While fleeing a neglectful household, thirteen-year-old RITA (Giuliana Santa Cruz) 
is placed in an oppressive state-run 
orphanage. Rita’s arrival provides a glimmer of hope to the girls inside, who share a prophecy that an angel will appear to release them. Encouraged by one another, the girls plan an escape to claim their freedom and expose the orphanage’s abuses of power. Based on the true story behind one of Guatemala’s most harrowing tragedies, RITA shines a light on the brave orphans whose fight for survival inspired a nationwide 
outcry for justice and reform. THE BACKSTORY of RITA – In Guatemala, 56 low-income girls and adolescents were burned on March 8, 2017. They were in a state protection home. Forty-one of them died, and 15 survived. Since 2013, there were reports of sexual violence and possible trafficking within the home, and it seems that “girl consumers” held important positions in the country. The fire occurred after all the girls in that institution created an escape riot to report the mistreatment and sexual abuse they were 
suffering, using the date of International Women’s Day as a reason. The 56 girls considered to be the leaders of the riot were locked up against their rights in a 4×4 square meter room. When the fire started inside the room, the police and guards who controlled the door to the outside waited 9 minutes before opening, despite the smoke, the piercing screams, and the smell of burning flesh. The firefighters tried to intervene immediately, but other 
guards made it difficult for them to enter the place. I am keen to explore the girls’ everyday lives, dispelling misconceptions of delinquency and delving into their camaraderie, friendship, love, and aspirations. I want to portray them as loyal companions united in their plight, despite the harsh conditions they faced. They strived to preserve their innocence amidst the harsh realities imposed on them at a young age. By narrating their stories, I aim to challenge societal norms, honor their resilience, and ensure that their voices are heard, resonating far beyond the confines of their tragic past. Director & Writer Jayro Bustamante joins us to talk about the heinous and despicable events that serve as the foundation for his powerful rebuttal to bigotry, misogyny and the absence of accountability that created the conditions for this to happen.
To watch: shudder.com/watch/rita
Official Selection for Guatemala
Academy Award Best International Feature
About the filmmaker – Jayro Bustamante is a film director, producer, and writer. He was born in Guatemala and grew up in a Maya community on the shores of Lake Atitlán, an experience that deeply influenced his storytelling style. While studying social communication at the University of San Carlos of Guatemala, he worked at Ogilvy & Mather as a director and producer of advertising, where he took his first steps in the audiovisual world. He studied Film Directing in Paris at the Conservatoire Libre du Cinema Francais, and continued his studies in screenwriting at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome. In 2009 he returned to Guatemala and founded La Casa de Produccion. He produced four short films and his debut feature, Ixcanul, which won him the Silver Bear at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival and more than 60 awards in international festivals. In 2018 he produced and directed his second film, Tremors, which premiered at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival and received several international awards. In September 2019 he premiered his third film, La Llorona, in Venice, winning the Best Director award in the Giornate degli Autori. Jayro is currently developing a number of films and series, as well as producing for other Guatemalan and foreign directors. He has been juror at Berlinale 2016, Brussels Film Festival 2018, Biarritz Festival 2018, Platino Awards and Fenix Awards, and Los Cabos Film Festival. He was President of the Jury for Horizontes Latinos in the San Sebastiaan 2020 Festival, and President of the Jury at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia, 2021. His film La Llorona was nominated as Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes and Best Ibero-American Film at the Goya Awards, both in 2021; it was nominated in eleven categories at the 2021 Platino Awards, and won five. In 2021, he directed and produced his fourth film, “Rita,” in co-production with Jonathan King. In 2022, he directed and produced his fifth film, “Cordillera de Fuego,” currently in post-production. In 2023, he directed the pilot for the series “The Border” for Disney and FX and earlier this year, he was honored as a Knight of the National Order of Merit of France. Currently, he is simultaneously directing and producing socially impactful advertising campaigns. He is also writing a new series titled “The Hacienda” for Apple TV and collaborating with other producers and directors to develop several feature film scripts, documentaries, and series.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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“Jayro Bustamante delivers one of the most impactful movies of the year in Rita, a difficult, haunting depiction of a real-life tragedy.” – Maxance Vincent, Loud and Clear Reviews
““Rita” serves both as a damning indictment of a corrupt system and as a showcase for a fearless filmmaker who continues to open the world’s eyes to injustices being done.” – Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News
“[Rita is] a harrowing, heartbreaking examination of both the oppression of the downtrodden and the exploitation that lead to a real-life 2017 tragedy that claimed the lives of forty-one young girls, and it is exceptional.” – J Hurtado, ScreenAnarchy
“There is blistering anger in its melange of baubles and feathers and tulle.” – Jennie Kermode, Eye for Film
“To powerful, even shocking effect, Bustamante’s incisive writing slowly deploys revelations that point us to rethink what we thought we knew about the narrative.” – Carlos Aguilar, Variety