The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo
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- Giancarlo Nasi
- Justin Pechberty
- Damien Megherbi
| The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo | |
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 Chilean theatrical release poster | |
| Spanish | La misteriosa mirada del flamenco |
| Directed by | Diego Céspedes |
| Written by | Diego Céspedes |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Angello Faccini |
| Edited by | Martial Salomon |
| Music by | Florencia Di Concilio |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 107 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | Spanish |
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.[1] It was selected as the Chilean entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
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.[2] In 2020, the project participated at the Ikusmira Berriak, held during the San Sebastián International Film Festival.[3] It won the TFL Production Award at the 2020 TorinoFilmLab and received €50,000 production grant.[4] In 2021, it also participated at the Producers Summit of the Sundance Institute.[5] In November 2021, it was reported that French production company Les Valseurs would co-produce the film.[6] It was selected to participate at the 2022 Venice's Gap-Financing Market.[7][8] In November 2023, it received a €139,000 production grant from Eurimages.[9] In May 2024, it was reported that German production company Weydemann Bros Films would co-produce the film.[10] In April 2025, it was announced that Charades had acquired the film's international sales rights.[11]
Principal photography began on 20 May 2024.[10]
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.[12][13][14]
It was made available to rent via Letterboxd Video Store on 10 December 2025.[15][16]
It is scheduled to be released theatrically in Spain by BTeam Pictures on 16 January 2026.[12][17]
The film was commercially released on March 12, 2026, in Chilean theaters by Cinecolor Films.[18][19]
Reception
Critical reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 41 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."[20] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 based on 7 critics, which the site labels as "generally favorable" reviews.[21]
Accolades
| Award / Festival | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | 24 May 2025 | Un Certain Regard Award | Diego Céspedes | Won | [22] |
| Queer Palm | Nominated | [23] | |||
| Camera d'Or | Nominated | ||||
| Lima Film Festival | 16 September 2025 | Trophy Spondylus | The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo | Nominated | [24][25] |
| Special Jury Prize - Honorable Mention | Won | ||||
| Best Debut Film | Won | ||||
| San Sebastián International Film Festival | 27 September 2025 | Horizontes Latinos | Nominated | [26] | |
| Dama Youth Award | Won | ||||
| Forqué Awards | 13 December 2025 | Best Latin-American Film | Nominated | ||
| Goya Awards | 28 February 2026 | Best Ibero-American Film | Nominated | [28] |