A Father’s Journey Through the Moroccan Desert to Find His Missing Daughter in Spain’s Oscar Contender
The first official look at the Cannes award-winning film, Sirat, a hopeful contender for the Spanish Oscar, has been unveiled.
Directed by Oliver Laxe, the film is set to be released by Neon in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, February 6, with plans for a nationwide rollout later in February.
Sirat has emerged as a surprise Oscar contender, making the shortlist in five categories: Best International Feature (Spain), Best Casting, Best Cinematography, Best Music (Original Score), and Best Sound. Notably, its sound team is the first all-female team ever to be recognized in this category.
Since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize, the film has also garnered two Golden Globe nominations for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Original Score. Additionally, it has received nine nominations for the European Film Awards, including Best European Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenwriter, as well as four nominations from the London Critics’ Circle.
Produced by Domingo Corral, Oliver Laxe, Xavi Font, Pedro Almodóvar, Augustín Almodóvar, Esther Garcia, Oriol Maymo, Mani Mortazavi, and Andrea Queralt, the screenplay was co-written by Santiago Fillol and Laxe.
The film had a one-week Academy qualifying run in November and is scheduled to open at Film at Lincoln Center and IFC Center in New York, as well as Landmark’s Nuart Theatre and AMC Burbank 16 in Los Angeles on February 6.
The official synopsis describes a father, portrayed by Sergi López, and his son who arrive at a rave deep in the mountains of southern Morocco. They are in search of Mar—daughter and sister—who disappeared months ago at one of these endless parties. Amidst the pulsating electronic music and an unfamiliar sense of freedom, they distribute her photo repeatedly. As hope dwindles, they persist, following a group of ravers toward one last party in the desert, leading them to confront their own limits.
The trailer is available for viewing above.
