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Presented with MELA

Date Location Time Tickets
Thursday, June 1, 2023 TCL Chinese Theaters Auditorium 3 6:45 PM PDT BUY TICKETS

Manuela

Directed by Clara Cullen

Argentina | 70 min | 2022

Manuela, a Latin nanny with a dubious past, finds an unlikely connection with a defiant two year old she's hired to look after.

Manuela, a Latin American immigrant, walks through the empty streets of Los Angeles, scouring the area for work. She arrives at a job interview at a large house in an affluent neighborhood and is greeted by a cold businesswoman looking for a nanny for her daughter, Alma. After getting the job, Manuela meets Alma, who is initially resistant to her. Alma's mother, Ellen, is never around. She occasionally talks to them through the security camera. While Ellen is gone on a business trip, Manuela and Alma create an undeniable maternal bond. But the days go by, and they still haven't heard from Ellen. Manuela will discover that her entire world has been altered, and must make an impossible decision.
Director Photo
Clara Cullen, Argentina 1986, studied film at Universidad del Cine in BA and Documentary Film-making at Parson's University in NYC. Clara's work was shown in the Biennial of Moving Image in BA at the Faena Art Center in 2017. Clara presented her latest short doc "Lost and Found" in Visions de RĂ©el, Indie Lisboa and SEMINCI in 2021."
Type of Film Feature
Country of Origin Argentina
Year Film Was Completed 2022
Runtime 70 min
Director Clara Cullen
Produced by Helena Martel Seward, Clara Cullen, Julia Solomonoff
Written by Clara Cullen
Cinematography Gillian Garcia
Edited by Valeria Racioppi, Lauren Cabanas
Music by Aska Matsumiya
Sound Design Lena Esquenazi
Main Cast Barbara Lombardo, Alma Farago, Sophie Buhai, Ellen Leeb

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