* Best of 2025* Reinas (Queens) - Director Klaudia Reynicke

Director Klaudia Reynicke subtly weaves a tale of shifts and sacrifices that shows, whatever the familial configuration, strength and loss are necessary parts of growth. Grounded by a strong performance from Jimena Lindo as Elena and a wonderfully inquisitive Abril Gjurinovic, a family is brought to life. Reynicke’s effective direction honors each community the camera focuses on, and her Lima, the city where Reynicke grew up, feels personal, like a memory or a version of a city that no longer exists but emerges vibrant and alive in the film. Reinas is truly an emotional trip, transporting the viewer to Lima in the ’90s, right into the heart of a family faced with a universal challenge: the search for a safer place. Winner of the Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International JuryAward and Switzerland’s 2025 Academy Award submission for Best International Feature Film, director and writer Klaudia Reynicke joins us to talk about how this film helped her to reconnect with her native country of Peru, how she gather together a superb cast and why it was so important to her to focus on this specific period in Peruvian history.