Claudia Llosa Bueno (born 15 November 1976) is a Peruvian film director, writer, producer, and author. She is recognized for her Academy-Award-nominated film, The Milk of Sorrow.
Early life Claudia Llosa was born on November 15, 1976, in Lima, Peru. Her mother, Patricia Bueno Risso, is an artist from Italy and her father, Alejandro Llosa Garcia worked in the engineering field. Her siblings are Patricia Llosa and Andrea Llosa. She is the niece of the Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa and the film director Luis Llosa.
She studied at Newton College in Lima. Her post-secondary studies were spent majoring in Film Direction at the University of Lima.
Llosa moved from Peru to Madrid in the late 1990s. From 1998 to 2001, she studied there at the film academy Escuela TAI. At the end of her studies, she started working on the script for Madeinusa. She moved to Barcelona to work in the advertising industry.
Career Claudia Llosa’s first film, Madeinusa tells the story of a rural and religious village in Peru. In Madeinusa, events occur over the Easter season due to the belief that during this period of time, a person can sin without being punished. Madeinusa premiered in competition at Sundance Festival 2006, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, won the prize for the best unpublished script at the 2003 Havana Film Festival and received several international awards, including the FIPRESCI international critics award at Rotterdam Festival and the Best Latin American Film Award at Malaga Festival, among others.
In 2009, Llosa finished her second film, The Milk of Sorrow (La teta asustada). The Milk of Sorrow was inspired by the era of terrorism by the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso), which the citizens of Peru experienced between 1980 and 1992. This era gave rise to the Andean folk belief, which this movie is based on, that women who experienced trauma during this period of time would pass on their anxieties to their children through their breast milk. The film was shot over a period of six weeks, with filming locations in Lima or near the capital. The film was written and directed by Claudia Llosa and the creation of The Milk of Sorrow included the help of cinematographer Natasha Braier and camera operator Guillermo Garcia Meza. The film was shortlisted for the 59th Berlin International Film Festival. It was the first Peruvian film nominated for the Golden Bear Award and won the main award.Kuhlbrodt, Detlef: Die Reichen, die die Lieder der Armen stehlen . In: die tageszeitung, 13. Februar 2009, S. 26 Llosa's film also gained recognition from awards such as FIPRESCI in 2009 and multiple awards at the Lima Film Festival. In Lima, Peru, The Milk of Sorrow outsold the ticket sales of the film Slumdog Millionaire during its premiere. However, in the more rural communities of Peru The Milk of Sorrow did not gain the same reception.
On February 2, 2010, Llosa's The Milk of Sorrow was nominated for the Academy Award in the Best Foreign Film Category.Oscar Nominations: Foreign Film Category Also, in 2010, Claudia Llosa was invited to become a member of Hollywood’s Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
According to film scholar Sarah Barrows, Claudia Llosa’s films do not portray stereotypes of the indigenous communities of Peru. Although Llosa does not portray these stereotypes, her films do not always receive a positive reaction from these communities due to the more serious depiction of them in films and the subject matters surrounding them. Llosa's films tend to focus on the harshness and difficulties these communities may face and for that reason, indigenous communities do not see it as complimentary. One of the reasons viewers critiqued her films, in particular The Milk of Sorrow was due to the fact that Llosa stated in her Berlinale press conference that much of the story is fiction and that such things as "the milk of sorrow" and women adopting extreme measures for rape prevention were not real.
In 2012, Claudia Llosa's short film Loxoro, produced by Oscar winner Juan José Campanella was shortlisted for the Berlin International Film Festival.http://www.berlinale.de/en/presse/pressevorf_hrungen/datenblatt.php?film_id=20126574 Loxoro won the Teddy Award in the category of Best Short Film.
Claudia Llosa is the author of children's book La Guerrera de Cristal. This was her first work of literature and was published in 2013.
Her 2014 film Aloft had its premiere in the competition section of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival.
Claudia Llosa is also credited as director for a few episodes in TV series such as 50 años de, Fronteras, Echo 3, and Invasion.
Filmography Films +YearFilmDirectorWriterProducerNotes2004Red Envelope Short film2006Madeinusa Directorial debut2009The Milk of Sorrow (La teta asustada) 2012Loxoro Short film2014Aloft 2021Fever Dream (Distancia de rescate) Mis otros yo Short film
Television series +YearFilmDirectorWriterExecutiveproducerNotes200950 años de Directed one episode: "Tradiciones"2010Fronteras Directed one episdoe: "Loxoro"2021Echo 3 Directed two episodes: "The Gambler" and "Upriver"2023Invasion Directed one episode: "Cosmic Ocean"2026The Vampire Lestat Directed two episodes: "Toronto" and "The Devil's Road"Legacy of Spies
Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult2003Havana Film FestivalBest Unpublished ScreenplayMadeinusa2006Sundance Film FestivalGrand Jury Prize: DramaticInternational Film Festival RotterdamFIPRESCI PrizeMar del Plata International Film FestivalBest Latin American Feature FilmLima Latin American Film FestivalBest First Work: Second PrizeCONACINE AwardJeonju Film FestivalWoosuk AwardHavana Film FestivalGrand Coral: Third PrizeHamburg Film FestivalCritics AwardCine Ceará - National Film FestivalFeature Film Trophy: Best ScreenplayChicago International Film FestivalGold Hugo: New Directors Competition2007Cartagena Film FestivalSpecial MentionGolden India Catalina: Best FilmAdelaide Film FestivalInternational Feature Award2009Montréal Festival of New CinemaBest FilmThe Milk of SorrowLima Latin American Film FestivalBest Peruvian FilmCONACINE AwardHavana Film FestivalGrand Coral: First PrizeGuadalajara International Film FestivalMayahuel AwardGramado Film FestivalGolden Kikito: Best FilmGolden Kikito: Best DirectorGoya AwardsBest Spanish Language Foreign FilmCinemanila International Film FestivalLino Brocka AwardBogota Film FestivalGolden Precolumbian Circle: Best FilmBerlin International Film FestivalGolden Berlin BearFIPRESCI Prize201082nd Academy AwardsBest Foreign FilmAriel AwardsSilver Ariel: Best Latin-American FilmArgentinean Film Critics Association AwardsSilver CondorPrêmio GuaraniPrêmio Guarani: Best Foreign Film2012Berlin International Film FestivalTeddy: Best Short FilmLoxoroGolden Berlin Bear2014Málaga Spanish Film FestivalGolden BiznagaAloftBerlin International Film FestivalGolden Berlin Bear2017Málaga Spanish Film FestivalEloy de la Iglesia Award2021San Sebastián International Film FestivalGolden SeashellFever Dream
References
External links Interview zu Madeinusa bei cinemawithoutborders.com (englisch) Interview zu Madeinusa bei kinothusis.ch (PDF-Datei, deutsch; 25,2 KB)
The Magic Realism of Peruvian Claudia Llosa's 'La Teta Asustada' and 'Madeinusa.'