Argentina Selects THE SLEEPWALKERS
as Its Candidate in the International Feature Competition
at the 93rd Academy Awards®
Winner of 15 International Film Awards,
the Poignant and Engaging Drama About a Family in Crisis,
Is Directed by Paula Hernández, One of Latin America’s Leading Female Directors
The Sleepwalkers (Los sonámbulos) by acclaimed writer-director Paula Hernández has been selected as Argentina’s candidate in the International Feature Film competition at the 93rd edition of the Academy Awards®.
A poignant and engaging drama about a family in crisis framed by the fraught relationship between a mother and her daughter, the film boasts a terrific cast featuring Érica Rivas (Wild Tales), Luis Ziembrowski (The Boss, Anatomy of a Crime), Marilú Marini (Trouble Every Day), Daniel Hendler (The Moneychanger), and the fantastic newcomer Ornella D’Elía—who was nominated for Breakthrough Actress in both of Argentina’s main film awards, the Silver Condor and Sur awards.
A production of Tarea Fina (Argentina) in co-production with Oriental Features (Uruguay), The Sleepwalkers tells the story of Luisa, who is spending her New Year’s holiday with her husband and her 14-year-old daughter—Ana, a sleepwalker during a critical point of adolescence—at her mother-in-law’s country house with other family members. But what was hoped to be a leisurely summer vacation explodes as Luisa and Ana contend with pressures pushing them to their limits.
Following its acclaimed world premiere in the Platform competition at the Toronto International Film Festival, the independent Argentine film successfully played at numerous international film festivals including San Sebastian, AFI Fest, Chicago, and Miami, and was the winner of 15 film awards, including for Best Film, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay at the Havana Film Festival.
With five feature films, Hernández has built a solid and exciting filmography, making her one of the most outstanding and prolific female directors of her generation in Latin America. With The Sleepwalkers, she’s hoping to become the second Argentine female director to get nominated for an Oscar® in the international competition (after María Luisa Bemberg’s Camila in 1984).
THE SLEEPWALKERS (Los sonámbulos), 2019, Argentina/Uruguay, 107 min. In Spanish with English subtitles. Written and directed by Paula Hernández; producers: Juan Pablo Miller and Paula Hernandez; co-producers: Santiago López and Diego Robino; executive producer: Juan Pablo Miller; production companies: Tarea Fina (Argentina) and Oriental Features (Uruguay); line producer: Gastón Grazide; production managers: Mariana Ponisio and Lucía Allego: cinematographer: Iván Gierasinchuk; editor: Rosario Suárez; production designer: Aili Chen; costume director: Monica Toschil; casting director: Maria Laura Berch; original music: Pedro Onetto; music director: Federico Moreira; sound designer: Martín Grignaschi. Cast: Érica Rivas (Luisa), Ornella D’elía (Ana), Marilú Marini (Memé), Luis Ziembrowski (Emilio), Daniel Hendler (Sergio), Valeria Lois (Inés), Rafael Federman (Alejo), Teo Inama (Martín), Simón Goldzen (Enano), and Gloria Demassi (Hilda). International sales: Meikincine Entertainment.
