The Amazing Catfish

Los insólitos peces gato

The Amazing Catfish

Claudia Sainte-Luce

»There’s actually quite a lot of me in the various characters figured in Los peces insólitos gato. I left home very early on, at the age of 17. And I led a very lonely life. I felt that this makes no sense, life is passing me by, it’s as though I was dying alive. And then I got to know this family and they became my family too. With this woman who was dying, and I felt that she was so much more alive than I was! This deeply moved me and it changed me as well. I think we all need to sleep with death at our side if we are to live our life the way it should be.«
– Claudia Sainte-Luce in conversation with Irene Jung, Terre des Femmes

Claudia, a lonely young woman, works in a supermarket. One night, she ends up in hospital with a severe case of appendicitis. There, she meets Martha, the woman in the bed next to hers. Martha, who lives alone with her four children, gains Claudia’s trust. When she gets out of the hospital, she spontaneously o offers to have Claudia go home with her. Getting to know this family makes Claudia feel at ease. And for the first time, in this peculiar little tribe, she experiences a sense of belonging. As Martha’s health weakens each day, the bond Claudia has with each member of the family grows stronger.


Awards for ›Los insólitos peces gato‹ (Selection)
FIPRESCI PRIZE, International Critics’ Prize, Toronto Film Festival 2013 | Young Jury Prize for Best Film, Locarno Film Festival 2013 | Best Performance Award for all actresses, Biarritz Film Festival 2013 | Best Latin American Feature Film, Mar del Plata Film Festival 2013 | Best Mexican Film, Baja Film Festival, 2013

Director / Script

Claudia Sainte-Luce

Cinematography

Agnès Godard

Editing

Santiago Ricci

Music

Madame Recamier

Cast

Ximena Ayala, Lisa Owen, Sonia Franco, Wendy Guillén und andere

Production

Cine Caníbal

Contact

Arsenal Filmverleih

Director Claudia Sainte-Luce

Claudia Sainte-Luce

Claudia Sainte-Luce was born in Veracruz, Mexico. In 2004, she graduated with a degree in visual arts from the University of Guadalajara. In 2005, her short film Muerte Anunciada (Death Announced) received the Audience Award, the Award for Best Actor and a Jury Mention at the Festival Expresion en Corto in Guanajuato. Since 2007, she has worked as assistant director on several Mexican feature films. Her own feature film debut Los insólitos peces gato has been successfully screened at several festivals and won numerous awards – including the International Critics’ Prize at the Toronto Film Festival.


Films by Claudia Sainte-Luce
Amor y Matemáticas / Love & Mathematics 2022 | Los insólitos peces gato / The Amazing Catfish 2013 | La caja vacía / The Empty Box 2016 | El camino de Sol / Sol’s Journey 2021 | La isla de sacrificios / The Island of Sacrifices 2022