UTAMA / Film School radio interview with Director Alejandro Loayzo Grisi

UTAMA takes us to an arid Bolivian highlands where an elderly Quechua couple, Virginio and Sisa, have been living a tranquil life for years. While Virginio takes their small herd of llamas out to graze, Sisa keeps house and walks for miles with the other local women to fetch precious water. When an uncommonly long drought threatens everything they know, the couple must decide whether to stay and maintain their traditional way of life or admit defeat and move in with family members in the city. Virginio and Sisa’s dilemma is precipitated by the arrival of their grandson Clever, who comes to visit with news. The three of them must face, each in their own way, the effects of a changing environment, the importance of tradition, and the meaning of life itself. This visually jaw-dropping debut feature by photographer-turned-filmmaker Alejandro Loayza Grisi is lensed by award-winning cinematographer Barbara Alvarez (Lucretia Martel’s The Headless Woman) and won the Grand Jury Prize (World Cinema Dramatic) at the Sundance Film Festival. Director Alejandro Loayza Grisi joins us to talk about identifying the non-professional actors to play Virginio and Sisa, working with the indigenous villagers and the striking right balance of look, pace and tone for this stark personal tale that also addresses the direct impact that the looming climate catastrophe will have on the poorest people on the planet. For more info and screenings go to: kinomarquee.com/UTAMA Watch in LA area starting Nov. 11: laemmle.com/film/utama UTAMA won the Grand Jury Prize in World Cinema Competition at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival