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Mexican filmmaker Lila Avilés has completed shooting on her third feature film, “Cábula,” marking her latest project following the acclaimed “Totém.” The director unveiled an exclusive preview image of the film, which she presented at the Venice Gap-Financing Market earlier this month. The movie is set in Mexicalpan, a fictional Mexican town, and centers on a schoolteacher named Toña who works to cultivate her students’ creative abilities.
The narrative takes a dramatic turn when Toña and her class receive an opportunity to travel to the nation’s capital to represent their community. There, they encounter a group of privileged individuals who seek to appropriate and commercialize their cultural traditions. Through adversity and setbacks, Toña recommits herself to her educational mission and her conviction that learning can fundamentally transform lives. The screenplay was developed by Avilés alongside Miguel Vasallo.
Produced by Nicolás Celis under the Cuadernos de Cine banner, the film features veteran Mexican actress Teresita Sánchez in the lead role, alongside Gabriela Cartol and Montserrat Marañón. Avilés described Sánchez as her artistic muse, praising the performer’s ability to evoke both laughter and tears. “Cábula” represents Avilés’ follow-up to “Totém,” which earned the Ecumenical Prize at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival and had previously brought “The Chambermaid” to international recognition.
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Originally reported by Variety →
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