"Visually beguiling. The images conjured in UTAMA momentarily let us into the language of the unknown, of what we can not comprehend unless we are as in tune with the land as those whose existence is so deeply tied to it." - Carlos Aguilar, Indiewire
"Meditative and deeply romantic, UTAMA understands that renewal is just as inevitable as death, sometimes hope is a much richer path than despair, and that a home is the life you build with others." - Marya E. Gates, RogerEbert.com
Tuesday, March 26, 6:00 p.m. | In the arid highlands of Bolivia, an elderly Quechua couple leads a peaceful existence. Virginio tends to their modest llama herd, while Sisa manages the household and embarks on lengthy walks alongside fellow local women to secure vital water supplies. As an unusually prolonged drought jeopardizes their familiar surroundings, they confront the pivotal choice of either persisting in their traditional lifestyle or conceding and relocating to urban quarters with family members. Director Alejandro Loayza Grisi gracefully depicts love and tradition amidst the challenges of climate change.
Awards & Nominations
Winner - Best First Feature, Guadalajara International Film Festival
Winner - Grand Jury Prize, World Cinema - Dramatic, Sundance Film Festival
Cli-Fi Lecture Series: This series will screen a wide range of historical and contemporary Cli-Fi films, including science fiction, narrative, and experimental films, as well as blockbusters, in order to explore how they encourage us to see, understand, and respond to the escalating crisis of climate change. All screenings followed by lecture from Shawn Michelle Smith and Oliver Sann. View full series.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu