Northern Skies Over Empty Space

{{Infobox film

| name = El norte sobre el vacío

| image = Northern Skies Over Empty Space poster.jpg

| caption = Berlinale release poster

| writer = Alejandra Márquez Abella
Gabriel Nuncio

| producer = Antonio Aldape
Alexandro Aldrete
Brian Bartelt
Alejandro Duran
Alejandro Mares
Alejandra Márquez Abella
Karla Hernández Nassar
Gabriel Nuncio
Diego Enrique Osorno
Erick Peña
Adán Pérez
Sofía Torres Alba
Raúl Villarreal
Alejandro Zea

| starring = Gerardo Trejoluna
Paloma Petra

| cinematography = Claudia Becerril Bulos

| editing = Miguel Schverdfinger

| music = Tomás Barreiro

| studio = Agencia Bengala

| distributor =

| released = {{Film date|2022|02|12|Berlinale|2022|10|28|Amazon Prime Video}}

| runtime = 114 minutes

| country = Mexico

| language = Spanish

| budget =

| gross =

}}

Northern Skies Over Empty Space (Spanish: El norte sobre el vacío) is a 2022 Mexican drama film directed by Alejandra Márquez Abella and written by Abella & Gabriel Nuncio,{{Cite web |last=Redacción |date=2022-11-01 |title="El norte sobre el vacío", la nueva película de Alejandra Márquez |url=https://sopadecoditos.com/2022/11/01/el-norte-sobre-el-vacio-la-nueva-pelicula-de-alejandra-marquez/ |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=Sopa de Coditos |language=es-MX}} starring Gerardo Trejoluna and Paloma Petra.{{Cite web |title=Alejandra Márquez Abella escribe sobre "El norte sobre el vacío", disponible en Amazon Prime |url=https://noticine.com/noticias/estrenos/34089-alejandra-marquez-abella-escribe-sobre-el-norte-sobre-el-vacio-disponible-en-amazon-prime.html |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=noticine.com}} It is inspired by a true story where a Mexican cowboy and hunter, named Don Alejo Garza, defended his ranch from organized crime, who wanted to take it from him in 2010.{{Cite web |date=2022-10-28 |title=El norte sobre el vacío, inspirada en la lucha de Don Alejo por su rancho |url=https://www.sinembargo.mx/28-10-2022/4272525 |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=SinEmbargo MX |language=es}} It won the Best Mexican Feature Film, Best Screenplay and Best Actor awards for Gerardo Trejoluna at the 20th Morelia International Film Festival,{{Cite web |title=Filme "El norte sobre el vacío" lidera la premiación del Festival de Morelia |url=https://www.infobae.com/america/agencias/2022/10/29/filme-el-norte-sobre-el-vacio-lidera-la-premiacion-del-festival-de-morelia-2/ |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=infobae |date=29 October 2022 |language=es-ES}}{{Cite web |title=Filme "El norte sobre el vacío" lidera premiación del Festival de Morelia |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/m%C3%A9xico-cine_filme--el-norte-sobre-el-vac%C3%ADo--lidera-premiaci%C3%B3n-del-festival-de-morelia/48015044 |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=SWI swissinfo.ch |date=29 October 2022 |language=es}} as well as Best Movie in the Arieles.{{Citation |title=Northern Skies Over Empty Space (2022) - Awards - IMDb |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14030846/awards/ |access-date=2023-10-28 |language=en-US}}

Synopsis

Don Reynaldo is a renowned hunter on the decline, but when the threat of losing his inheritance and his father's legacy looms, his entire life is turned dangerously upside down.{{Cite web |date=2022-10-28 |title=El norte sobre el vacío – Estreno y todo sobre la película de Alejandra Márquez Abella |url=https://www.cinepremiere.com.mx/el-norte-sobre-el-vacio-pelicula-mexicana-estreno-trailer.html |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=Cine PREMIERE |language=es}}

Cast

The actors participating in this film are:{{Cite web |date=2023-04-18 |title=Reparto de El norte sobre el vacío (película 2022). Dirigida por Alejandra Márquez Abella |url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/peliculas-series/peliculas/el-norte-sobre-el-vacio-926325/actores |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=La Vanguardia |language=es}}{{Cite web |title=Reparto Completo de El norte sobre el vacío (Cine.com) |url=https://www.cine.com/pelicula/el-norte-sobre-el-vacio/reparto |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=cine.com |language=es}}{{Cite web |title=El norte sobre el vacío {{!}} Northern Skies Over Empty Space - Panorama 2022 |url=https://www.berlinale.de/en/2022/programme/202206478.html |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=www.berlinale.de |language=en}}

Gerardo Trejoluna as Don Reynaldo
Paloma Petra as Rosa
Dolores Heredia as Sofía
Mayra Hermosillo as Lily
Francisco Barreiro as Elías
Mariana Villegas as Laura
Fernando Bonilla as Raúl
Juan Daniel García Treviño as Tello
Raúl Briones as Guzmán
Marco García as Arnulfo
Yahir Alday as Braulio
Gabriel Almaguer as Wenceslao
Bebo Cantú as Félix
Gabriel Nuncio as Pepón
Camille Mina as Vicky
Pato Alvarado as Adrián
Diego García as Beto
Mariel Alanís as Isis
Aglae Lingow as Bunny
Leonardo Huerta as Clown
Carlos Lenin as Cousin 1
Ernesto Treviño as Cousin 2
Oliver Cantú Lozano as Cowboy 1
Hamish Anderson as Cowboy 2

Production

Principal photography took place in the states of Nuevo León and Tamaulipas, Mexico,{{Cite web |last=IMCINE |title='El norte sobre el vacío', de Alejandra Márquez Abella, una reflexión sobre la masculinidad |url=https://imcine.gob.mx/Pagina/Noticia?op=0d9709aa-d420-47f2-a6e3-90e7e311420b |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=imcine.gob.mx |language=en}} where they had to deal with organized crime to film in peace.{{Cite web |last1=L |first1=Eduardo Ayala y Claudia |last2=UnoTV |first2=o {{!}} |date=2022-10-23 |title=Producción de "El norte sobre el vacío" tuvo que lidiar con el crimen organizado |url=https://www.unotv.com/entretenimiento/el-norte-sobre-el-vacio-lidiar-pagar-crimen-organizado/ |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=Uno TV |language=es-mx}}

Release

Northern Skies Over Empty Space had its international premiere on February 12, 2022, at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival as part of the Panorama selection.{{Cite web |title=The Berlinale announces its full Panorama line-up |url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/420424/ |last=Abbatescianni |first=Davide |date=2022-01-18 |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=Cineuropa}} It premiered internationally on October 28, 2022, on Amazon Prime Video.{{Cite web |title='El norte sobre el vacío', de Alejandra Márquez Abella, ya tiene fecha de estreno en México {{!}} Filmelier News |url=https://www.filmelier.com/mx/noticias/el-norte-sobre-el-vacio-estreno-mexico |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=www.filmelier.com |language=es-MX}}

Reception

= Critical reception =

Lee Marshall from Screendaily wrote: "The bravura of the transition between grim school drama and western, and the way the two genres coexist and intertwine, make it so rich [...] Outstanding performances from Trejoluna and Petra".{{Cite web |last=Marshall2022-02-12T21:30:00+00:00 |first=Lee |title='Northern Skies Over Empty Space': Berlin Review |url=https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/northern-skies-over-empty-space-berlin-review/5167430.article |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=Screen |language=en}} Ernesto Diezmartínez from Letras Libres wrote: "The premise is compelling and, at least in the first few minutes, Márquez Abella promises a mocking take on heroism, virility, and toxic patriarchy ... Unfortunately, in the second part the film completely collapses, between dispersion and indecision: the class tensions between Don Reynaldo and all his employees –especially with the bragada Rosita– are more than obvious but are handled in a confusing way, there are telegraphed twists that go nowhere".{{Cite web |last=Diezmartínez |first=Ernesto |date=2022-10-31 |title=Morelia 2022: más cine de la violencia |url=https://letraslibres.com/cine-tv/ernesto-diezmartinez-cine-violencia-festival-morelia-2022/ |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=Letras Libres |language=es-MX}}

= Accolades =

class="wikitable"

!Year

!Award / Festival

!Category

!Recipient

!Result

!Ref.

rowspan="4" |2022

|Berlin International Film Festival

|Panorama Audience Award

| rowspan="2" |Alejandra Márquez Abella

|{{Nom}}

|{{Cite web |last=Grater |first=Tom |date=2022-01-18 |title=Berlin Film Festival Finalizes Panorama Line-Up; Unveils Series Market & Co-Pro Series Selections |url=https://deadline.com/2022/01/berlin-film-festival-panorama-line-up-unveils-series-market-co-pro-series-selections-1234914175/ |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}

rowspan="3" |Morelia International Film Festival

|Best Feature Film

|{{Won}}

| rowspan="3" |{{Cite web |last=Editorauthor |title=La cinta El norte sobre el vacío, la gran ganadora de la edición 20 del FICM |url=https://entrelineas.com.mx/espectaculos/la-cinta-el-norte-sobre-el-vacio-la-gran-ganadora-de-la-edicion-20-del-ficm-2/ |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=Las Noticias de Chihuahua - Entrelíneas}}{{Cite web |last=Río |first=David del |date=2022-10-29 |title="El NORTE SOBRE EL VACÍO" GANÓ XX FESTIVAL DE MORELIA |url=https://ibercine.com/el-norte-sobre-el-vacio-gano-xx-festival-de-morelia/ |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=IBERCINE |language=es}}

Best Screenplay

|Alejandra Márquez Abella & Gabriel Nuncio

|{{Won}}

rowspan="2" |Best Actor

| rowspan="2" |Gerardo Trejoluna

|{{Won}}

rowspan="19" |2023

| rowspan="3" |Diosas de Plata

|{{Nom}}

| rowspan="3" |{{Cite web |title=Te presentamos todas las Nominaciones de la XLVIII edición del premio #DiosaDePlata al cine mexicano. |url=https://twitter.com/PecimeAC/status/1641545218897108992 |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=Twitter |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Redacción |date=2023-04-26 |title=Estos fueron los ganadores de las Diosas de Plata 2023 |url=https://elcapitalino.mx/entretenimiento/carrousel-entretenimiento/estos-fueron-los-ganadores-de-las-diosas-de-plata-2023/ |access-date=2023-04-29 |language=es}}

Best Supporting Actress

|Paloma Petra

|{{Nom}}

Best Actor in a Minor Role

|Raúl Briones

|{{Nom}}

rowspan="16" |Ariel Awards

|Best Picture

|Northern Skies Over Empty Space

|{{Won}}

| rowspan="16" |{{Cite web |title=Ariel 2023: estos son los nominados a lo mejor del cine mexicano |url=https://www.infobae.com/mexico/2023/06/20/ariel-2023-estos-son-los-nominados-a-lo-mejor-del-cine-mexicano/ |access-date=2023-07-18 |website=infobae |date=20 June 2023 |language=es-ES}}{{Cite web |date=2023-09-10 |title=Conoce a los ganadores de los Premios Ariel 2023 |url=https://moreliafilmfest.com/conoce-los-ganadores-de-los-premios-ariel-2023 |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=moreliafilmfest.com |language=es}}

Best Director

|Alejandra Márquez Abella

|{{Nom}}

Best Actor

|Gerardo Trejoluna

|{{Nom}}

Best Supporting Actress

|Dolores Heredia

|{{Nom}}

rowspan="2" |Best Supporting Actor

|Fernando Bonilla

|{{Nom}}