Femicide. One case, many struggles.

On July 19th, 2005, María Elena Gómez went out with her partner, Ernesto Jorge Narcisi in Buenos Aires. That evening, he stabbed her to death. The media communicated the news as a “crime of passion in Puerto Madero”.
Ten years later, Mara Avila, the victim’s daughter, will resignify that so-called “crime of passion” as a “femicide”. She will decide to make a first-person documentary film. From both a subjective and social approach, she will give her biggest tragedy in life a political meaning.

  • Mara Avila
    Director
  • Mara Avila
    Writer
  • Mara Avila
    Producer
  • Mara Avila
    Key Cast
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Femicidio. Un caso, múltiples luchas
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 27 minutes 43 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 7, 2019
  • Country of Origin:
    Argentina
  • Country of Filming:
    Argentina
  • Language:
    Spanish
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Festival de cine y Derechos Humanos de Vieques (FCDHV 2nd edition)
    Vieques
    Puerto Rico
    December 2, 2021
    Official Selection
  • Bio Bio Cine
    Santiago
    Chile
    June 18, 2021
    Online screening in Latin America
    Puelmapu section
  • Cuenca International Film Festival
    Cuenca
    Ecuador
    March 23, 2021
    Online screening due to pandemic
    Human rights section
  • Women's International Film Festival
    Delaware
    United States
    January 9, 2021
    Online screening due to pandemic
    Award: Excellence in the screenwriting category
  • FICDH Festival Internacional de Cine de Derechos Humanos
    Buenos Aires
    Argentina
    March 8, 2021
    Online screening due to pandemic
    Special section on Human Rights
  • 4th Dimension Independent Film Festival
    Bali
    Indonesia
    March 13, 2021
    Online competition
    Finalist
  • Toronto International Film Festival of Cift
    Toronto
    Canada
    February 14, 2021
    February competition
    Official selection
  • Oruro Film Festival
    La Paz
    Bolivia, Plurinational State of
    January 23, 2020
  • Oruro Film Festival
    Sucre
    Bolivia, Plurinational State of
    January 24, 2020
  • Contra el silencio, todas las voces
    Mexico
    Mexico
    September 22, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Dumbo Film Festival
    New York
    United States
    July 9, 2020
    Online screening due to pandemic
    Semi-finalist
  • Leonardo Favio National Film Festival
    Bolívar
    Argentina
    August 19, 2019
    Official selection (Documentaries)
  • Muestra internacional de cine Memoria, Verdad, Justicia 2019
    Guatemala
    Guatemala
    May 4, 2019
    World premiere
    Official selection
  • Muestra de cine de la lluvia
    Villa La Angostura
    Argentina
    May 30, 2019
    Screening
    Official selection
  • 34 Encuentro Plurinacional de Mujeres, Lesbianas, Trans, Travestis, Bisexuales y No-binaries
    La Plata
    Argentina
    October 13, 2019
  • Screening at Teatriz movie theater
    Mar del Plata
    Argentina
    July 16, 2019
  • Screening at Espacio INCAA Trelew
    Trelew
    Argentina
    August 17, 2019
  • Screening at Espacio INCAA Guaymallén
    Guaymallén
    Argentina
    August 15, 2019
  • Premiere at Gaumont Theater
    Buenos Aires
    Argentina
    March 7, 2019
    Premiere
Distribution Information
  • Mara Avila
    Country: Argentina
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Mara Avila

Director, producer, scriptwriter and the main character in the first-person documentary "Femicide. One case, many struggles" (2019), Mara Avila premiered this film, her first feature, at Gaumont Theater in Buenos Aires City, on March 7th 2019. One day prior to Women’s International Day, this first release has not only allowed her to promote the film but also to keep struggling against gender violence, as the daughter of a victim of femicide in Argentina. Supported by the National Institute of Film and Audiovisual Arts (INCAA in Spanish), the documentary "Femicide. One case, many struggles" has been Mara’s thesis, with which she got her Degree in Communication Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires in December 2018.

The film was internationally premiered in Guatemala at the X Muestra Memoria, Verdad, Justicia 2019, and took part in other festivals such as the 8th Leonardo Favio National Film Festival in Bolivar; the 8th Oruro Film Festival in Bolivia; the XI Muestra Contra el silencio, todas las voces Mexico 2020; the Toronto Independent Film Festival of Cift 2021; the Women's International Film Festival Spring 2021 (award of excellence in screenwriting), among others.

In 2020, she got a distinction from the entity Argentores for the script of her first feature, as she started working on a new documentary project, once again with Gustavo Gustavo as a script consultant.

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Mara is currently also working as a co-mentor of documentary projects and Professor for the College of Communication Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires.

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