Yana-Wara

Óscar Catacora, Tito Catacora | Drama

2023 | 104 minutes | Peru

An 80-year-old man is accused of murdering his 13-year-old granddaughter, who suffered terrifying visions from evil Andean spirits after experiencing gender violence.

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Synopsis

Yana-Wara is a stark, black-and-white drama that weaves together communal justice, gender violence, and Andean spirituality in the windswept highlands of southern Peru.

At 80 years old, Don Evaristo faces the communal justice system, accused of murdering his 13-year-old granddaughter, Yana-Wara, while the entire community gathers to decide his fate. As the testimonies unfold, the hearing frames the film, and the villagers gradually reconstruct the girl’s story, shifting between the present-day proceedings and the harsh, luminous landscapes where she once herded llamas and carried out daily chores after her mother’s death.

Drawing on Andean mythologies and real testimonies that inspired the directors, Oscar and Tito Catacora, the film blurs the line between social realism and the supernatural. It suggests that the landscape itself bears witness to the community’s unspoken crimes. The villagers act almost like a Greek chorus: they observe, judge, and at times participate in punishment. In the end, nature, spirits, and law converge to question who truly holds responsibility for Yana-Wara’s death.

Reviews

"A film that bridges the gap between myth and reality in the Peruvian Andes.” — Mikhail Huacán, EFE

“A poignant outcry against gender violence suffered by an indigenous Aymara girl who is haunted by malignant spirits, in a story set in the bleak and beautiful Peruvian Highlands.” – Patricia Boero, The Film Verdict

“Masterful, yet another proof that the best contemporary Peruvian cinema is happening outside Lima, conceived by those who live beyond the capital and aimed at their own neighbors.” – Carlos Bambarén, Cinestesia

Citation

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Cataloging

A MARC record for this title is not available yet.

Keywords
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Clips
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Festivals

Peru's Submission to the Academy Awards®; Málaga Film Festival - Golden Biznaga for Best Film; APRECI Awards - Best Film, Best Director, Best Script; Lima Festival Festival - Honorable Mention, Best Peruvian Film

DIRECTOR: Óscar Catacora, Tito Catacora

NATIONALITY: Peru

YEAR: 2023

GENRE: Drama

LANGUAGE: Aymara; Indigenous languages; Other languages

COLOR / B&W: Black and white

GRADE LEVEL: High School, College, Adult

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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