‘Aruanas’ Producer Maria Farinha Films Boards Locarno Winner ‘Moa,’ Marcel Beltran’s Tale of a Trapped Woman Connecting With Ancient Taino People

variety.com:

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent São Paulo-based activist producer Maria Farinha Films, behind Globoplay hit “Aruanas” and one of the global South’s key impact entertainment companies, has boarded Marcel Beltrán’s mystery drama “Moa,” a big double winner at Locarno’s 2022 Open Doors.

Produced by Paula Gastaud at Cuba’s Mediocielo Films, “Moa” is now set up as co-production with Mediocielo Filmes, also in São Paulo, and Maria Farinha Films, and the Dominican Republic’s Stems Group.

It will be presented at Ventana Sur’s 2023 Proyecta project showcase, which takes place Nov. 29. Also written by Beltrán, “Moa” won last year both the Locarno Open Doors Visions Sud Est, its main prize, and its Arte Kino International Prize for development.

Laced by fantasy and strong visuals, the story of a woman’s battle to escape a toxic relationship leading her into a connection with ancient people, “Moa” could well consolidate Beltran’s status as a fast emerging Cuban filmmaker, playing off plaudits for the also Gastaud-produced “La opción zero,” Beltrán’s second doc feature which world premiered at 2020’s IDFA and, post-pandemic, was awarded best feature at Spain’s MiradasDoc. “Moa” turns on Solange who, upon returning to her hometown, is confronted with an ever-widening gap between her life and her ideals, experiencing a profound sense of solastalgia as the landscape she once knew undergoes drastic changes.