 at 11 a.m. at Yaku Parque Museo del Agua. Access is free to all features. It is also available virtually.

Features in Cuenca: Sunday, November 12 at 7:00 PM in the old Central School. Free entrance.

It is also available virtually.

Auriby Floriceldo (David Espinoza), 15 minutes

Aury, a 22-year-old trans woman, faced trials as a child due to her passionate and charismatic dance style that did not fit gender expectations. During her transition process, she faced transphobic comments from boys she liked, which made her oppressive and shy. Dance became his refuge.

Features in Quito: Wednesday, November 15 at 5 p.m., in the cinema. Admission costs $5. It will also be available online.

loudly, by Helena Corral, 15 minutes

The story of women who talk about their daily lives and the efforts they make in their work to ensure the well-being of their children.

ladies time, by Mónica Vázquez, 19 min

All the men of Santa Rosa, a small community in Cuenca, have emigrated to New York and Chicago in search of economic opportunity. Women, including grandmothers, mothers, wives and daughters of migrants, are responsible for trade, agriculture, education and childcare.

This The last two will be shown on Thursday, November 16 at 7 p.m. in the Cinematheque. Admission costs $5. And they are part of a so-called space ‘Looks at the Latin American feminist cinema of the 80s’, which consists of remembering the Latin American cinema made by women in the 1980s. This selection highlights the issues women in Latin America face to this day.

Equis festival costs

The performances at the official headquarters, Cinemateca de la Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana, are from Wednesday to Sunday, with two daily performances at 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Tickets to this venue cost $5 per screening, but you can also purchase the Equis pass, which gives you access to all films for $20.

16 films will be shown via www.festivalequis.com, with each screening accompanied by a short film. Admission is $5 and the purple pass is $15, which gives you access to all the virtual films.

The screenings in Cuenca and the other three locations in Quito are free to attend. The prices for the satellite headquarters can be consulted on the social networks of each headquarters. (JO)