The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo
| The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo | |
|---|---|
Spanish theatrical release poster | |
| Spanish | La misteriosa mirada del flamenco |
| Directed by | Diego Céspedes |
| Written by | Diego Céspedes |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Angello Faccini |
| Edited by | Martial Salomon |
| Music by | Florencia Di Concilio |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 107 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | Spanish |
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (Spanish: La misteriosa mirada del flamenco) is a 2025 drama film written and directed by Diego Céspedes, in his feature debut. Starring Tamara Cortés, Matías Catalán and Paula Dinamarca, it follows a 12-year-old Lidia as she navigates fear and prejudice when a mysterious illness threatens her queer family in a remote mining town in 1980's northern Chile.
The film is a co-production of Chile, France, Belgium, Spain, and Germany. It had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on 15 May 2025, where it won the section's top prize.[1] It was selected as the Chilean entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Plot
1982. Eleven-year-old Lidia lives with her beloved queer family in a desert mining town in northern Chile. As an unknown and deadly disease begins to spread, legend has it that it is transmitted through a simple glance, when two people fall in love. While people are accusing her family, Lidia must find out whether this myth is real or not.
Cast
- Tamara Cortés as Lidia
- Matías Catalán as Flamingo
- Paula Dinamarca as Mama Boa
- Pedro Muñoz as Yovani
- Luis Tato Dubó as Clemente
- Vicente Caballero as Julio
- Bruna Ramírez as Lioness
- Sirena González as Star
- Alexa Quijano as Eagle
- Francisco Diaz as Piranha
Production
In 2019, Diego Céspedes participated in Cannes' Cinéfondation Residence to develop the film.[2] In 2020, the project participated at the Ikusmira Berriak, held during the San Sebastián International Film Festival.[3] It won the TFL Production Award at the 2020 TorinoFilmLab and received €50,000 production grant.[4] In 2021, it also participated at the Producers Summit of the Sundance Institute.[5] In November 2021, it was reported that French production company Les Valseurs would co-produce the film.[6] It was selected to participate at the 2022 Venice's Gap-Financing Market.[7][8] In November 2023, it received a €139,000 production grant from Eurimages.[9] In May 2024, it was reported that German production company Weydemann Bros Films would co-produce the film.[10] In April 2025, it was announced that Charades had acquired the film's international sales rights.[11]
Principal photography began on 20 May 2024.[10]
Release
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo had its world premiere at the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 15 May 2025.[12][13][14]
It was made available to rent via Letterboxd Video Store on 10 December 2025.[15][16]
It is scheduled to be released theatrically in Spain by BTeam Pictures on 16 January 2026.[12][17]
Cinecolor Films plans to release the film in Chilean theatres in the first half of 2026.[18]
Reception
Critical reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 41 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo uses rich magical realism and vividly realized characters to poetically explore queer resistance, found family, and the power of empathy over fear."[19] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 based on 7 critics, which the site labels as "generally favorable" reviews.[20]
Accolades
| Award / Festival | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | 24 May 2025 | Un Certain Regard Award | Diego Céspedes | Won | [21] |
| Queer Palm | Nominated | [22] | |||
| Camera d'Or | Nominated | ||||
| Lima Film Festival | 16 September 2025 | Trophy Spondylus | The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo | Nominated | [23][24] |
| Special Jury Prize - Honorable Mention | Won | ||||
| Best Debut Film | Won | ||||
| San Sebastián International Film Festival | 27 September 2025 | Horizontes Latinos | Nominated | [25] | |
| Dama Youth Award | Won | ||||
| Forqué Awards | 13 December 2025 | Best Latin-American Film | Nominated | ||
| Goya Awards | 28 February 2026 | Best Ibero-American Film | Nominated | [27] |
See also
- List of submissions to the 98th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
- List of Chilean submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
- ^ Lodge, Guy (23 May 2025). "Chilean AIDS Drama 'The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo' Wins Un Certain Regard Award at Cannes". Variety. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
- ^ Ganne, Valérie (20 May 2019). "The Cinéfondation Residence participants pitch their projects at Cannes". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 2 July 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ González, David (24 September 2020). "Ikusmira Berriak gives a boost to five early-stage projects". Cineuropa. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ Scarpa, Vittoria (23 November 2020). "The 13th TorinoFilmLab announces its prize-winners online". Cineuropa. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (22 July 2021). "Sundance Institute Sets 10 Producers For 2021 Lab & Summit, Unveils Advisors & Industry Participants". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ de la Fuente, Anne Marie (5 November 2021). "Chile's Quijote Films, France's Les Valseurs Back Cannes Winner Diego Cespedes (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "The projects selected for the Venice Gap-Financing Market". La Biennale. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (30 June 2022). "Venice Picks Projects for Gap-Financing Market". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ González, David (28 November 2023). "Eurimages supports 29 co-productions". Cineuropa. Retrieved 27 May 2025.
- ^ a b Hopewell, John (15 May 2024). "Chile's Quijote Films, France's Les Valseurs team with Germany's Weydemann Bros Films for 'The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 4 January 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ Keslassy, Elsa (10 April 2025). "Charades Boards 'The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo' Ahead of Cannes Debut in Un Certain Regard (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ a b Rivera, Alfonso (17 April 2025). "Diego Céspedes' The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo heads to Cannes' Un Certain Regard". Cineuropa. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ "Full Cannes Film Festival 2025 lineup with sales info - updating". Screen International. 25 April 2025. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ "The Screenings Guide of the 78th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. 8 May 2025. Archived from the original on 8 May 2025. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
- ^ The Mysterious Gaze Of The Flamingo (2025). Retrieved 2025-12-17 – via letterboxd.com.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (2025-12-08). "Letterboxd Video Store Sets Launch Date in 23 Countries, Featuring Previously Unreleased Indie Movie 'Gems'". Variety. Retrieved 2025-12-17.
- ^ "La misteriosa mirada del flamenco". BTeam Pictures. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ^ Valdivia, Gonzalo (2 September 2025). "Eligen a La Misteriosa Mirada del Flamenco como la representante de Chile a los Oscar y Goya". La Tercera. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ^ "The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
- ^ "The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo". Metacritic. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (2025-05-23). "Chilean Drama 'The Mysterious Gaze Of The Flamingo' Wins Top Un Certain Regard Prize — Cannes". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ^ "The films of the Official Selection 2025". Festival de Cannes. 10 April 2025. Archived from the original on 24 May 2025. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "Toda la programación del Festival de Cine de Lima 2025". Escribiendo Cine (in Spanish). 24 July 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "¡Estos son los ganadores del 29 Festival de Cine de Lima PUCP!". festivaldelima.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2025. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ Oganesyan, Natalie (27 September 2025). "'Los Domingos' Claims Golden Shell, 'The Voice Of Hind Rajab' Takes Audience Award At San Sebastián Film Festival – Full List Of Winners". Deadline.
- ^ Ramón, Esteban (13 December 2025). "'Los domingos' triunfa en los Premios Forqué 2025 y se impone a 'Sirât'". rtve.es.
- ^ "Lista completa de nominaciones a los premios Goya 2026". El Periódico de Catalunya. Prensa Ibérica. 13 January 2025.