The Gaze of the Sea

2017 Mexican film

The Gaze of the Sea

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| José Álvarez
Written by| José Álvarez
Diego Rivera Kohn
Produced by| José Álvarez
Julio Chavezmontes
Sumie Garcia
Carlos Paz
Ingmar Trost
Starring| Hortencia Peres Rocha
Cinematography| Sebastian Hofmann
Edited by| Diego Rivera Kohn
Music by| Martín Delgado

Production
companies

Alacrán con alas
Piano Producciones
Sutor Kolonko

Release dates

* March 2017 (2017-03) (GIFF)
* April 5, 2018 (2018-04-05) (Mexico)

Running time

| 80 minutes
Countries| Mexico
Germany
Language| Spanish

The Gaze of the Sea (Spanish: Los ojos del mar, lit. 'The eyes of the sea') is a 2017 Mexican-German documentary film written, directed and co-produced by José Álvarez.[1] It is about the journey of Hortensia, a woman from Tuxpan, who searches the seas of Veracruz for remains and memories of a fishing boat that sank in the area.[2] The film was named on the shortlist for Mexico's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards,[3] but it was not selected.[4]

## Synopsis

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Hortencia, a native of Tuxpan, is a woman with a shady past. He begins a journey between land and sea to collect the messages and memories of the families that lost one of their members five years ago in a fishing boat that sank on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. Little by little, this trip becomes a redemption for Hortencia.[5]

## Release

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It had its world premiere in mid-March 2017 at the 32nd Guadalajara International Film Festival.[6] It had its commercial premiere on April 5, 2018, in Mexican theaters.[7]

## Reception

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### Critical reception

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Ulices Castañeda from Crónica wrote: "A documentary film that will give much to talk about throughout the year, due to the wonderful rite that is created to say goodbye to fishermen who do not return from the sea, through material memories sent by their loved ones and that become the flowers that they become their last goodbye".[8]

### Accolades

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Year  | Award  | Category  | Recipient  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

2017  | Guadalajara International Film Festival | Best Mexican Film  | José Álvarez  | Nom  | [9]
Nyon Visions du Réel  | Interreligieux Award  | José Álvarez  | Won  | [10][11]

## References

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1. ^ "Los ojos del mar: una mirada íntima y real al duelo y la búsqueda de consuelo". moreliafilmfest.com (in Spanish). 2021-08-30. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
2. ^ "Los ojos del mar". cinelatinoamericano.org. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
3. ^ "Oscar y Goya - Películas inscritas 2019". AMACC (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2023-05-27.
4. ^ Hecht, John (2018-09-14). "Oscars: Mexico Selects 'Roma' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
5. ^ "LOS OJOS DEL MAR". Festival de Biarritz América Latina (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-05-27.
6. ^ "FICG 2017". La Tempestad (in Spanish). 2017-03-07. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
7. ^ "Los ojos del mar, de José Álvarez, estrena en salas mexicanas". moreliafilmfest.com (in Spanish). 2018-04-05. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
8. ^ "Los ojos del mar, la historia de una bella y triste despedida | La Crónica de Hoy". 2017-03-17. Archived from the original on 2017-03-17. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
9. ^ "Los ganadores del 32° Festival Internacional de Cine de Guadalajara (FICG)". elcineescortar.com (in Spanish). 2017-03-18. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
10. ^ "Palmarès 2017". Visions du Réel (in French). Retrieved 2023-05-27.
11. ^ ""Los ojos del mar" es el Premio del Jurado Interreligioso en Nyon, Suiza". SIGNIS (in Spanish). 2017-02-05. Retrieved 2023-05-27.

## External links

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* The Gaze of the Sea at IMDb

*[lit.]: literal translation