Home >> Festival Guide >> 2024 Films >> Tótem / Totem
MEXICO AHORA
Tótem
In the countdown to a bittersweet celebration, a young girl watches as her family confronts the weight of love, loss, and time.
Tótem
Totem
95 min | Drama | 2023 | México, Denmark, France
Spanish with English Subtitles
Official Entry: Mexico
Best International Feature
96th Academy Awards®
Sponsored by: United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce
Storyline
Totem is an emotionally powerful tour de force. This film centers on Sol, a seven year old girl who is swept up in a whirlwind of preparations for her father’s birthday party. As the day builds to an event both anticipated and dreaded, Sol begins to understand the significance of the celebration, and watches as her family does the same. Tótem captures the essence of family, grief, and valuing the limited time we all share with our loved ones.
Tótem es una obra maestra de gran impacto emocional. Esta película se centra en Sol, una niña de siete años que se ve envuelta en un torbellino de preparativos para la fiesta de cumpleaños de su padre. A medida que el día se acerca a un evento esperado y temido a la vez, Sol comienza a comprender el significado de la celebración y observa cómo su familia hace lo mismo. Tótem captura la esencia de la familia, el duelo y la valoración del tiempo limitado que todos compartimos con nuestros seres queridos.
Director
Lila Avilés
Director | Writer | Producer
Lila Avilés is a Mexican independent film director, screenwriter, and producer. She founded her company, Limerencia Films, in 2018. Her debut feature, The Chambermaid (2018), was Mexico’s official selection for the 2020 Oscars® and Goya Awards. The film was invited to over sixty festivals worldwide, earning numerous international and national awards, and received strong critical acclaim. Lila has served as a jury member at prestigious festivals, including the San Sebastian International Film Festival (2021), Morelia International Film Festival (2019), FICUNAM (2020), Lima International Film Festival (2020), Antofacine Festival (2020), and others.
Previous Films: The Chambermaid
Awards & Nominations
WINNER
Ecumenical Jury Prize – 2023 Berlin International Film Festival
Audience Award – 2023 Cinélatino de Toulouse
Grand Prix Firebird Award – 2023 Hong Kong International Film Festival
Best Director Award – 2023 Beijing International Film Festival
Best Supporting Actress Award – 2023 Beijing International Film Festival
Best Music – 2023 Beijing International Film Festival
FIPRESCI Award – 2023 Flying Broom International Women’s Film Festival
Best Director Award – 2023 Jerusalem International Film Festival
Best Direction Award – 2023 Durban International Film Festival
Special Jury Mention – 2023 Melbourne International Film Festival
Best Feature Film Award – 2023 Festival de Cine de Lima
Best Cinematography Award – 2023 Festival de Cine de Lima
Best Director Award – 2023 Seoul Women’s International Film Festival
Audience Award – 2023 Festival Viva Mexico
Sorbonne’s Jury Award – 2023 Festival Viva Mexico
Honorable Mention – Best Actor Award (Naima Sentíes) – 2023 Philadelphia Film Festival
Golden Lynx for Best Film – FEST New Directors New Films (Portugal)
Bronze Guayarmina Award for Best Feature Film – 2023 Festival Internacional de Cine de Gáldar
Best Mexican Feature Award – 2023 Morelia International Film Festival
Best Director Award – 2023 Morelia International Film Festival
Audience Award for Mexican Fiction Feature Film – 2023 Morelia International Film Festival
Special Jury Prize for Direction – 2023 Montclair Film Festival
Global Feature Award – 2023 Jakarta Film Week
Krzysztof Kieslowski Award for Best Feature Film – 2023 Denver Film Festival
Top 5 International Films – 2023 National Board of Review
NOMINATED
Best International Feature Film – 2023 Gotham Awards
Best International Feature Film – 2024 Independent Spirit Awards
19 wins, 44 nominations (Full List Below)
A heartfelt thank you to the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce California Regional Chapter for proudly sponsoring Tótem at this year’s Hola Mexico Film Festival!
The United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce California Regional Chapter, founded in 1980, is part of a bi-national non-profit organization that promotes trade and investment between the U.S. and Mexico. Representing over 1,000 businesses, the California Regional Chapter hosts a variety of seminars, conferences, and presentations designed to foster communication, cooperation, and economic growth between the two nations.
Screenwriter
Lila Avilés
Producers
Tatiana Graullera, Lila Avilés, Louise Riousse
Executive Producer
Salma Hayek Pinault
Cast
Naíma Sentíes
as Sol
Montserrat Marañon
as Nuri
Marisol Gasé
as Alejandra
Saori Gurza
as Esther
Mateo García Elizondo
as Tonatiuh
Teresita Sánchez
as Cruz
Iazua Larios
as Lucía
Stills
Screening Details
Showings
MONDAY, September 23, 2024 | 7:30PM
Regal Cinemas LA LIVE
1000 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Share This Film
Awards & Nominations
**One of the National Board of Review’s Top 5 International Films of the Year**
**Nominated for the Gotham Award and the Independent Spirit Award for Best International Film**
**Winner of the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival
ONE OF THE BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR:
AP, THE Daily Beast, The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times, Sight and Sound, Slate, Vanity Fair, Vulture
Ariel Awards, Mexico
2024 Nominee Silver Ariel
Best Supporting Actor (Mejor Coactuación Masculina)
Mateo Garcia
2024 Nominee Silver Ariel
Best Supporting Actress (Mejor Coactuación Femenina)
Marisol Gasé
2024 Nominee Silver Ariel
Best Supporting Actress (Mejor Coactuación Femenina)
Montserrat Marañon
2024 Nominee Silver Ariel
Best Supporting Actress (Mejor Coactuación Femenina)
Teresa Sánchez
2024 Nominee Silver Ariel
Best Art Direction (Mejor Diseño de Arte)
Nohemi Gonzalez
2024 Nominee Silver Ariel
Best Direction (Mejor Dirección)
Lila Avilés
2024 Nominee Silver Ariel
Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Mejor Guión Cinematográfico Original)
Lila Avilés
2024 Nominee Silver Ariel
Best Costume Design (Mejor Vestuario)
Jimena Fernández, Nora Solis
2024 Nominee Silver Ariel
Best Sound (Mejor Sonido)
Daniel Rojo Solis, Rune Palving, Guido Berenblum
2024 Nominee Silver Ariel
Breakthrough Actor/Actress (Revelación actoral)
Naíma Sentíes
2024 Nominee Silver Ariel
Breakthrough Actor/Actress (Revelación actoral)
Saori Gurza
2024 Nominee Silver Ariel
Best Make-Up (Mejor Maquillaje)
Vanessa Campos
2024 Nominee Silver Ariel
Best Cinematography (Mejor Fotografía)
Diego Tenorio
2024 Nominee Silver Ariel
Best Editing (Mejor Edición)
Omar Guzmán
2024 Nominee Golden Ariel
Best Picture (Mejor Película)
Jose Tamez, Salma Hayek, Louise Riousse, Siobhan Flynn, Lila Avilés, Tatiana Graullera
Berlin International Film Festival
2023 Nominee Golden Berlin Bear
Best Film
Lila Avilés
2023 Winner Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
Competition
Lila Avilés
Chicago International Film Festival
2023 Nominee Gold Hugo
Best Feature
Lila Avilés
Denver International Film Festival
2023 Winner Krzysztof Kieslowski Award
Best Feature Film
Lila Avilés
Gotham Awards
2023 Nominee Gotham Independent Film Award
Best International Feature
Lila Avilés, Tatiana Graullera, Louise Riousse
Hong Kong International Film Festival
2023 Winner Golden Firebird Award
Young Cinema
Lila Avilés
Film Independent Spirit Awards
2024 Nominee Independent Spirit Award
Best International Film
Lila Avilés
Mexico
Jerusalem Film Festival
2023 Nominee Award for International Cinema
The Nechama Rivilin Award for Best International Film
Lila Avilés
2023 Winner Award for International Cinema
Best Director
Lila Avilés
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
2023 Nominee LAFCA Award
Best Film Not in the English Language
2nd place
Melbourne International Film Festival
2023 Nominee MIFF Award
Bright Horizons Award
Lila Avilés
Mexican Cinema Journalists
2024 Nominee Silver Goddess
Best Supporting Actress (Mejor Coactuación Femenina)
Marisol Gasé
2024 Winner Silver Goddess
Best Child Actress (Mejor Actriz Infantil)
Naíma Sentíes
National Board of Review, USA
2023 Winner NBR Award
Top Five International Films
Palm Springs International Film Festival
2024 Nominee FIPRESCI Prize
Best Foreign Language Film
Lila Avilés
2024 Nominee Ibero-American Award
Best Ibero-American Film
Lila Avilés
Philadelphia Film Festival
2023 Nominee Jury Award
Best Feature
Lila Avilés
2023 Winner Honorable Mention
Best Performance
Naíma Sentíes
San Sebastián International Film Festival
2023 Nominee Horizons Award
Lila Avilés
Athens International Film Festival
2023 Nominee Golden Athena
Best Picture
Lila Avilés
Kerala International Film Festival
Lila Avilés
2023 Nominee Golden Crow Pheasant
Lila Avilés, Tatiana Graullera
Göteborg Film Festival
2024 Nominee Dragon Award
International Competition
Lila Avilés
Morelia International Film Festival
2023 Winner Feature Film Competition Award
Best Feature Film
Lila Avilés
2023 Winner Feature Film Competition Award
Best Director
Lila Avilés
2023 Winner Audience Award
Best Film
Lila Avilés
Durban International Film Festival
2023 Winner Best Direction
International Competition
Lila Avilés
Calgary International Film Festival
2023 Nominee Best International Feature
International Narrative Competition
Lila Avilés
Mill Valley Film Festival
2023 Winner Mind the Gap Award
Creation Prize
Lila Avilés
International Cinephile Society Awards
2024 Nominee ICS Award
Best Director
Lila Avilés
2024 Nominee ICS Award
Best Supporting Actor
Mateo Garcia
2024 Nominee ICS Award
Best Ensemble
2nd place
Lila Avilés
2024 Nominee ICS Award
Best Original Screenplay
Lila Avilés
2024 Nominee ICS Award
Best Breakthrough Performance
Naíma Sentíes
The Platino Awards for Iberoamerican Cinema
2024 Nominee Platino Award
Best Film
Lila Avilés
2024 Nominee Platino Award
Best Director
Lila Avilés
Beijing International Film Festival
2023 Nominee Tiantan Award
Best Film
Lila Avilés
2023 Winner Tiantan Award
Best Director
Lila Avilés
2023 Winner Tiantan Award
Best Music
Thomas Becka
Montclair Film Festival (MFF)
2023 Nominee Fiction Feature Competition
Lila Avilés
2023 Winner Fiction Feature Competition – Special Jury Prize
Direction
Lila Avilés
Bucharest International Film Festival
2023 Winner Festival Prize
Special Mention
Festival de Cine de Lima PUCP
2023 Winner Premio del Jurado de Ficción
Mejor Película
Lila Avilés
2023 Winner Premio del Jurado de Fotografía de Ficción
Mejor Fotografía
Diego Tenorio
Latino Entertainment Journalists Association Film Awards
2024 Nominee LEJA Award
Best International Feature
Mexico
2024 Nominee LEJA Award
Best Director
Lila Avilés
DiscussingFilm Critic Awards
2024 Nominee DFCA Award
Best International Feature
Piccolo Grande Cinema
2023 Winner International Competition
Best Film
Lila Avilés (director)
