| El norte sobre el vacío | |
| Director: | Alejandra Márquez Abella |
| Producer: | Antonio Aldape Alexandro Aldrete Brian Bartelt Alejandro Duran Alejandro Mares Alejandra Márquez Abella Karla Hernández Nassar Gabriel Nuncio Diego Enrique Osorno Erick Peña Adán Pérez Sofía Torres Alba Raúl Villarreal Alejandro Zea |
| Starring: | Gerardo Trejoluna Paloma Petra |
| Cinematography: | Claudia Becerril Bulos |
| Editing: | Miguel Schverdfinger |
| Music: | Tomás Barreiro |
| Studio: | Agencia Bengala |
| Runtime: | 114 minutes |
| Country: | Mexico |
| Language: | Spanish |
Northern Skies Over Empty Space (Spanish: El norte sobre el vacío) is a 2022 Mexican drama film directed by Alejandra Márquez Abella and written by Abella & Gabriel Nuncio,[1] starring Gerardo Trejoluna and Paloma Petra.[2] It is inspired by a true story where a Mexican cowboy and hunter, named Don Alejo Garza, defended his ranch from organized crime, who wanted to take it from him in 2010.[3] It won the Best Mexican Feature Film, Best Screenplay and Best Actor awards for Gerardo Trejoluna at the 20th Morelia International Film Festival,[4] [5] as well as Best Movie in the Arieles.
Don Reynaldo is a renowned hunter on the decline, but when the threat of losing his inheritance and his father's legacy looms, his entire life is turned dangerously upside down.[6]
The actors participating in this film are:[7] [8] [9]
Principal photography took place in the states of Nuevo León and Tamaulipas, Mexico,[10] where they had to deal with organized crime to film in peace.[11]
Northern Skies Over Empty Space had its international premiere on February 12, 2022, at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival as part of the Panorama selection.[12] It premiered internationally on October 28, 2022, on Amazon Prime Video.[13]
Lee Marshall from Screendaily wrote: "The bravura of the transition between grim school drama and western, and the way the two genres coexist and intertwine, make it so rich [...] Outstanding performances from Trejoluna and Petra".[14] Ernesto Diezmartínez from Letras Libres wrote: "The premise is compelling and, at least in the first few minutes, Márquez Abella promises a mocking take on heroism, virility, and toxic patriarchy ... Unfortunately, in the second part the film completely collapses, between dispersion and indecision: the class tensions between Don Reynaldo and all his employees –especially with the bragada Rosita– are more than obvious but are handled in a confusing way, there are telegraphed twists that go nowhere".[15]
| Year | Award / Festival | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Berlin International Film Festival | Panorama Audience Award | Alejandra Márquez Abella | [16] | |
| Morelia International Film Festival | Best Feature Film | [17] [18] | |||
| Best Screenplay | Alejandra Márquez Abella & Gabriel Nuncio | ||||
| Best Actor | Gerardo Trejoluna | ||||
| 2023 | Diosas de Plata | [19] [20] | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Paloma Petra | ||||
| Best Actor in a Minor Role | Raúl Briones | ||||
| Ariel Awards | Best Picture | Northern Skies Over Empty Space | [21] [22] | ||
| Best Director | Alejandra Márquez Abella | ||||
| Best Actor | Gerardo Trejoluna | ||||
| Best Supporting Actress | Dolores Heredia | ||||
| Best Supporting Actor | Fernando Bonilla | ||||
| Raúl Briones | |||||
| Best Original Screenplay | Alejandra Márquez Abella & Gabriel Nuncio | ||||
| Best Cinematography | Claudia Becerril Bulos | ||||
| Best Original Score | Tomás Barreiro | ||||
| Best Sound | Pablo Betancourt, Zulu González, Yuri Laguna & Gerardo Villareal | ||||
| Best Editing | Miguel Schverdfinger | ||||
| Best Art Direction | Sandra Cabriada | ||||
| Best Makeup | Pedro Guijarro | ||||
| Best Costume Design | Amanda Cárcamo | ||||
| Best Special Effects | Luis Eduardo Ambriz | ||||
| Best Visual Effects | Raúl Luna |