Wikipedia

Fortitude (film)

(Redirected from La Fortaleza (2020))

Fortitude (Spanish: La Fortaleza) is a 2020 internationally co-produced drama film directed by Jorge Thielen Armand.[1] It premiered in the Tiger Competition of the 49th International Film Festival Rotterdam.[2] A co-production between Venezuela, Colombia, France and The Netherlands, the film premiered in Venezuelan cinemas on 23 December 2021.

Fortitude
Poster
SpanishLa Fortaleza
Directed byJorge Thielen Armand
Written by
  • Jorge Thielen Armand
  • Rodrigo Michelangeli
Produced by
  • Rodrigo Michelangeli
  • Manon Ardisson
  • Jorge Thielen Armand
  • Rodolfo Cova
  • Zach Lebeau
  • Kim Jackson
Starring
  • Jorge Roque Thielen H.
  • Carlos "Fagua" Medina
  • Yoni Naranjo
  • Leudys Naranjo
CinematographyRodrigo Michelangeli
Edited byFelipe Guerrero
Music byLeila Bordreuil
Production
companies
La Faena Films, Mutokino, Viking Film, In Vivo Films, Breaker, Ardimages UK, Genuino Films
Release dates
  • January 2020 (2020-01) (IFFR)
  • December 23, 2021 (2021-12-23) (Venezuela)
Countries
  • Venezuela
  • Colombia
  • France
  • Netherlands
  • Canada
LanguageSpanish

Plot

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La Fortaleza is inspired by the real life story of the filmmaker's father, Jorge Roque Thielen, who in turn plays the main character. It is noted that the film oscillates between fiction and reality.

Roque, the protagonist, dives into the jungle to escape from his alcoholism, his demons and the social and economic crisis in Venezuela. However, the meeting with old friends and the promises of gold at a work in a mine divert his desire for redemption and he enters a vicious circle of violence around mining. This will make him sink in a cycle that devours his interior. In that moment, he will need the fortitude to emerge from the darkness and walk toward a new beginning.

Cast

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  • Jorge Roque Thielen H.
  • Carlos "Fagua" Medina
  • Yoni Naranjo
  • Leudys Naranjo

Reception

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Jordan Cronk of Film Comment claimed that La Fortaleza was "a solemn tale of exile and redemption".[3] Sergio Monsalve of El Nacional wrote that "in its paradoxes lies the best cinema of Venezuela".[4] It also received the Special Mention in the Rome Independent Film Festival 2020.[5][6] It was awarded the Grand Prix Marchica for Best Film and the Best Actor Award at the Festival International De Cinéma Et De Mémoire Commune in Nador, Morocco.[7][8]

It won the Audience Award for Best Film at the Iberoamerican Film Festival of Quito.[9]

The film was released concurrently with El Father Plays Himself, a documentary by Mo Scarpelli about the making of La Fortaleza.[10]

Awards and nominations

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Award Category Recipient(s) Result References
Festival Biarritz Amérique-Latine Jury Prize Jorge Thielen Armand Won [11][12]
Festival de la Crítica Cinematográfica de Caracas Best Film Jorge Thielen Armand Won [13]
Best Director Jorge Thielen Armand Won
Best Cinematography Rodrigo Michelangeli Won
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Venezuela Best Actor Jorge Roque Thielen H. Won [14]
Festival del Cine Venezolano Best Supporting Actor Yoni Naranjo Won [15]
Cinema Tropical Awards Best Latin American Film of the Year Jorge Thielen Armand Nominated [16]
Directors Guild of Canada DGC Discovery Award Jorge Thielen Armand Nominated [17]

References

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  1. ^ "Jorge Thielen Armand". John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  2. ^ "La Fortaleza | IFFR". iffr.com. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  3. ^ "Dispatch: Rotterdam 2020". Film Comment. 2020-02-18. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  4. ^ Monsalve, Sergio (2020-10-02). "Deconstrucción en primera persona". EL NACIONAL (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  5. ^ "Film competition 2020". RIFF - Rome Independent Film Festival. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  6. ^ "La Fortaleza". RIFF - Rome Independent Film Festival. 2020-11-10. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  7. ^ Festival Instagram. 2020-12-22 https://www.instagram.com/p/CJFAM1VAAyq//. Retrieved 2022-07-02. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ^ "Festival International de Cinéma et Mémoire Commune". Festival Youtube live stream (in French). 2020-12-19. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  9. ^ "El Festival de Cine Iberoamericano de Quito premió a dos largometrajes". El Telégrafo. 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
  10. ^ "El Father Plays Himself". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  11. ^ Nacional, El (2020-10-04). "La fortaleza, de Jorge Thielen, ganó el Premio del Jurado del Festival de Cine de Biarritz". EL NACIONAL (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  12. ^ "La Fortaleza". Festival de Biarritz América Latina (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  13. ^ Nacional, El (2020-12-07). "La Fortaleza triunfa en el primer Festival de la Crítica de Caracas". EL NACIONAL (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  14. ^ "Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Venezuela 2022". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Venezuela. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-22.
  15. ^ "XVI Festival del Cine Venezolano 2020". Festival del cine venezolano. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  16. ^ "11th Cinema Tropical Awards". Cinema Tropical. Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  17. ^ "TV & Film News – DGC reveals Discovery Award long list of emerging directors to watch". Broadcast Dialogue, September 23, 2021.
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