Venezuelan director’s film ‘Hambre’ joins the ‘dissident realism’ movement
Venezuelan filmmaker Joanna Nelson had spent years wondering when her country would produce a feature-length film that depicts the situation under Chavismo and Madurismo.
As she was finishing the editing process of her first feature film, “Hambre,” when she saw “Simón” (2023), the story of a student who is detained and tortured during the 2017 protests.
“’Simón’ and ‘Hambre’ are films that broke the silence,” said Nelson.
They are part of the “new Venezuelan dissident realism” movement, the director notes, referring to the name given by filmmaker and film critic Carlos Caridad Montero.
The film “Simón” was “brave and necessary, but also raw and graphic,” she said, recalling that she had to cover her eyes in several scenes.
“The film tells a devastating story through drama and suspense about a young man who escapes political violence in his country and the post-traumatic stress he suffers once exiled in Miami,” she said.
“Hambre” (2024) also touches on the dilemma of young people and the question of whether to leave or stay, she said, but from the perspective of two characters with opposing views.
“It's a drama that incorporates elements of satire and comedy while presenting some hope in certain characters. It's a multi-story film, and its characters allow the viewer to immerse themselves in the current Venezuelan idiosyncrasy,” she said of the film, a co-production between Venezuela, Italy, and Chile. The film cannot be screened in Venezuela because of censorship, she said.
Miami, a city with a significant Venezuelan diaspora, can watch “Hambre” until Sept. 11 at the Coral Gables Art Cinema. The film will then start showing on Sept. 12 at Silverspot Cinema in downtown Miami and later at various Paragon Theatres locations in South Florida.
“Hambre” has broken the silence in several ways by elevating female voices, defying censorship from a dictatorship, and overcoming the financial barriers that often stop productions from being completed.
El Nuevo Herald talked with Nelson about the journey of creating “Hambre.”
Why hasn't “Hambre” been shown in Venezuela?
In Venezuela, there is currently a tense and ambiguous atmosphere regarding many issues, including freedom of expression and the so-called “law against hate.” We live with daily news of journalists being imprisoned for reporting or who have disappeared, thousands of exiles, among other worrying events. The film industry is also facing alarming recent events. In June, just days before the event, the Venezuelan Film Festival, our oldest film competition, was canceled without a clear statement about the reasons. We were left in limbo. There is talk of censorship.
Why did you choose the name “Hambre”? Are aspects of the film based on your experience?
The idea to create this film came years ago when I was writing a series of short films that depicted the stories of various families from different socio-economic backgrounds in Venezuela searching for food during the period of scarcity (2017). I made one of the stories into a short film; it is titled “Harina” and was screened at more than 60 film festivals.
“Hambre” is a project I developed over several years, submitting the script to development labs where it was scrutinized by noteworthy screenwriters and figures like Christina Lazaridi and Marjorie Bendeck. While developing the story, I assigned different kinds of “hunger” to the characters, moving the concept from physical to moral, since that hunger we have as a society was always very present in my mind for this story. For example, the hunger to belong, for a better life, for power, for status, for revenge. Every character has their own kind of “hunger” that transcends (or doesn't) throughout the film.
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Though not an autobiographical film, it is based on the experiences of my country and my generation who have had to ask ourselves: do I go or do I stay? I have lived through many of the scenes depicted: scarcity, queues, lack of gasoline, blackouts, seeing people rummage through garbage, helping neighbors who had nothing to eat, the situation of pensioners, among others.
I spent many years going back and forth; and each time I returned to my country, I could clearly perceive how things were changing, generally getting worse. There have also been periods of improvement, where it seemed that the economic situation of the average person improved, it reversed. It's a country with much instability, very changeable, and for over 10 years, I've been writing about it.
What is the central story of “Hambre” and why is it relevant today?
The lead characters of the film are two young Venezuelans who have opposing opinions about emigrating; one never wants to leave the country, and the other seeks to legalize her status abroad to avoid returning. It's a very relevant film for these times in which eight million Venezuelans have emigrated. Some are happily established, while others are trapped in a migratory nightmare or even detained between borders.
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“Hambre” runs until Sept. 11 at Coral Gables Art Cinema, 260 Aragon Ave. From Sept. 12 at Silverspot Cinema, 300 SE 3 St #100; and at various Paragon Theatres locations.
