Mexican film Producer Mariana Méndez Alejandre has boarded Maria Brendle’s Oscar® nominated short film ‘Ala Kachuu – Take and Run’ as a Co-Executive Producer.
Ala Kachuu depicts the Kyrgyz tradition of bride-kidnapping, after which the film is named. Inspired by real events, the film follows a young Kyrgyz woman who dreams of studying in the capital as she is kidnapped and forced to marry a stranger. If she refuses the marriage, she is threatened with social stigmatization and exclusion. Torn between her desire for freedom and the constraints of Kyrgyz culture, she desperately seeks for a way out.
‘I am honored to join the talented team of Ala Kachuu – Take and Run. Maria Brendle has created more than just a piece of entertainment, her vision is a call to action to demand basic human rights and I couldn’t be prouder to stand behind a powerful and eye opening film that seeks to create that kind of change.”, said Méndez Alejandre.
The film has won over 40 awards worldwide and has been shown at several Oscar® qualifying festivals including the 11th BronzeLens Film Festival, the 45th Cleveland International Film Festival (Audience Choice Award for Best Short), the 16th HollyShorts Film Festival and the 38th Flickers’ Rhode Island Film Festival (Marlyn Manson Award 1st prize).
Ala Kachuu – Take and Run is nominated in the Best Live Action category at the 94th Academy Awards® taking place on March 27th, 2022.