Sand Dollars

The romance SAND DOLLARS (Dólares de arena) stars legendary film actress Geraldine Chaplin (Talk to Her). Directed by Laura Amelia Guzmán and Israel Cárdenas, the movie was a stand out at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, the film has been selected by the Dominican Republic as its contender for the 2016 Academy Awards in the Foreign Language Film competition.

In this “enchanting and thoughtful” (Hollywood Reporter) romance, an older European woman becomes captivated with a young Dominican woman struggling to make ends meet. Every afternoon Noelí (played by Yanet Mojica), goes to the beaches at Las Terrenas with her boyfriend to look for ways to make a living at the expense of one of the many tourists that wander the beach. As people parade through her life, Noelí has a steady client; Anne, a mature French woman who, as time goes by, has found an ideal refuge on the island to spend her last years. When Noeli’s boyfriend feigns to be her brother, he outlines a plan in which Noelí travels to Paris with the old lady and sends him money every month. For Noelí, the relationship with Anne is one of convenience, but the feelings become more intense as the departure date closes in.

The Dominican/Mexican/Argentinean production based on Jean-Noel Pancrazi’s novel “Les Dollars des Sables” had its world premiere at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Since then the film has participated as an official selection of several prestigious international film festivals, including Miami, Palm Springs, Rome, and Cairo, receiving numerous awards including for Best Actress at the Chicago and Havana film festivals.

Nominated for a Platino.

Festivals: TIFF, Chicago (Winner Best Actress), Palm Springs, AFI Latin American, Rome, Nashville.