# Memories of a Burning Body

Memories of a Burning Body (Spanish: Memorias de un cuerpo que arde) is a 2024 drama film written and directed by Antonella Sudasassi Furniss. The film starring Sol Carballo, Paulina Bernini and Juliana Filloy, portrays the story of Ana, Patricia and Mayela, who, educated in a repressive era where sexuality was taboo, found the meaning of femininity through unspoken rules and implicit impositions.
A co-production of Costa Rica and Spain, the film was selected in the Panorama section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival where it had its world premiere on 19 February 2024, and won Panorama Audience Award for Best Feature Film. It was selected as the Costa Rican entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.

## Synopsis

Two sexagenarian women, Ana and Patricia, and one septuagenarian woman, Mayela, grew up in a time when sexuality was not discussed or expressed freely as it was considered taboo. They learned to be women from the silent norms and hidden demands of their society. Now they have the courage to share their experiences openly. Their stories are told in a poetic manner: as they narrate their lives off-screen, another woman their age embodies their memories, secrets and desires.

## Cast

* Sol Carballo as Woman
* Paulina Bernini as Young Woman
* Juliana Filloy as Girl
* Liliana Biamonte as Mother
* Juan Luis Araya as Husband
* Gabriel Araya as Father
* Leonardo Perucci as Boyfriend
* Cecilia García as Grandmother

## Production

The project was selected in the development pitch at the Costa Rica International Film Festival, preselected at the Hubert Bals Fund, Script and Project Development Bright Future and at the San Sebastián Co-production Forum. The co-production of Sub stance Films and Playlab Films is directed by Antonella Sudasassi and co-produced with Estephania Bonnett Alonso.
Filming began in Costa Rica from November 2022. It ended on 18 December 2022, and post-production took place in Spain.

## Release

Memories of a Burning Body had its world premiere on 19 February 2024, as part of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, in Panorama. On 31 October 2024, it was showcased at the 37th Tokyo International Film Festival in 'Women’s Empowerment' section.
In January 2024, Tenerife's Bendita Film acquired the international sales rights of the film. It was commercially released on August 29, 2024, in Costa Rican theaters.

## Reception

Giorgia Del Don reviewing the film at Berlinale for Cineuropa wrote, "Antonella Sudasassi Furniss’ second feature film is an emancipatory cry uniting different generations of women who have been held back by limits set by the patriarchy."

### Accolades

| Award | Date | Category | Recipient | Result |
| Berlin International Film Festival | 25 February 2024 | Panorama Audience Award for Best Feature Film | Antonella Sudasassi Furniss | Won |
| Lima Film Festival | 17 August 2024 | Best Picture | Memories of a Burning Body | Nominated |
| Busan International Film Festival | 11 October 2024 | Flash Forward Audience Award | Memories of a Burning Body | Won |
| Forqué Awards | 14 December 2024 | Best Latin-American Film | Memories of a Burning Body | Nominated |
| Goya Awards | 8 February 2025 | Best Ibero-American Film | Memories of a Burning Body | Nominated |