Lila Avilés, the director behind acclaimed film “Totém,” has finished production on her next feature, “Cábula,” according to an announcement this week. The filmmaker presented the project at the Venice Gap-Financing Market earlier in September.
The narrative centers on Toña, a dedicated educator working in the fictional Mexican town of Mexicalpan who leads her class on a trip to the country’s capital. The visit brings them into contact with wealthy individuals seeking to appropriate and commercialize local customs. Despite encountering obstacles and disappointments along the way, Toña maintains her commitment to her profession and its potential for meaningful change in her students’ lives. The screenplay was developed by Avilés and Miguel Vasallo.
Production on the film involved Nicolás Celis, a producer on the multiple Academy Award-winning “Roma,” working through his Mexico City-based company Cuadernos de Cine, established in 2008. Maria Zamora of Elastica Films served as co-producer. The cast includes Teresita Sánchez, an actress who has appeared in both of Avilés’ previous films, alongside Gabriela Cartol and Montserrat Marañón.
“Cábula” represents Avilés’ follow-up to “Totém,” which earned recognition at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival, where it received the Ecumenical Prize. Her directorial debut, “The Chambermaid,” premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2018 and won the Ariel First Feature Film Award. Both prior films led to Mexico’s submission in the international feature film category for the Academy Awards.
Avilés has characterized her latest project as employing humor to confront systemic cruelty while exploring education as a transformative force. She described the three films in her directorial career as part of a connected creative progression, with each project emerging naturally from the previous one.
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