San Sebastian Golden Shell Contender ‘Belén’ Exposes Patriarchy

Inspired by a true story that sparked a global movement, Dolores Fonzi’s second directorial outing, “Belén,’ relates the powerful case of Julieta, a young woman jailed for having a miscarriage, and Soledad Deza (played by Fonzi), the fearless lawyer who takes on this controversial high-stakes case.

Produced by K&S Films, behind the Oscar-nominated studio behind “Wild Tales” and Netflix global hit “The Eternaut,” “Belén” takes place in Tucumán, a traditionally conservative province in Argentina, where Julieta’s trial becomes a pivotal moment in the fight for women’s rights. Belén’s case and other similar ones impacted laws on women’s reproductive rights in Argentina.

As Soledad battles a legal system riddled with corruption, inequality and skewed patriarchal values, Julieta’s case ignites a wave of outrage and solidarity, giving rise to a powerful movement demanding justice. To this day, she is referred to as Belén in order to preserve her anonymity.

Based on the book “We Are Belén” by Ana Correa, this gripping legal drama aims to be a sharp indictment of systemic injustice and a tribute to resilience and sisterhood.

How Fonzi made this project her own began years ago when the movement to free Belén was in full swing.

“Aside from being an actress, I’ve been a human rights activist for some time. I found out about a young woman, Belén, who had been imprisoned for having a miscarriage. When I went to receive an award, I brought out a sign that said ‘Freedom for Belén’ and I spoke about it during the ceremony. It made it into the international press and caused a global stir,” she recalls.

According to Fonzi, that night at the awards, a film producer began asking about Belén’s case.  Not long after, this same producer bought the rights to a recent book about Belén’s story and commissioned a screenplay, with Fonzi already in mind to play the lawyer.

This producer turned out to be Leticia Cristi of K & S Films. “Leticia came to me and offered me the chance to also direct and write the film. And I couldn’t say no — it was a project that felt tailor-made for me. I had already been following Belén’s case for a long time, so everything fell into place organically. It wasn’t a story I chose to tell — it was brought to me. But then I rewrote it, acted in it and directed it.”

“So, yes, it was a commissioned film. But at the same time, it felt so much like mine from the start that it feels deeply personal,” she adds.

This will be Fonzi’s second time at San Sebastián with a film she directed. Her directorial feature debut, “Blondi,” produced by Santiago Mitre and Agustina Llambi Campbell’s La Unión de los Rios, also had its world premiere at the fest, which coincidentally opens this year with another film produced by La Unión, Daniel Hendler’s “27 Nights.” They both vie for San Sebastian’s top honor, the Golden Shell.

“San Sebastián is a festival that’s been very much in tune with Latin American issues. They’re engaged and genuinely interested. Jose Luis Rebordinos, the festival director, has been a major supporter of Argentine cinema in general. At San Sebastián, we’ve always been able to create moments that bring visibility to the struggles we’re facing,” she notes.

Asked how she handled directing herself, Fonzi responds: “I have a team that supports me, and I have a friend, Ezequiel Díaz, who is like my voice and eyes on set. He was with me on ‘Blondi’ and also on ‘Belén.’ So, apart from having an excellent team, I rely on his watchful support; I deeply value his opinion.”

Meanwhile, Fonzi has been working non-stop as an actor. “I haven’t had a single day off in two years. I made a film in Italy, then rewrote a script, then went to Chile to work on ‘The House of the Spirits,’ came back and made this film, then went back to Chile again — and I just returned. Next year, I’d like to take some time off to write and work on smaller projects.”

“Belén” world premieres at the festival on Sept. 23. San Sebastian kicked off on Sept. 19 and wraps on Sept. 27.