Gerónima

In the ice-cold Patagonia desert, living conditions are rough, as portrayed in Gerónima, a landmark film in Latinamerican cinema. The titular female hero is unable to offer safety to her four little children, but at least she manages to make ends meet, taking life as it comes and facing hardships with perseverance. When a state health official decides to intervene so as to “improve” the family’s quality of life, he fully implements the racist policies of the 70s – during the dictatorship and throughout the “Dirty War.” The entire family (of Mapuche origins) is uprooted and transferred to a public hospital. In this new environment, Gerónima feels unwanted and struggles to avoid a breakdown. The original recording of Gerónima’s clinical diagnosis is heard as a background narrative, firmly documenting the atrocious historical events that inspired the script.

Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Raúl Tosso

Script: Raúl Tosso, Carlos Paola

Cinematography: Carlos Torlaschi

Editing: Raúl Tosso, Fernando Guariniellio, Ulises Francezón, Juan José Arhancet, Sabina Homs

Sound: Jorge Nisco, Fernando Antonietta

Music: Arnaldo Dipace

Actors: Luisa Calcumil, Patricio Contreras, Mario Liuciani, Ernesto Mitchell, Rufino Muñoz, Negrín Muñoz, Nicolás Calcumil, Gloria Calcumil, Alicia Martínez, Nicolás Nieves, María Isabel Cané

Production: Cooperativa de Producción del Instituto de Arte Cinematográfico

Executive producer: Luis Barberis

Sets: Alberto Díaz

Format: DCP

Color: Color

Production Country: Argentina

Production Year: 1986

Duration: 95΄

Contact: Raúl Tosso

Awards/Distinctions: One Future Prize – Munich IFF 1987

Raúl Tosso

Raúl Alberto Tosso was born in 1953 in the city of Avellaneda, Buenos Aires, Argentina. After high school, he enrolled in the Escuela de Cine de Avellaneda. His thesis, the short film titled El Viaje, won several national and international awards. His film Gerónima, which he made together with his fellow graduates, premiered in 1986 and earned numerous national and international awards. After graduating, he taught filmmaking and served as a Director of Cultural Programming for his native city, as well as a President of the Film School of Avellaneda. He has led workshops, taught seminars on film, and participated as a jury member in several film festivals in Argentina and abroad. In between shooting films, he devoted his time to teaching, institutional documentaries, and TV programs. For the past several years, he has been writing screenplays and theater adaptations.