“Best International Short” at Palm Springs ShortFest 2023
During an astronaut training in an abandoned open-pit mine, a crew of Canadian astronauts is interrupted by an Atikamekw elder. They ask him to leave, as they are training for an important mission to the moon. The elder hesitates, but decides to leave on one condition: the astronauts must deliver a sacred message to the spirits of his community on the moon.
Director – Maria Camila Arias, Fernando Lopez Escriva
Maria Camila Arias is a Colombian screenwriter based in Montreal, Canada. She wrote “Birds of Passage”, which premiered at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight in 2018. She is the writer and Executive Producer of the film “Candelaria”, awarded with the GdA Director’s Award at Venice Days 2017. In 2021, her film “Clara Sola”, co-written and directed by Nathalie Alvarez-Mesen, had its premiere in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight in 2021. Her last film “The Kings of the World”, co-written and directed by Laura Mora, won the Golden Shell at San Sebastian Film Festival 2022. Currently, Maria Camila is developing several feature-length scripts and TV series in Mexico, Canada, and Colombia. “Soleil de nuit” is her first short film as director.
Fernando Lopez Escriva is a filmmaker and editor specialized in documentary and currently venturing in fiction. His first documentary film, Hotel Gondolín won Best Human Rights Documentary in Mar del Plata. Fernando’s most recent work, La pesca, won the Serterce d’or for Best Short Film at Visions du Réel. In fiction, Fernando has directed one short film and is now writing his first screenplay. As an editor, Fernando has edited several documentary features and was nominated for Best Editing in Canada’s Prix Gemeaux for the film The Women of Brukman. Soleil de Nuit is his second short film as director.