Venezuelan films – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

LOST CHAPTERS – Review by Sarah Ward

July 16, 2026July 21, 2026 Sarah Ward Adela Rodríguez, Caracas, Ena Alvarado, Ignacio Alvarado, José Ostos, Lorena Alvarado, Lost Chapters, Venezuelan films

What a gorgeous and insightful ode Lost Chapters is to the analogue and the tactile, and to physical reminders and repositories of the past. What a tribute writer/director/editor Lorena Alvarado’s debut feature is, too, to life’s small but significant moments and pleasures. Not just set and shot within but sharing its affection with Caracas as well, Lost Chapters ruminates upon Venezuela’s cultural history through its focus on the tangible items that fill our lives and tell our tales. Alvarado’s movie is also a bibliophile’s dream, plus a crafty mix of documentary and fiction that actively cherishes the objects and art, alongside the everyday interactions and encounters, that can easily be overlooked but are the ink in which our existence is written.

Reviews

SHADOW OF THE SUN – Review by Nadine Whitney

December 6, 2023December 6, 2023 Nadine Whitney Anyelo Lopez, Carlos Manuel Gonzalez, Greisy Mena, international Oscar submission, Miguel Angel Ferrer, The Shadow of the Sun, Venezuelan films

Miguel Ángel Ferrer’s debut feature and international Oscar submission The Shadow of the Sun is an enriching and emotional journey which unites two brothers who live in Acarigua a remote and insular city as they follow their dreams to present a song at a music competition in Caracas. Although The Shadow of the Sun is a touch formulaic it redeems itself with being cheeky, charming, tragic, and magical. Miguel Ángel Ferrer has made a glorious film which is an ode to brotherhood and acceptance, and most of all to living out loud and not hiding in anyone’s shadow.

Reviews

THE SHADOW OF THE SUN – Review by Jennifer Green

November 10, 2023November 10, 2023 Jennifer Green Anyelo Lopez, Carlos Manuel Gonzalez, David Olaves, deaf actors, Miguel Angel Ferrer, Sandro Morales Santoro, Sombra del Sol, The Shadow of the Sun, Venezuelan films

The Shadow of the Sun (Sombra del Sol), Venezuela’s submission for this year’s International Feature Film Oscar, is a heartwarming crowd-pleaser featuring stellar lead performances from Carlos Manuel Gonzalez and Anyelo Lopez. The two play somewhat unlikely brothers looking for a way out of their stifling small-town lives. The film stumbles in a couple of key places, but it brings to life a cast of compelling characters and paints a moving portrait of the difficult realities of contemporary life in Venezuela.