GSS Andean Semester - Andean Film Festival: UTAMA (BOLIVIA)
oct 21, 2025 at 7:00 PM
@The Art House Cinema 109 N 30th St., Billings
Free
MSUB’s Office of International Studies is hosting its 5th annual Global Studies Seminar: Themed Semester this fall and will be hosting weekly events for FREE from September through November to showcase South America's northern and central Andean Region, also known as the Andean Community, featuring Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, & Venezuela. See the full schedule of events at
https://www.msubillings.edu/interna.../themed-sem/Andean.htm.
Witness the Soul of the Andes in UTAMA (2022). Directed by Alejandro Loayza Grisi, Utama is a visually stunning and deeply moving Bolivian drama that follows an elderly Quechua-speaking couple, Virginio and Sisa, as they confront the harsh realities of climate change and cultural erosion in the arid highlands of the Andes. When a prolonged drought threatens their way of life, and Virginio’s health begins to fail, their grandson arrives from the city, forcing them to choose between tradition and survival.
Utama has received widespread international acclaim, including:
- Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival 1
- Golden Biznaga for Best Iberoamerican Film at the Málaga Film Festival1
- Bolivia’s official submission for the 95th Academy Awards 1
- Over 28 wins and 23 nominations globally
With breathtaking cinematography and heartfelt performances by non-professional indigenous actors, Utama is a poetic reflection on love, legacy, and the resilience of ancestral wisdom.
This film appropriate for mature older children and teens, especially those with an interest in cultural, environmental, or humanistic themes.
