02-12-2025, 06:21 AM
Film Title: Tlauilantli (Struggle)
Nominating Nation: Huenya
Nomination Categories: Best Film, Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actor
Language: Huenyan with English subtitles
Run Time: 150 minutes
Director: Cochcanauh
Film Rating: 13 (Laeral), GA+ (Huenyan Cinema Association)
Producing Studio/Company: Tlacuilo Studios
Primary Cast: Telpoch (Namiton), Yaretzi (Yolihuani), Cuitláhuac (Cozauh), Quenmachoc (Yaonemitl), Tlacoehua (Zeltzin)
Brief Summary: Tlauilantli is set in the fictional village of Xochihua in the year 2022, one year after Huenya becoming an independent nation. The small community in the mountains of far western Huenya is divided equally between Necatli and Xiomerans - with divided being a very accurate description. A notorious ethnic nationalist group, the Xiomeran Defense League, has a stronghold in Xochihua among the ethnic Xiomeran population. The surrounding communities are dominated by the Necatli, who regard the area as part of their homeland. Both sides view each other with resentment - Xiomerans for the loss of their power and privilege, and Necatli for the sheer presence of the people who once dominated them in what they see as their land.
In the midst of this powder keg, the spark that is the love between two people threatens to set off an explosion. Namiton, the son of a prominent Xiomeran landowner, meets Yolihuani by chance at a party thrown by school friends. Yolihuani, the daughter of a local Necatli farmer and rancher, instantly strikes a chord in Namiton's heart. The feeling is reciprocated, and soon the two of them run away from the party altogether. They spend the rest of the night and early morning together, before regretfully separating to return home to two sets of parents angry that their children stayed out all night.
Over the course of the following three months, Namiton and Yolihuani fall deeply in love. But in Xochihua, with the Necatli and Xiomerans at each other's throats, that love has to be kept under wraps. The two of them manage to keep their relationship a secret until Ichtacka, one of Namiton's classmates, sees a text from Yolihuani on Namiton's phone. He follows Namiton to one of his secret meetings with Yolihuani, takes a picture of the two of them together, and sends it to dozens of people. News of the relationship between Namiton and Yolihuani eventually reaches Namiton's father Cozauh, who forbids Namiton from seeing Yolihuani again. Cozauh, in addition to being a rich landowner, is also the local leader of the XDL branch in Xochihua. That night, a group of XDL members led by Cozauh surround Yolihuani's home and threaten her parents, warning them to keep their daughter away from Namiton.
The next morning, Yolihuani's father Yaonemitl makes the rounds of the local Necatli farmers and ranchers in the area. He gains their promise to come to his family's aid if Cozauh or the other Xiomerans threaten them again, or do worse. When he returns home, he tells his daughter that she is not allowed to see Namiton again.
The parents' decision on both sides to tell their children not to see each other anymore goes as well as one would expect. Namiton sneaks out of his house that night, and makes his way to Yolihuani's house in the countryside. She goes outside to meet him, and the two of them try desperately to flee Xochihua and its ancient hatreds. Yolihuani's father Yaonemitl sees his daughter leave the house. He decides to gather his Necatli neighbors to pursue the two. His wife Zeltzin tries to convince Yaonemitl to let them go, but fails. As Yaonemitl is gathering his neighbors to pursue the pair of lovers, a member of the XDL in Xochihua sees Namiton and Yolihuani in town as they wait for the last train out of Xochihua of the night. He alerts Cozauh, who begins gathering his fellow XDL members and Xiomeran neighbors to pursue them as well.
As the last train out of Xochihua pulls into view, Namiton and Yolihuani run to board it. They are blocked by Cozauh and his followers, armed and determined to capture Yolihuani and separate Namiton from her. While Namiton argues with his father and shields Yolihuani, Yaonemitl and his followers arrive next. As the train, and their last chance for escape, pulls out of the station, Namiton and Yolihuani plead with their respective parents to allow them to be together. They also urge everyone not to fight, as the two sides exchange insults and threats. With the two lovers the only thing separating the divided people of Xochihua from a disastrous confrontation, the screen fades to black as the film ends on a cliffhanger, leaving the viewer to wonder what the outcome will be for everyone involved.
What makes this film special? Why was it nominated for this/these category/categories?: Tlauilantli is nominated for Best Film due to its interweaving of a series of story threads that are both unique to the Huenyan experience, and universal. Love and hate, prejudice and seeing past those prejudices, and the idea of hope winning out are central to the theme of Tlauilantli. Jealousy also makes up a strand of the story, as Ichtacka is motivated to reveal the forbidden relationship by his envy of Namiton. The longstanding tensions between the ethnic Xiomerans of Huenya and the other Huenyans who they once ruled strike a dark chord that is countered by Namiton and Yolihuani representing a new generation of Huenyans rejecting those ancient attitudes. The film is a story of forbidden love at first glance, but with a deeper look, it quickly reveals itself to be a representation of the struggle of Huenyans themselves to learn to live together in a new nation.
Telpoch, who plays Namiton, is nominated for Best Lead Actor for his depiction of a young Xiomeran dealing with the internal struggles many Huenyans deal with today. Telpoch delivers a passionate and deeply nuanced portrayal of someone overcoming the teachings of generations of fear and hate to embrace love, and daring to break away from "acceptable expectations" in his rural society. Telpoch also delivers a stunning performance as Namiton faces down his domineering father Cozauh, finding a core of strength within himself.
Tlacoehua, who plays Zeltzin, is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for her portrayal of Yolihuani's mother. Fighting her own conflicting emotions between maintaining old prejudices, and letting her daughter pursue the love and freedom she deserves, Zeltzin fights an internal struggle as challenging as anyone else's in the film. Zeltzin's decisive moment comes when she tries to convince her husband Yaonemitl to let Yolihuani leave with Namiton. Zeltzin throws her prejudices aside once and for all, in the cause of ensuring her daughter's happiness. In standing up to her husband by fighting for her daughter, Zeltzin shows her own inner power. Tlacoehua portrays Zeltzin with grace and quiet strength, as a potent counterweight to Yaonemitl's rage and fear.
Any additional info (optional, short paragraph maximum): Tlauilantli was the top-grossing release in Huenya when it premiered, and for several months after its release. This was despite the film being the subject of violent threats by far-right ethnic Xiomeran groups such as the Xiomeran Defense League, as well as different Necatli groups. The film played at many theatres under tight security. Some theatres did suffer from violent incidents as a result of showing the film. None of this deterred Huenyans from flocking to screenings of Tlauilantli. It also didn't deter them from embracing Tlauilantli as one of the most significant films yet to emerge from the rapidly growing Huenyan film industry. The film has since developed a huge fan base and following on social media. Fans online eagerly exchange theories about what happened after the movie ended, the fate of everyone involved, whether or not there will be a sequel, and theories about what a sequel would entail. The main actors, especially Telpoch, Yaretzi and Tlacoehua, have been vaulted to the top ranks of Huenyan stars for their performances in Tlauilantli.
Nominating Nation: Huenya
Nomination Categories: Best Film, Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actor
Language: Huenyan with English subtitles
Run Time: 150 minutes
Director: Cochcanauh
Film Rating: 13 (Laeral), GA+ (Huenyan Cinema Association)
Producing Studio/Company: Tlacuilo Studios
Primary Cast: Telpoch (Namiton), Yaretzi (Yolihuani), Cuitláhuac (Cozauh), Quenmachoc (Yaonemitl), Tlacoehua (Zeltzin)
Brief Summary: Tlauilantli is set in the fictional village of Xochihua in the year 2022, one year after Huenya becoming an independent nation. The small community in the mountains of far western Huenya is divided equally between Necatli and Xiomerans - with divided being a very accurate description. A notorious ethnic nationalist group, the Xiomeran Defense League, has a stronghold in Xochihua among the ethnic Xiomeran population. The surrounding communities are dominated by the Necatli, who regard the area as part of their homeland. Both sides view each other with resentment - Xiomerans for the loss of their power and privilege, and Necatli for the sheer presence of the people who once dominated them in what they see as their land.
In the midst of this powder keg, the spark that is the love between two people threatens to set off an explosion. Namiton, the son of a prominent Xiomeran landowner, meets Yolihuani by chance at a party thrown by school friends. Yolihuani, the daughter of a local Necatli farmer and rancher, instantly strikes a chord in Namiton's heart. The feeling is reciprocated, and soon the two of them run away from the party altogether. They spend the rest of the night and early morning together, before regretfully separating to return home to two sets of parents angry that their children stayed out all night.
Over the course of the following three months, Namiton and Yolihuani fall deeply in love. But in Xochihua, with the Necatli and Xiomerans at each other's throats, that love has to be kept under wraps. The two of them manage to keep their relationship a secret until Ichtacka, one of Namiton's classmates, sees a text from Yolihuani on Namiton's phone. He follows Namiton to one of his secret meetings with Yolihuani, takes a picture of the two of them together, and sends it to dozens of people. News of the relationship between Namiton and Yolihuani eventually reaches Namiton's father Cozauh, who forbids Namiton from seeing Yolihuani again. Cozauh, in addition to being a rich landowner, is also the local leader of the XDL branch in Xochihua. That night, a group of XDL members led by Cozauh surround Yolihuani's home and threaten her parents, warning them to keep their daughter away from Namiton.
The next morning, Yolihuani's father Yaonemitl makes the rounds of the local Necatli farmers and ranchers in the area. He gains their promise to come to his family's aid if Cozauh or the other Xiomerans threaten them again, or do worse. When he returns home, he tells his daughter that she is not allowed to see Namiton again.
The parents' decision on both sides to tell their children not to see each other anymore goes as well as one would expect. Namiton sneaks out of his house that night, and makes his way to Yolihuani's house in the countryside. She goes outside to meet him, and the two of them try desperately to flee Xochihua and its ancient hatreds. Yolihuani's father Yaonemitl sees his daughter leave the house. He decides to gather his Necatli neighbors to pursue the two. His wife Zeltzin tries to convince Yaonemitl to let them go, but fails. As Yaonemitl is gathering his neighbors to pursue the pair of lovers, a member of the XDL in Xochihua sees Namiton and Yolihuani in town as they wait for the last train out of Xochihua of the night. He alerts Cozauh, who begins gathering his fellow XDL members and Xiomeran neighbors to pursue them as well.
As the last train out of Xochihua pulls into view, Namiton and Yolihuani run to board it. They are blocked by Cozauh and his followers, armed and determined to capture Yolihuani and separate Namiton from her. While Namiton argues with his father and shields Yolihuani, Yaonemitl and his followers arrive next. As the train, and their last chance for escape, pulls out of the station, Namiton and Yolihuani plead with their respective parents to allow them to be together. They also urge everyone not to fight, as the two sides exchange insults and threats. With the two lovers the only thing separating the divided people of Xochihua from a disastrous confrontation, the screen fades to black as the film ends on a cliffhanger, leaving the viewer to wonder what the outcome will be for everyone involved.
What makes this film special? Why was it nominated for this/these category/categories?: Tlauilantli is nominated for Best Film due to its interweaving of a series of story threads that are both unique to the Huenyan experience, and universal. Love and hate, prejudice and seeing past those prejudices, and the idea of hope winning out are central to the theme of Tlauilantli. Jealousy also makes up a strand of the story, as Ichtacka is motivated to reveal the forbidden relationship by his envy of Namiton. The longstanding tensions between the ethnic Xiomerans of Huenya and the other Huenyans who they once ruled strike a dark chord that is countered by Namiton and Yolihuani representing a new generation of Huenyans rejecting those ancient attitudes. The film is a story of forbidden love at first glance, but with a deeper look, it quickly reveals itself to be a representation of the struggle of Huenyans themselves to learn to live together in a new nation.
Telpoch, who plays Namiton, is nominated for Best Lead Actor for his depiction of a young Xiomeran dealing with the internal struggles many Huenyans deal with today. Telpoch delivers a passionate and deeply nuanced portrayal of someone overcoming the teachings of generations of fear and hate to embrace love, and daring to break away from "acceptable expectations" in his rural society. Telpoch also delivers a stunning performance as Namiton faces down his domineering father Cozauh, finding a core of strength within himself.
Tlacoehua, who plays Zeltzin, is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for her portrayal of Yolihuani's mother. Fighting her own conflicting emotions between maintaining old prejudices, and letting her daughter pursue the love and freedom she deserves, Zeltzin fights an internal struggle as challenging as anyone else's in the film. Zeltzin's decisive moment comes when she tries to convince her husband Yaonemitl to let Yolihuani leave with Namiton. Zeltzin throws her prejudices aside once and for all, in the cause of ensuring her daughter's happiness. In standing up to her husband by fighting for her daughter, Zeltzin shows her own inner power. Tlacoehua portrays Zeltzin with grace and quiet strength, as a potent counterweight to Yaonemitl's rage and fear.
Any additional info (optional, short paragraph maximum): Tlauilantli was the top-grossing release in Huenya when it premiered, and for several months after its release. This was despite the film being the subject of violent threats by far-right ethnic Xiomeran groups such as the Xiomeran Defense League, as well as different Necatli groups. The film played at many theatres under tight security. Some theatres did suffer from violent incidents as a result of showing the film. None of this deterred Huenyans from flocking to screenings of Tlauilantli. It also didn't deter them from embracing Tlauilantli as one of the most significant films yet to emerge from the rapidly growing Huenyan film industry. The film has since developed a huge fan base and following on social media. Fans online eagerly exchange theories about what happened after the movie ended, the fate of everyone involved, whether or not there will be a sequel, and theories about what a sequel would entail. The main actors, especially Telpoch, Yaretzi and Tlacoehua, have been vaulted to the top ranks of Huenyan stars for their performances in Tlauilantli.
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