La Civil
Co-presented by Carnegie Mellon University Sustainability Initiative
Co-sponsored by the Pittsburgh Hispanic Development Corporation
Directed by Teodora Mihai
Run Time: 140 mins
Released: Belgium/Romania/Mexico/2021
Language: Spanish
La Civil, inspired by true events, received an 8-minute standing-ovation at the Cannes Film Festival. The setting is Northern Mexico. Cielo’s teenage daughter has been kidnapped. When local authorities fail to assist in the search, Cielo takes the issue into her own hands. A film that keeps viewers hooked until the very end, La Civil illuminates the dangerous reality of everyday life and explores the influence of our emotions on ethical and moral agendas.
"Just as a mundane interaction kicks off a harrowing search that will leave Cielo with more questions than answers about her daughter’s abduction and its ties to local gangs, much of “La Civil” concerns itself with quiet, introspective scenes that make its sporadic — and tensely thrilling — moments of violence thunder all the more powerfully." – Variety
Event includes
Q&A and Discussion with Andreea Ritivoi, Professor of English, CMU
Moderated by Paul Eiss, Professor of Anthropology, CMU
Reception catered by Las Palmas
Teodora Mihai
Teodora Mihai was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1981. She reunited with her parents in Belgium in 1989, after they had fled there the year prior. Mihai went to Sarah Lawrence College in New York to study film, before beginning work as a script supervisor, assistant director, and TV maker. She is known for her 2000 documentary Civil War Essay and her 2014 documentary Waiting for August, which won several awards at international festivals. Mihai’s documentary focus offers authenticity to her fictional narratives, which feel close to home.
Awards
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Selection for Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival
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Prize of Courage Winner, Cannes Film Festival
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Golden Lynx Winner, FEST New Directors/New Films Festival
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Political Film Award Winner, Hamburg Film Festival
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Silver Colon Winner, Huelva Latin American Film Festival
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Special Jury Prize Winner, Tokyo International Film Festival
Screening Soon!
Date: March 31
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: CMU, McConomy Auditorium @ Jared L. Cohon Center