Movie "Cumpleañero" filmed in Pedasí, premiering in theaters on September 15 and representing Panama at the 2023 Oscars
Movie "Cumpleañero" filmed in Pedasí, premiering in theaters on September 15 and representing Panama at the 2023 Oscars
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Panama announced that the film to represent Panama at the 2023 Oscars is the film Cumpleañero. "Cumpleaños...de vida o muerte" is a purely Panamanian film directed by the film director, Arturo Montenegro.
Source: Telemetro and La Estrella de Panama
November 15 is the deadline for presenting the general candidates and on December 21 the long-awaited "Shortlist" will be made public, on which more than 7,000 academics will be able to decide. It will be on January 24 when the names of the nominees are made public and the winners will not be known until March 12.
The film was filmed on the beaches of Pedasí and will have its formal premiere in Panama on September 15. The 2023 Oscar Awards will celebrate their 95th edition on March 12, seeking to recover their good audience numbers and, above all, continue with their process of being more inclusive.
The Panamanian filmmaker presents a production that challenges the bonds of friendship and the decision that we human beings have to want to continue with our lives.
For Arturo Montenegro, cinema is art. It is an art that goes beyond showing a movie in order to entertain and make people laugh. “It must be something that begins when it ends. Something that allows us to analyze and is a topic to talk about once the credits roll”, commented the Panamanian filmmaker.Montenegro will have the honor of representing the country with the film Cumpleañero, selected by meeting the requirements and bases of the Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences of Panama to represent the isthmus at the 2023 Oscars.
Cumpleañero addresses a story that seeks to portray the power of friendship, death, and the choice that as humans we have over our lives. The film tells the story of Jimmy, a man who invites his close friends to spend the weekend at a beach house, and admits that he wants to take his own life after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. .
It is a film about friendship, which questions the extent to which a friend's wish can be accepted, while at the same time exploring the stigma surrounding euthanasia. "The film is essentially a celebration of friendship and freedom," says the filmmaker and writer of the play. "It's a film that leaves you with a topic for conversation and analysis, since human beings are very fragile but we must also be compassionate."
For Arturo Montenegro, the message that this film should leave is everything. In his interview with this newspaper, he emphasizes compassion towards others, and that his intention with this production is "to leave a message of true love among friends who are capable of accepting things that, in the light of morality and religion, are considered sinful." or negative, but in the light of humanity they are consistent and completely fair." "I think it is human to help people who suffer too much not to do it," he said. The film director admits that the preparation process It was somewhat challenging, since I had to do justice to the character and get into the head of the protagonist in order to understand what a person who is in the prime of life feels or thinks, but has just been hit by a degenerative disease that will end with him little by little. "Life throws you a curve you're not prepared for, but it demands some kind of action from you," he said. "I think it has to do with ways of looking at life that seem fair to me as a writer and director."
Montenegro explains that the situation the protagonist is going through and the decision he wants to make, occurs more than anything when the laws of a country do not accept assisted death, as is the case in Panama, where human life is protected in an absolute sense . and any action that causes the interruption of the normal process of this, is considered homicide. In this way, he exhorts to "leave hypocrisy and talk about issues that will represent well-being for some people, such as human beings who suffer unnecessarily."
He, in turn, points out that there are two key points in the life of each individual, and what he defines us: the day you are born and the day you die. "At birth you do not make a decision, but in some cases deciding on death would be something of justice and humanity," he said. According to the director, this production promises in terms of quality in photography, sound, the soundtrack and especially the cast made up of Panamanian and international talent. "It is no secret that Panama is a melting pot," said the film's director.