The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (Spanish: La misteriosa mirada del flamenco) is a 2025 drama film written and directed by Diego Céspedes, in his feature debut. Starring Tamara Cortés, Matías Catalán and Paula Dinamarca, it follows a 12-year-old Lidia as she navigates fear and prejudice when a mysterious illness threatens her queer family in a remote mining town in 1980's northern Chile.
The film is a co-production of Chile, France, Belgium, Spain, and Germany. It had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on 15 May 2025, where it won the section's top prize. It was selected as the Chilean entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Plot
1982. Eleven-year-old Lidia lives with her beloved queer family in a desert mining town in northern Chile. As an unknown and deadly disease begins to spread, legend has it that it is transmitted through a simple glance, when two people fall in love. While people are accusing her family, Lidia must find out whether this myth is real or not.
Cast Tamara Cortés as Lidia Matías Catalán as Flamingo Paula Dinamarca as Mama Boa Pedro Muñoz as Yovani Luis Dubó as Clemente Vicente Caballero as Julio Bruna Ramírez as Lioness Sirena González as Star Alexa Quijano as Eagle Francisco Diaz as Piranha
Production In 2019, Diego Céspedes participated in Cannes' Cinéfondation Residence to develop the film. In 2020, the project participated at the Ikusmira Berriak, held during the San Sebastián International Film Festival. It won the TFL Production Award at the 2020 TorinoFilmLab and received €50,000 production grant. In 2021, it also participated at the Producers Summit of the Sundance Institute. In November 2021, it was reported that French production company Les Valseurs would co-produce the film. It was selected to participate at the 2022 Venice's Gap-Financing Market. In November 2023, it received a €139,000 production grant from Eurimages. In May 2024, it was reported that German production company Weydemann Bros Films would co-produce the film. In April 2025, it was announced that Charades had acquired the film's international sales rights.
Principal photography began on 20 May 2024.
Release The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo had its world premiere at the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 15 May 2025.
It was released theatrically in Spain by BTeam Pictures on 16 January 2026, and in Chilean theaters on 12 March, by Cinecolor Films.
It was made available to rent via Letterboxd Video Store in the United States on 10 December 2025.
Reception Critical reception On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 44 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo uses rich magical realism and vividly realized characters to poetically explore queer resistance, found family, and the power of empathy over fear." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 based on 10 critics, which the site labels as "generally favorable" reviews.
Accolades Award / Festival Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Cannes Film Festival24 May 2025 Un Certain Regard Award Diego Céspedes Queer Palm Camera d'Or Lima Film Festival16 September 2025Trophy SpondylusThe Mysterious Gaze of the FlamingoSpecial Jury Prize - Honorable MentionBest Debut Film San Sebastián International Film Festival 27 September 2025 Horizontes Latinos Dama Youth Award Forqué Awards 13 December 2025 Best Latin-American Film Goya Awards 28 February 2026 Best Ibero-American Film Ariel Awards 3 October 2026 Best Ibero-American Film
See also
List of submissions to the 98th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film List of Chilean submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
External links