The Festival de Málaga presents 'Fuga', a daunting feature film directed by Mary Jiménez and Bénédicte Liénard, screened on Monday 17 March at the Echegaray Theatre as part of the Mosaic: International Scene section.

Set in the Peruvian Amazon, the film explores the intersection between political violence, discrimination and shamanic cosmovision through the journey of a young man marked by the memory of his country.

Deep in the jungle, where the armed conflict of the Shining Path and structural homophobia have left indelible scars, Saor embarks on a journey that confronts him with his own past and that of his country. Accompanying the body of his Valentina to her burial, the young shaman faces the brutality of a community that rejected her. Reality and the spiritual intertwine throughout this journey in an exploration of memory, trauma and the possibility of redemption.

Directors Mary Jiménez and Bénédicte Liénard attended the film screening. Mary Jiménez commented to the audience that "this film is a journey that should be consumed like slow food". The spectator must "let go" as if floating on a river.

On the other hand, Bénédicte Liénard acknowledged that, due to its content, "it is not accessible to everyone" , but she encouraged viewers to enjoy this film as a sensory experience. With 'Fuga' they aim to "look for ways to combine fiction and documentary to tell a story of resilience".
 
Born in Peru, Mary Jiménez studied architecture in Lima before moving to Belgium, where she trained in film at INSAS. His first feature film, '21:12 Piano Bar' (1981), won an Arthouse Cinema award. Her work has been recognised at renowned festivals, including the Berlinale, where she presented 'Spelling Love' in 1985. Throughout her career she has explored themes of memory, migration and structural violence.

A Belgian director trained at IAD, Bénédicte Liénard made her debut with 'Heads to Wall' in 1997. In 2002, her film 'A Piece of Sky' (2002) was presented in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, consolidating her career. Since then, she has built a filmography focused on social issues and human rights, collaborating with Mary Jiménez on projects such as 'By the Name of Tania' (Berlinale, 2019).