La Corona 2007
Distributed by Cinema Guild, 115 West 30th Street, Suite 800, New York, NY 10001; 212-685-6242
Produced by Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega
Directed by Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega
DVD, color, 40 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Anthropology, Crime, Criminal Justice, Latin American Studies, Sociology, South American Studies, Women's Studies
Date Entered: 03/19/2009
Reviewed by Charmaine Henriques, Northwestern University Library, Evanston, ILViviana is a guerilla, Maira an assassin, and both Angela and Angie are violent thieves. Besides being residents of the largest women's prison in Colombia (Bogota's National Women's Penitentiary which takes the prisoners no other correctional institution will accept) they are also contestants in a beauty pageant. Colombia is a country of beauty queens and in the midst of violence, civil war, unemployment, and general misery; pageants are becoming chiefly important as a popular escape for the masses.
La Corona follows the four contestants as they are elected to represent their cellblocks and compete for the title of queen. There is an intimate portrayal of these women's existence behind bars and revealing details of their crimes and prior lives. For example, we see Viviana, who is serving thirteen years for her guerilla activity, practice her traditional dance performance for the talent portion of the pageant. For her, the pageant keeps her mind busy and breaks up the monotony of her daily routine. Angie, who had only been in jail for eighteen days during her interview, tells her son when he comes to visit that she is actually in school and cannot go home because she is being scolded for not completing her homework. Meanwhile, Angela believes that God said to love one another, but he never said who to love, therefore in order to combat loneliness and gain support she engages in an intimate relationship with Camino—her first with a woman.
Notably, La Corona presents the harsh conditions and stark reality for poverty stricken women in Colombia. With great hunger and little money, education, or guidance these women turned to dangerous means and suffered considerable consequences to survive, find love, and receive acceptance. Sadly, it is revealed that the champion of the beauty competition was murdered in the streets of Bogota shortly after her release.
Awards
- Winner, Honorable Mention, Sundance Film Festival, 2008
- Winner, Distinguished Short Documentary Award, International Documentary Association, 2008
- Winner, Grand Jury Prize, Outstanding Documentary Short, Outfest, 2008
- Winner, Best Short Film, Sarasota Film Festival, 2008